Margaret realized it was a family matter and didn't press further. She left reluctantly.

Alexander still held my wrist, refusing to let go. I tried to pull free but couldn't.

"Mia Carter, you cannot remarry," he said. "Alexander treated you so well. You should honor him by staying faithful."

I stared at his stern, self-righteous expression, feeling only bitter irony.

So this was his idea of love. Staying alive while watching me destroy myself for him, over and over, without doing anything to fix it.

And this was his devotion. Faking his death so Lily could carry his child.

A laugh slipped out of my lips. "Daniel, you're not your brother. What right do you have to control me?"

"I—" Something flickered in Alexander's eyes, his confidence collapsing. "I may not be Alexander, but since he's gone, I have a responsibility…"

But to Lily, watching from the doorway, the scene seemed to mean something else entirely. Her expression darkened with malice.

That night, while Alexander was out working. Lily came to my room.

Without a word, she slapped me hard across the face. Under the dim bulb, her expression twisted with venom.

"Mia, your husband had just barely died and you're already seducing Daniel? Can't even stand being alone for a little while?"

The slap had stunned me. I reached out, intending to catch her wrist and defend myself, maybe even explain.

My fingers never touched her, but she suddenly let her body collapse backward, dropping to the floor as if I had shoved her.

Her voice turned soft and trembling. "Mia, I only wanted to talk. Why did you push me…"

At that moment, Alexander burst inside. He shoved me so hard I stumbled backward and crashed into the table behind me.

After gathering Lily gently into his arms, he glared at me furiously. "Mia, if anything happens to Lily, don't blame me for what I'll do to you."

In his arms, Lily's eyes were filled with tears, but she still found a moment to flash me a triumphant smile.

Pain shot through my lower back, but I forced myself to look at them and laughed coldly.

"Better take your wife to the hospital, Daniel."

I stressed the name. Daniel.

Alexander's expression flickered, unease breaking through for a moment. But in the end, he only let out a short, angry breath and carried Lily away.

Early the next morning, I took my ferry ticket and my already packed luggage and headed to the pier.

Sitting in the car, I watched the sunrise rise into the sky, warm and brilliant. It felt like the beginning of something new.

Then, in the next second, I caught sight of Alexander's car. Lily sat inside with him. They looked as if they had just returned from the hospital.

"Mia? Where is she going?" Lily asked suddenly, pointing at my car.

Alexander slammed on the brakes. Margaret's visit flashed through his mind.

Panic began to claw at him. He jumped out of the car, clearly intending to chase me.

But just then, Margaret returned from buying groceries. She spotted him and called out with delighted cheer.

"Congratulations, Daniel! Mia has found a good match. She's marrying Mr. Gaslow!"