While Michael’s world revolved entirely around Daniela, I walked swiftly out the door.

I had barely stepped outside the villa when—a car horn sounded twice.

Beep—beep!

I saw a silver sedan parked just beyond the iron gate and quickened my pace, hope rising in my chest.

But before the gate could open, two bodyguards emerged from the shadows.

They grabbed me roughly and dragged me back into the villa.

Inside the study, Michael had me tightly bound, arms restrained behind my back.

Without warning, he ordered someone to drive a needle—thick as a child’s arm—into my vein.

From behind the half-open door, I heard the doctor speaking nervously.

“Mr. Hudson, although both Madam and Miss Daniela have RH-negative blood, Madam has a long history of heart disease. Forcing a blood draw could trigger acute shock. I really think we should go to the hospital and—”

“No need to persuade me.” Michael’s voice was icy. “Your only job is to make sure Daniela gets better. I’ll handle everything else.”

I heard his footsteps approaching, and slowly closed my eyes.

“Does it hurt?”

His tone, for once, carried a trace of gentleness.

“Hang in there. It’ll be over soon.”

I turned my head away, unwilling to waste a single word on him.

By the time they had drawn 800cc of blood, my lips were already turning purple.

Just then, a faint cough echoed from the master bedroom—it was Daniela.

Upon hearing it, Michael immediately pushed the doctor’s hand aside and ordered him to draw blood twice as much.

The doctor, drenched in cold sweat, warned him again, “If I continued, Madam could die.”

Michael paused for only two seconds before replying coldly, “Daniela is pregnant, and the baby comes first.”

“But—”

Without hesitation, I interrupted the doctor. “Just do it. But after this, let me go.”

Looking at my bloodless face, Michael’s eyes flashed with cold fury.

He opened his mouth to scold me, ready to ask if I’d had enough of this childish tantrum, if I was really going to abandon our home over something so trivial—

Then Daniela’s delicate voice rant from the bedroom. “Michael...”

And just like that, he left me behind.

—

Two days later.

I woke up in a hospital room, still weak from the shock.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Michael sitting at the side table, flipping through documents.

Our eyes locked for a long moment.

Expressionless, he picked up a bowl of porridge and moved to feed me.

I shook my head. “I’ll do it myself.”

He said nothing, just watched me quietly as I ate half the bowl.

Then he asked, “Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

I didn’t answer the question and said, “Please give me my phone.”

Perhaps my tone was too distant because he froze for several seconds before calling the housekeeper to bring it over.

As I checked my phone, I noticed numerous missed calls.

“Who’s been calling you?” Michael’s voice cut in suddenly.

He never used to ask questions like this.

A hint of annoyance flitted through my eyes.

“Someone you don’t know,” I replied flatly.

He unfastened the top button of his shirt, leaning over me with a cold gaze.

“Ashlyn, how long do you plan to keep up this spoiled act?”

“I give you an inch and you want the whole mile?”

In the past, whenever he got angry, I’d rush to reflect on my mistakes—try to soothe him, fix things, make peace.

But now?

I simply pointed to his buzzing phone and said, without emotion, “It’s Daniela.”

The moment her name left my lips, Michael's expression softened with a hint of a smile.

Without another glance at me, he stepped into the corridor to take her call.

As soon as he left, my phone rang.

Taking a deep breath, I answered the call.

Before I could say anything, the voice on the other end broke through, anxious and urgent.

“Weren’t you supposed to meet me? Ashlyn, did you change your mind?”

“No... I didn’t. Something just came up,” I said.

“Something came up? What happened? No, this won’t do—I’m coming back. I’m flying home myself!”

I cut off the person on the phone, my voice quiet as I lowered my gaze and pressed my lips together.

“Just give me a few more days. That’s all I ask.”

When Michael returned to the hospital ward, I had just ended the call.

Noticing the faint smile tugging at the corner of my lips—a smile he hadn’t seen in a long time—something in his chest twisted uncomfortably.

But he had just promised Daniela he’d be home soon to sing lullabies for her and the baby.

So, he didn’t have time to ask who I’d been talking to.

He assumed it was probably my cousin—the only female relative still in contact with me since we got married. After all, I no longer had any friends of my own.

Without turning back, he gathered his files and said coldly, “Ashlyn, something cropped up at the office. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

In the blink of an eye, tomorrow had passed and the day after.

And the day after that—he never showed up.

Instead, thanks to mutual acquaintances, I kept receiving videos of him and Daniela.

He took her to dinner, at galas.

He looked like a giddy young boy in love, showing her off to everyone like she was the greatest prize.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, Michael posted a nine-grid photo on his social media.

In the golden hues of sunset, he stood on a romantic hot air balloon platform, gently cupping Daniela’s rosy cheeks as they kissed passionately.

I left a comment.

[Wishing you two a lifetime of love, and a healthy baby on the way.]

Ten minutes later, my phone rang. It was Michael.

I didn’t pick up.

Thirty minutes after that, I finished the discharge process alone.

And just as I walked past the OB-GYN department, I saw Michael, and beside him was Daniela.

I overheard a young nurse at the consultation desk say sweetly to Daniela.

“Mrs. Hudson, your husband really adores you. He comes with you every time, and even warms the ultrasound gel himself so you won’t feel cold during the checkup.”

The surrounding pregnant women looked at her with open admiration.

My hand moved subconsciously to my stomach.

I remembered...

There had been a child here once.

On the day of the car accident, I suffered a miscarriage due to blood loss. I cried while making a video call to Michael.

