When I woke up again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air and I opened my eyes to the hospital’s white walls.

Garren was holding my hand tightly, worry almost spilling from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Linnea. My phone was damaged in the accident and I had to follow the road for a long time to find a place to fix the car. When I came back… I saw you had already fallen on the road. I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left you alone in the car.”

He lowered his head, his face full of remorse and regret. On the surface, he looked just like the caring, sincere man from before. But not a single word was true.

A sharp pain spread from my heart throughout my body, as if a blunt knife had been plunged into my chest, making it impossible to breathe.

I suddenly remembered the scene of him and Fenella in the car and nausea surged up. I quickly pulled my hand away.

Garren glanced at my empty hand, stunned and looked at me in confusion.

“I’m hungry.” I didn’t look at him, speaking with a calm, detached tone.

Garren thought I was just being moody and didn’t ask further. He immediately left the room to buy some food.

To me, his current appearance seemed utterly fake. I didn’t even want to glance at him.

Not long after he left, footsteps echoed outside the hospital room. The person walked in slowly, a smile on her face.

“Miss Wirm, you’re really lucky. Being hit by a jeep and yet only suffering minor injuries,” Fenella said, blinking and showing a strange smile.

A chill ran through me and I understood immediately.

I propped myself up, forcing myself to sit despite the pain and gritted my teeth. “How do you know… it was a jeep that hit me?”

Fenella suddenly smiled, her cruel eyes stabbing me like icy needles, her voice deliberately low. “What do you think, Miss Wirm? Of course… it’s because I arranged that car. Too bad, they didn’t complete the job,”

She deliberately leaned close to me and yanked open her collar, revealing a cluster of suggestive marks across her collarbone. “Not only that… why don’t you guess why your husband didn’t come to save you in time?”

Seeing Fenella’s triumphant smile, an uncontrollable fury ignited in my chest, burning so fiercely. I could hardly bear it.

I clenched my teeth, about to speak. Suddenly, Fenella let out a sharp scream, stumbling back and falling to the floor.

Garren appeared almost instantly, pushing me roughly aside and shielding Fenella tightly behind him.

My still-healing wound hit the wall again, splitting open and bleeding afresh.

“Linnea, what are you doing?” Garren shouted angrily, completely unaware that my back was already soaked in blood.

Fenella curled in on herself, casting a fearful, trembling glance at me. Biting her lip lightly, her voice quivered, revealing fragility and helplessness, tears welling in her eyes.

“I… I just heard Miss Wirm got into an accident and wanted to check on her, but she suddenly slapped me,” she said.

I stared at her in disbelief, letting a cold smile curl on my lips. “You hired someone to hit me yourself and now you have the nerve to twist it around and accuse me!”

“Shut up!”

Garren carefully helped Fenella to her feet, his expression turning completely cold. “Who arranged the person who hit you? You know that yourself!”

Then he slammed a stack of photos onto me, sending another wave of indescribable pain through me.

“I investigated. It was you who hired the person to hit yourself! All this painstaking scheming, this self-inflicted act… just because you’re jealous of Fenella and want to get my attention, right?”

I widened my eyes and scanned through the photos, my face pale as I tried to defend myself. “I didn’t! It was Fenella, she…”

“Enough. Look at yourself now—you’re acting like a lunatic.” Garren cut me off coldly, his voice like ice.

After that, he left the hospital room with Fenella, without so much as glancing back at me.

I stood there stunned for a long time. It felt like something was blocking my heart and yet not a single tear could fall from my eyes.

On the day I was discharged, Garren didn’t come to pick me up. Maybe he forgot. Or maybe he had completely grown tired of me.

I packed my things and politely said goodbye to the doctor. He looked at me, as if wanting to say something, but finally just told me to rest well.

Back at home, I glimpsed through the window and saw the inside brightly lit, filled with the clinking of glasses and a noisy crowd. The entire villa had been transformed into a grand party hall.

Curious, I walked inside. My simple clothes felt completely out of place.

Gentle, flowing music played in the background. Men and women held glasses of wine, chatting in small groups, their laughter filling the air as they moved freely through the crowd.

The moment they saw me, whispers began spreading among them.

“This is a birthday party that Mr. Thayer specially threw for Miss Burken. Looks like he didn’t even invite her.”

“Her child was attacked… I don’t think Mrs. Thayer will hold her position for much longer.”

“Look at her exhausted state. She does look somewhat pitiful.”

Each word felt like a sharp hook, slowly digging into my heart, drawing blood with every syllable.

Suddenly, a sound from the second floor drew everyone’s attention.

Garren stood at the highest point, carefully draping a wool blanket over Fenella and gently holding her hand. “I hereby announce that the child in Fenella’s womb will be the future heir of the Thayer Group!”

The moment he spoke, waves of astonished gasps echoed from below.

I stared blankly at Garren. My fingers clenched tightly on the hem of my clothes, nails digging into my skin, yet I felt no pain at all.

He had once told me that everything he owned belonged to me, including himself. Now, in front of everyone, he acted as if none of it ever did.

He had given all his wealth to a woman who had been with him for less than a year.

The guests exchanged glances and began whispering.

“On the surface, this is a birthday party, but actually… Mr. Thayer is using this opportunity to announce the child’s status.”

“He really loves Fenella. She easily got the things Linnea never got after being with him for so long.”

Hearing this, Fenella grew even more smug.

She deliberately blocked my way, exaggeratingly rubbing her pregnant belly as if to show off.

“Wait a minute. On such a special day, aren’t you going to toast me, Miss Wirm?”

