Winter dragged herself back to the place she had called home for the past eight years.

The moment she opened the living room door, she saw Regina leaning against Liam's chest.

There were tears on Regina's face. She had clearly been crying.

Liam was gently comforting her. "Alright, stop crying. If you keep this up, your eyes are going to swell, and they'll look ugly."

Regina pouted and lightly thumped his chest. "You're so mean. I'm not ugly! You're the ugly one!"

Winter watched coldly as the man she once deeply loved petted his canary intimately; there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

Liam cleared his throat and finally looked up. "Winnie, you're back. How's your father?"

Winter felt like laughing.

He had ordered her father's life support shut off, and yet he still had the nerve to ask her how he was doing?

She glanced at Regina.

"Thanks to you, he's still breathing for now," she replied.

Liam's expression darkened. "Do you realize who you're talking to?"

Who? The man who nearly killed Richard, of course!

The two locked eyes as tension snapped tight between them.

Regina timidly tugged at Liam's sleeve and spoke in a soft, fragile voice. "Daddy, did I upset Winnie?"

"Daddy?" Winter widened her eyes.

That used to be her nickname for Liam.

The irony stung.

Liam didn't notice Winter's expression. Perhaps, he simply didn't care.

He turned back to Regina and pinched her cheek indulgently. "Don't say that. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Will you stay with me at the hospital? I don't want the nurses taking care of me. They're not gentle at all," she pleaded.

Winter's eyes dimmed.

Now that he had the consent form, he was already rushing Regina into surgery.

As Winter turned toward the stairs, Liam suddenly called out to her. "Winnie."

He stood up and walked toward her. "I need you to do something for me."

With one foot already on the first step, Winter didn't turn around.

"Go on. What is it this time? Is it another document you want me to sign? A divorce agreement? Or maybe you want another organ for your precious little girl?"

Liam's face hardened. "Winter! Can you stop talking like that?"

"My dad just came out of emergency surgery. What do you expect from me?" she said, swallowing the ache in her throat. "I haven't slept in over 24 hours. I just want to go upstairs and rest."

Liam grabbed her wrist. "This is your home. You can sleep whenever you want. It's just—"

He pointed toward Regina, who was watching with innocent eyes.

"Regina needs to be hospitalized for treatment. You've taken care of a heart patient before. You'll stay and look after her for a while."

"Have you completely lost your mind? My dad is in the hospital. Who's going to take care of him if I have to take care of her?" she asked, laughing.

He tightened his grip on her. Pain shot up her arm. "Can you handle the consequences of disobeying me?"

She lowered her gaze. "Fine. I'll take care of her."

He loosened his hand at once.

"Good. I'll leave it to you," he said gently.

Sending his wife to serve his mistress would undoubtedly dominate the Harbor City gossip columns.

Winter no longer cared. She didn't have the strength to care.

On Regina's first day in the hospital, Winter understood why no private caregiver would stay.

Regina complained that the room looked too plain, and had a renovation team brought in to redecorate it in pink.

She said the hospital bed was too small and demanded that a custom round bed be moved in.

"Is this water even drinkable? I only drink Evian," she complained. "This food is disgusting. I want Pretorian cuisine."

The doctors and nurses grumbled constantly. "Is she here for treatment or a vacation?"

Regina did whatever she pleased because Liam had donated an entire building to the hospital.

When Winter tried to reason with her, Regina burst into tears and immediately called Liam.

"You said I wouldn't be less important than her. You lied!"

Liam soothed her over the phone. Seconds later, Winter's phone rang.

"She's a patient," she said impatiently. "Can't you just give in to her?"

Was someone who had the entire hospital running in chaos really the critically ill patient he claimed she was?

Winter hung up after hearing Liam's accusations. She looked at Regina, who was sprawled across the oversized bed. She was lounging under the air-conditioning and eating ice cream.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll take a picture of you like this and send it to Liam?" Winter asked.

