I stared in disbelief.

That sports car was a custom-made gift from my brother, Michael Carter, after he learned I was pregnant—a gift worth millions.

I hadn’t even driven it once, and Daniel was going to give it away?

Fuming, I stormed down to the underground garage, and sure enough, there they were—Daniel and Sophia Miller.

Sophia ran her hand along the gleaming body of the car, her eyes glinting with greed, though her voice feigned modesty.

“Daniel, are you really going to give me this car? It looks so expensive… won’t Lily be upset?”

“No. She upset you yesterday, so it’s only right I make it up to you. As long as you like it, that’s all that matters.”

Sophia’s face lit up with joy as she opened the door, ready to slide into the driver’s seat for a test drive.

“Daniel, this car was a gift from my brother. Who gave you the right to give it away?”

I stepped in front of her, fury in my voice.

Before Daniel could speak, Sophia piped up with mock indignation.

“Lily, you’re being way too petty. This is marital property, and besides, Daniel’s been taking care of you for so many years—doesn’t he have the right to handle a little thing like a car?”

“Is this a conversation between husband and wife, or did we invite you to weigh in?”

“A ‘little’ car? Then why were you practically drooling over it just now? Stealing from someone and acting so righteous—you really are shameless.”

I shoved Sophia aside, making her stumble. Daniel caught her instantly, holding her protectively and checking if she was hurt.

She shook her head, eyes brimming with tears.

“Daniel, I’ve been a doctor for so long and never once accepted a patient’s gift. How could I steal someone’s belongings?

A husband is a wife’s protector—I just couldn’t stand seeing Lily try to put you down at every turn. I only wanted to speak up for you, but she misunderstood me…”

Daniel, moved and pained, turned to me with anger in his eyes.

“Lily, has pregnancy made you stupid? How long are you going to keep making trouble?”

“Sophia’s right—we’re married. Half of what’s yours is mine. She endured such a huge insult from you yesterday, and now she’s willing to put it aside to take care of you. I’m going to make it up to her. I’m giving her this car, and that’s final.”

“Don’t think I don’t know you’ve scheduled an abortion. That doctor is Sophia’s friend—she told her everything. This is my child. You may be cruel enough to reject him, but I’ll protect him! From now on, you’ll stay at home and carry this baby until it’s safely born.”

I hadn’t expected Daniel to actually imprison me for the sake of his and Sophia’s child.

Instinctively, I looked down at my belly—four months along, barely showing.

But I knew that if I kept it, my stomach would swell like it had in my previous life, as if it would burst at any moment.

I never understood why, despite eating normally during pregnancy, my belly had grown nearly twice as large as other expectant mothers’, leading to a dangerous delivery and death from massive hemorrhage.

Back then, I’d begged Daniel for a C-section, but Sophia had insisted that natural birth was better for the baby.

And Daniel had only said:

“Lily, haven’t you always wanted our child to be healthy? Do it for the baby—just bear with it.”

Even reborn, I couldn’t erase the memory of that tearing agony. The thought alone made me tremble, the vision of blood filling my eyes.

The cruelest part? The life I’d nearly died to give was nothing more than the illegitimate child of my husband and his mistress.

This time, I would change my fate.

“You’re right,” I said, forcing a smile. “We can’t waste Dr. Miller’s kindness. If you want to give her the car, then by all means, give it to her.”

“But my brother had the car’s performance customized to my preferences. Why don’t I give Dr. Miller a quick demonstration so she can get familiar with it—just so she doesn’t run into any danger in the future?”

Daniel finally broke into a satisfied smile.

“Lily, I knew you were the most considerate. Let’s do that, then.”

Sophia put on her fake gratitude act, thanking me sweetly.

But Daniel had people block the garage exit—obviously afraid I’d take the chance to drive away.

Fortunately, I had already guessed he’d do that.

Ever since coming back from hell itself, I couldn’t guarantee how much I could change… but one thing was certain: I was no longer afraid of dying.

If I wanted something, no one could take it from me again.

I started the engine, my gaze locking on Daniel’s face, the corner of my lips curling upward.

“Daniel, you just said something I really liked—‘We’re still married, so what’s mine is half yours, and what’s yours is half mine.’”

“So now, I’m taking back my half.”

Before they could react, I slammed the gas pedal down and drove straight into the wall ahead.

“Lily!!”

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a nearby hospital.

Daniel’s face was full of sorrow as he spoke softly:

“Lily, how are you feeling? The baby didn’t make it. Don’t worry—once you’ve recovered, we’ll do IVF again and you’ll be a mother.”

See? I knew it—his grief and anxiety were never for me, only for the love child he shared with Sophia Miller.

I didn’t care. At least I had successfully ended the pregnancy.

“No need. Once I’m discharged, we’re getting a divorce.”

Daniel froze for a second, then stood up in anger.

“Lily, what the hell is wrong with you? If you didn’t like that LDR suite, fine, I’ll cancel it—but I guess my kindness just gets treated like garbage.”