“No need,” I said coldly and turned to leave.

But Fenella remained blocking my way, as if she wouldn't let me leave until I drank.

I took a deep breath and nodded firmly. “Fine.”

She finally curled her lips in a smug smile. “That’s more like it. Please hand me the glass of red wine behind you.”

After drinking the wine, I was about to leave. Suddenly, a sharp scream came from behind me.

I turned around and saw Fenella bending over, clutching her belly and crying out, “Ah… it hurts so much!”

Garren immediately dropped his wine glass, his face full of worry as he supported her.

“Everyone just saw that this glass of wine was given to me by Miss Wirm!”

She looked at me with a pitiful expression, as if I had done something utterly cruel.

Garren’s eyes darkened and his clear voice trembled with suppressed anger. “Linnea, if anything happens to the child, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life!”

“I didn’t…” I tried to explain, but was cut off.

“It hurts…” Fenella clutched her belly, her face contorted in pain. “Garren… my stomach hurts so much…”

Garren glanced at me, his voice filled with both disappointment and anger. “You’ve become cruel and deceitful, lying without end. How did you turn into someone like this?”

I opened my mouth, but instantly lost all desire to explain.

So, in his eyes, that’s what I had become. If that’s the case, what meaning did my explanation even have?

The guests around us continued whispering, casting malicious glances my way.

I clenched my fists tightly, feeling the fury in my chest rise uncontrollably.

Suddenly….

Before Garren could react, I rushed forward and slapped Fenella hard across the face.

“That slap yesterday wasn’t from me,” I said slowly, raising my head. “This one is.”

Fenella trembled, covering her cheek in shock. She looked at me in disbelief, even forgetting to cry.

Garren’s face turned dark with rage. He grabbed my collar tightly.

“Someone, take her away! Lock her in the basement. Without my permission, she is not allowed to come out!”

Two bodyguards rushed over, pinned me down and dragged me away despite my struggle, throwing me into the cold, dark and damp basement.

At night.

Cold wind blew in through the cracks of the door, spreading chill through my body. I hugged myself tightly, unable to stop shivering.

Suddenly, my hand touched something slimy and disgusting.

I looked down—it was a snake, the thing I feared most.

“Linnea, this is the price you pay for daring to hit me…” Fenella’s voice echoed in my ears, full of hatred, growing farther and farther away.

I lifted my head in terror and watched countless snakes rush toward me.

I didn’t know how much time passed, but the pain in my body slowly went numb and I completely lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, I found myself lying in a bedroom.

I tried to move, but sharp pain shot through my leg. It was covered in dense wounds.

Garren quietly stood by the bed, dark circles under his eyes. “Sorry, Linnea… I went too far. But I was only worried you might hurt the baby in Fenella’s womb and I panicked for a moment…”

“I didn’t expect you to faint.” A hint of guilt appeared on his face as he spoke.

I looked at him calmly and said, “And the snakes? Was that also because you panicked?”

In the entire Thayer Family, the only person who knew I was afraid of snakes was Garren. There was no way this could have nothing to do with him.

“What snakes?” Garren looked confused at first, then realization dawned on him. “Linnea, you must have been scared last night. That’s why you had a hallucination.”

If the snakes were just a hallucination, then what about the wounds on my legs?

Hearing his ridiculous words, I let out a mocking smile and said nothing.

He thought I agreed and gently reached out to touch my hair. “Don’t worry. I promised to make it up to you and I always keep my word. I booked your favorite rooftop garden restaurant. Seven o’clock tonight. Don’t be late.”

I glanced at my phone. The doctor said I only had one day left before I would lose all my memories.

Perfect. Tonight, I would finally make a clean break.

I handed the divorce papers and all the evidence proving Fenella caused my accident to my most trusted lawyer. Once tonight was over, he would send everything to Garren.

At night, I walked into the restaurant and saw Garren from a distance. And… Fenella was by his side.

Garren quickly glanced at me, his eyes avoiding mine. “Fenella has been very sensitive lately. I can’t leave her alone at home, or something might happen.”

I nodded, saying nothing. It didn’t matter. Soon, none of this would concern me anymore.

Then, Garren walked up to me, hesitated for a few seconds and took out a delicate little box from his pocket. “Linnea, this is the final lot I won at the auction… it’s… a gift to apologize to you.”

He opened the box, but it was empty.

Fenella pretended to be surprised, quickly covering her face and laughing. “Oh my, you got it wrong—that’s the ring you gave me last night.”

“Linnea, I… sorry…” Garren looked at me helplessly, his whole body embarrassed as if his secret had been exposed.

At that moment…

The chandelier on the ceiling suddenly crashed down!

Both Fenella and I were hit by a huge piece of glass at the same time when…

“Linnea!”

Garren rushed forward almost on instinct, but then he heard Fenella’s weak sob beside him.

“My stomach hurts so much… the baby… the baby…”

He hesitated for just a moment.

The next second, he turned around, lifted Fenella into his arms and ran outside.

While running, he shouted, “Waiter! Call an ambulance! Take her to the hospital!”

I slowly withdrew the hand I had reached out to him. My body was pierced with countless shards of glass, sharp pain tearing through me again and again.

Their figures grew farther and farther away and blood slowly blurred my vision.

I could no longer hold on. Darkness swallowed me and I completely lost consciousness.

I didn’t know how much time had passed. Gradually, I regained consciousness and heard someone softly calling beside me. “Miss Wirm? Miss Wirm?”

Miss Wirm? Were they calling me?

I opened my eyes in confusion. My mind was completely blank—there was no memory left at all.