Regina didn't even blink. "What's he going to do? Get mad? He'll probably say I'm cute and that I know how to enjoy life. I'm not like you. You always look miserable. He got sick of that a long time ago."

"This is the first time I've seen such a shameless mistress. Didn't you swear you'd rather die than be the other woman back then?"

Regina's face flushed. Humiliation turned to anger. She stepped toward Winter, then stopped three feet away from her.

A second later, she yanked the breathing mask off the bedside machine and shoved it into Winter's hands.

"The one unloved is the real mistress," Regina spat. "Let's see who he believes—you or me."

She dropped to her knees with a loud thud and slammed her head on the floor. "Winnie, please! Give it back! I can't breathe!"

Winter was still trying to process what was happening when a violent kick broke open the door.

Liam rushed in and scooped Regina into his arms. He snatched the mask from Winter before fitting it back over Regina's face.

"Regina, are you okay?"

Regina sagged against him. Her breathing was shallow. "It isn't Winnie's fault. She just lost control because I took her father's heart. She didn't mean it…"

Liam's gaze darkened. "You're just too kind. That's why people step all over you."

He turned to Winter. The warmth from his eyes was gone.

"I was the one who decided to give Regina the heart. If you're angry, take it out on me. Do you have any idea that you could've killed her?"

Winter remained calm. She pointed toward the camera in the corner of the room.

"It wasn't me. Check the cameras if you don't believe me. Besides—"

She paused. "It was just a breathing mask. She wasn't in danger. Have you forgotten that you shut off my dad's life support for ten full minutes?"

A flash of violence crossed Liam's eyes. "We’ll see how long you can keep being stubborn."

He started to get up, but Regina clutched his sleeve and shook her head weakly.

"Don't check. I don't want you to see me like this. I don't want you to hurt over this," she said, coughing. "I believe Winnie didn't mean to do it. Please give her another chance."

Her coughing fit left Liam visibly shaken.

"Alright, sure. We won't check the cameras, but I can't just let her humiliate you like this."

His voice hardened as he turned back to Winter. "She knelt and begged you. You'll kneel and apologize the same way."

Winter stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm not going to admit to something I didn't do, Liam. I'm not kneeling to her. You wouldn't sink so low as to threaten my dad again, would you?"

Liam stepped closer, and his tall frame cast a shadow over her. "There's no need to complicate things, is there?"

He gestured toward the door. Several large bodyguards rushed into the room.

His eyes met hers casually. "Make her kneel and apologize. Keep going until I say stop. Leave the door open. Make sure everyone knows what happens when someone hurts Regina."

The guards didn't hesitate. Two of them pinned Winter's arms while another grabbed her from behind.

She struggled violently at first. Her hair fell loose as tears streamed down her cheeks. "You'll regret this, Liam!"

Liam looked down at her from above. His expensive wool coat was still perfectly pressed. "The only thing I'd regret is not teaching you a lesson for Regina today."

The last of Winter's resistance drained away when she met his ice-cold gaze.

She went limp, letting the guards grip her hair and slam her head against the freezing marble floor.

Each impact exploded inside her skull. Pain tore through her forehead. It was as if her skull were about to shatter.

The noise drew people passing through the hallway to look inside the room.

Liam finally stopped the bodyguards when Winter's head was bleeding.

Regina hid behind him. She lifted her chin and smugly looked down at Winter, who was sprawled on the floor.

Liam pulled out a handkerchief with clear disgust and tossed it onto the floor. "This was just a warning. If this happens again, you won't get off so easily."

With that, he turned and focused on comforting Regina.

Winter clenched her teeth. Her long hair hung loose, hiding half of her face. She forced herself to stand. The moment she stepped out of the hospital room, her legs gave out, and she blacked out.

A blinding white light filled her vision.

Through it, she saw a blurry figure. As it slowly came into focus, her heart stopped. It was Richard.

Winter jolted awake and reached for him. He was only a step away, yet she couldn't catch him no matter how fast she ran.

She chased him until she was exhausted. Richard's figure drifted farther and farther away.