“From the moment you crashed that car, I’ve been worried sick, not sleeping a single night—and now, the second you open your eyes, you ask for a divorce?”

“You think I don’t know? Just because I wanted to give the car to Sophia, you deliberately wrecked it out of spite, killing our child in the process. I’ve never met a woman as petty as you! And I haven’t even started holding you accountable—where do you get the nerve to divorce me?!”

I let out a cold laugh.

“Yes, I did it on purpose. So what? A woman like Sophia is only fit to be a human trash bin.”

“As for that child—I never intended to keep it. Losing it was exactly what should have happened.”

Margaret Carter suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jabbing her finger in my face as she began to curse.

“How can you say something like that? That was your own flesh and blood! How can there be a mother as heartless as you?”

“I know—you killed my grandson for some man outside. My son treats you so well, and you repay him by cheating and wanting a divorce. Why didn’t you just kill yourself in that crash?”

Expressionless, I lifted my head.

“Even if I die, I’ll make sure the divorce is final before my last breath. Spending one more day married to your son makes me sick.”

Margaret was so angry she could barely breathe, tugging on Daniel’s arm.

“Son, let’s go. Leave this black-hearted slut to her own fate—she’ll get what’s coming to her soon enough!”

Daniel looked at me coldly.

“Lily, you’ll regret this.”

Regret?

Never.

I had calculated the speed in advance, and with the airbags deploying, I’d only lost the baby and suffered a minor head injury. There was nothing else seriously wrong.

I didn’t go home. Instead, I checked into a hotel and told my brother I was getting a divorce.

That night, I woke up overheated—only to find myself in the arms of a strange man.

Before I could even scream, the lights snapped on.

Daniel Carter sat leisurely in a chair, holding up his phone, firing off flash after flash in my direction.

The shirtless man beside me got out of bed and spoke respectfully to him.

“Mr. Carter, the task you assigned is done.”

Daniel’s lips curved into a mocking smile.

“Lily, don’t blame me. You’re the one who refuses to live a good life and insists on getting a divorce.”

“If you take back the divorce, we can pretend tonight never happened. How about that?”

In that moment, I understood what he meant earlier when he’d said I would regret it.

To stop me from divorcing him, he had actually set me up in such a filthy way!

“Daniel, you’re disgusting! Nothing even happened!”

“I know that—but the outside world doesn’t. Tell me, if those intimate photos got out, what would people say? You’d have a hard time showing your face in society again.”

“Your late parents, your brother—they’d all be shamed because of you. Lily, could you live with that?”

I was rendered speechless. After all, we’d been together for ten years—he knew exactly where my weak spots were.

I might be wearing a nightdress, and I knew nothing had happened, but with a half-naked man in my bed, there was no way to explain it.

Maybe it was the stress, or the fact that I’d only just had the abortion surgery, but a sharp pain twisted through my lower abdomen. My face went pale as blood slowly seeped from me, staining the sheets.

Daniel’s expression shifted instantly to alarm.

“Lily, are you okay? I’ll take you to the hospital right now.”

But before he could move, his phone rang. Sophia Miller’s voice came through, soft and trembling:

“Daniel, the power went out at my place… I’m scared. Can you come keep me company?”

“Sophia, don’t move around too much or you’ll hurt yourself. I’m coming.”

Before leaving, he glanced at me with a complicated expression.

“Lily, I’ll go check on her. Call yourself a car to the hospital. When I’m done, I’ll come find you.”

“About the divorce… I suggest you think it over carefully.”

When everyone was gone, the silence was suffocating, the air thick with humiliation.

My phone rang. A deep, magnetic voice spoke with concern:

“Lily, I heard from your brother that you’re getting a divorce. Are you okay?”

I had held back my tears when Daniel was humiliating me earlier, but now they broke free all at once.

Wiping my eyes, I said:

“I want Daniel to walk away with nothing. Help me win, and I’ll marry you.”

By the time I left the hospital with my medicine, the sky outside had already brightened. Daniel was leaning against the car, waiting for me.

“Lily, I’ve thought about it. Last night, I was wrong. I just didn’t want you to leave me, so I acted on impulse.”

“You’re weak right now—come home with me, let me take care of you. We can talk things through.”

I was about to refuse, but then I remembered—my passport was still at the house.

I had already told my brother Michael that after the divorce, I’d go to France to be with him and my sister-in-law.

Once I sat in the back seat, my hand brushed against a pair of lace underwear—stained.

The thought of what they had done in this car made my stomach churn.

Daniel was busy driving and didn’t notice.

Trying to look casual, I glanced at the dashcam, then, suppressing my disgust, slipped the underwear into my bag. It might come in handy as evidence.

When I opened the front door at home, I found the electronic lock code had been changed—to Sophia’s birthday.

I thought of Daniel’s recent words about not wanting me to leave, and the irony was almost laughable.

I ignored Sophia in the kitchen and went straight upstairs to pack my passport.

“Lily, you’re back? I made you some medicinal porridge—have it while it’s hot. Get your strength back, and soon you can do IVF again to give Daniel a baby.”