But all I saw was a naked Daniela on the screen, smiling as she said, “Mrs. Hudson, your husband lost a game to me, so as punishment, he’s currently tied to the bed. Is there something you need from him?”

I said nothing and hung up.

Not even a minute passed before Michael called back.

Holding a teary-eyed, wronged-looking Daniela in his arms, he exploded at me.

“You’re so petty and pathetic, Ashlyn. Always making trouble!”

And then, with disgust in his voice, he added, “You couldn’t even hold on to your own baby. What can someone like you possibly do right?”

“Honestly, I wish that truck had finished the job and killed you.”

Snapping back to the present, I was about to take a detour and walk away— but Michael walked toward me with that cold expression and snapped, “Why are you just standing there like an idiot?”

Startled, I instinctively tried to explain. “I wasn’t following you. I really just ran into you by coincidence. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“Wait.”

He frowned, and at the sound of that single word, I caught the flicker of jealousy in Daniela’s eyes.

She clutched his arm a little tighter and smiled at me sweetly. “Mrs. Hudson, thank you again for the blood donation. Without you, I’d still be so dizzy today. You saved me and my baby!”

“Michael, won’t you bring Mrs. Hudson home with us? Please?”

Michael dotingly tapped the tip of her nose and gently replied, “My sweet angel, whatever you say goes.”

Since I had to return to the house to gather my things anyway, I didn’t refuse Daniela’s “kindness.”

Inside the spacious black car, silence hung heavily—until, as if right on cue, I spotted something wedged between the seat cushions.

A pair of still-damp lace panties.

“Oh my!” Daniela gasped. “How did that end up here?”

“Michael, didn’t you say you took care of it already?”

Biting her lip, Daniela threw herself into his arms, blushing as she playfully hit his chest.

Michael chuckled and apologized, blaming everything on himself—yet his eyes subtly shifted, watching my reaction.

But when he saw that I wasn't angry at all, the same restlessness he’d felt back in the hospital room crept back into his chest, inexplicably heavy.

“Ashlyn,” he said coldly, “you’ve been glued to your phone ever since you got in the car.”

His voice carried a note of jealousy.

“Chatting with your cousin? Or someone else I don’t know?”

I had just finished booking my plane ticket and locked my phone screen.

“Just reading the news,” I replied calmly.

But rather than easing his mood, my answer only deepened the frown between his brows.

Catching me off guard, he snatched the phone from my hand.

“What’s your password?” he demanded.

“My birthday,” I said.

Nine years of marriage.

A six-digit password that simple—and yet, he still failed to unlock my phone before it locked itself from too many incorrect attempts.

The rest of the ride passed in silence.

When we arrived at the house, Michael immediately helped Daniela—who was suffering from pregnancy nausea—into the master bedroom with a look of deep concern.

Then he instructed the cook to prepare all her favorite dishes.

Coming back downstairs, he caught a glimpse of me walking alone toward the guest room. Something about my lonely silhouette made him pause.

After a moment’s thought, he said to the cook,

“Prepare a couple of Ashlyn’s usual dishes too. Set the table for three tonight.”

In the guest room, I opened my suitcase—only to find all my clothes had been slashed to ribbons.

Thankfully, my passport and important documents tucked deep inside were untouched.

Just as I gathered everything and turned to leave, I found Daniela blocking the door.

She held a black bottle in her hand, eyeing me with scorn as she scanned me from head to toe.

“Wow, Ashlyn. You’ve got some nerve,” she sneered.

“Even after I waltzed in here and made you the laughingstock of the whole upper circle, you’re still shamelessly clinging to the Hudson family like some parasite.”

“Oh right, your grandma died last month, didn’t she?” Her tone was syrupy and cruel.

“Now that your precious old woman’s gone, I guess you’ve got no one left to rely on. Well, it makes sense you’d cling to Michael like he’s your last lifeline.”

She suddenly remembered something, laughing as she brought her phone screen up to my face.

“Oh right, remember the day you begged Michael to fly a helicopter to take you to the hospital to see your grandma one last time?”

“Wanna know why he didn’t take you?”

“Because he had promised to take me to the beach to watch the sunset. Look, the photo of us kissing on my phone screen was taken during that moment.”

Unable to endure it any longer, I slapped the phone out of her hand and grabbed her by the throat.

The black bottle in her hand slipped and fell.

The sharp, acrid stench of gasoline instantly filled the air.

In chaos, Daniela hastily lit the gasoline on the floor.

Thick smoke filled the air, and flames erupted violently.

Having just been discharged from the hospital, I quickly succumbed to the fumes, my body growing weak as I collapsed to the ground.

Through the haze, I heard Michael's voice—

“Ashlyn!”

Then came the sounds of servants trying to stop him.

“Sir, it’s too dangerous! Please wait for the fire extinguishers—”

“Move! Ashlyn is still inside!”

In the end, he ignored their warnings and rushed into the flames.

What he didn’t expect… was to find Daniela inside too.

“Michael... help...”

She hadn’t even finished her sentence before he scooped her up in his arms—never once glancing at me.

Without hesitation, he turned and walked away.

—

Thirty minutes later. After calming Daniela down, he searched the entire house, but I was nowhere to be found.

Late that night, at the airport.

After mailing a package, I boarded a flight to the UK, coughing as I made my way down the aisle.

Just before the plane took off, my phone buzzed with a text from Michael.

[I don’t have time to play hide-and-seek with you.]