"Dad! Don't leave me!"

…

"Ma'am, wake up," a nurse said disapprovingly. "You're pregnant. If your emotions become too volatile, you'd be putting both yourself and the baby at risk."

Winter's ears rang. She grabbed the nurse's wrist. "I'm pregnant?"

The nurse handed her the ultrasound report. "You're seven weeks pregnant. You need to be careful."

Winter stroked her flat stomach. She couldn't believe she was carrying Liam's child now, of all times.

She threw herself onto the bed and pounded the mattress repeatedly. A low sob escaped her throat.

While Liam stayed at the hospital with Regina, Winter returned to the place she could barely call home anymore.

Their wedding photo still hung in the living room. The colors had dulled with age.

It was just like them. Whatever love they'd had had long since gone stale.

She dragged a ladder over, took it down with some struggle, and cut it apart with a pair of scissors.

In the corner of the walk-in closet sat a wooden box. Inside were seven years of memories. There was a handwritten relationship journal, photo albums, the candles from his confession, and her bridal bouquet.

The entire box was proof that he had once loved her, but it also showed that he no longer did now.

She started a basin fire and fed the items, piece by piece, into the flame.

The flames swiftly devoured each item. Tears fell as the thick smoke singed her eyes.

"Who's burning something in here?"

Liam pushed open the closet door. Irritation was sharp in his voice. "Are you trying to burn the house down? Is this some kind of threat? Are you trying to guilt me into giving your father another heart?"

Winter pressed a hand to her chest. Strangely, his cold words no longer hurt.

She chuckled softly. She no longer loved him.

Liam frowned. "What are you playing at now? Regina's in the hospital. Can you stop acting out for once?"

Winter brushed ash from her clothes.

"I wasn't doing anything. Just cleaning out some trash," she said lightly.

Her calm unsettled Liam for the first time. He softened his tone.

"I'm already in touch with the best institutions. I'm sure we'll find a suitable heart for him soon. Can you stop fighting me? Can't we just live properly again?"

Winter lowered her gaze as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Is that so? That's good to hear. Too bad, I don't want to."

She moved past him, but he grabbed her wrist.

"What's going on in your head? Regina's in—"

"Am I really that vicious to you, Liam?" she said, cutting him off. "Relax. I won't hurt her. This was never her fault."

Liam sighed in relief. "There's a private dinner tonight. Come with me."

He expected Winter to ask why he wasn't bringing Regina, then refuse.

Instead, she said nothing. She casually began choosing a dress.

She applied a touch of makeup and selected a blue slip dress that contrasted beautifully with her skin.

"Let's go," she said, slipping her arm through his just like before.

In the car, Liam stared at her in a daze.

He had almost forgotten that Winter had once been Harbor City's most dazzling beauty.

The moment they entered the ballroom, strange looks followed Winter.

In a corner, several well-connected socialites whispered among themselves.

"Does she even know that the mistress is here, too? This should be interesting."

"I feel bad for her. She thought she married some perfect man, but turns out he's the same as the rest of them."

"That mistress is awfully bold. Someone must be backing her. How would a poor college girl even show up here otherwise?"

That was when Winter realized Regina had arrived before them.

"Winnie! Over here!"

Regina strode toward them in her white velvet gown and four-inch heels.

When she was a few feet away from them, she suddenly twisted her ankle.

Liam immediately let go of Winter and caught Regina.

A wave of gasps spread through the room.

With how blatant they were while Winter was there, one could only imagine how shameless they were in private.

Regina pouted. "Hey, Winnie's still here. This is embarrassing."

Liam's hand tightened around her waist as he leaned closer to her ear. "Enough with your games. Save it for tonight."

Winter clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms.

Regina snapped back to her senses and warmly hooked her arm through Winter's.

"Come on, Winnie. Let's grab something to eat."

Her posture made it seem as though Winter was the extra attendee tonight.

The instant Winter took a step forward, her shoulder strap broke.

In an instant, her chest was exposed.