In a ward on the third floor of Lancaster Hospital, Anthony wiped the sweat from Winona's brow and tucked her in. "Thank goodness she only had heart palpitations. Nothing major happened."

Simone stood dumbly by the bed, clutching an empty box with both hands. She was like a lifeless puppet.

When Anthony turned and saw her like that, his heart ached, and his throat tightened. He pressed his lips together and pulled her into his arms.

Her usually bright and lively eyes had lost all their color and gone dull. He said, "I'm sorry, Simone. I was wrong to blame you. The cake was fine."

He rested his chin on top of her head, gently stroking her back over and over. That was when he noticed that she was trembling. She was still clutching the box tightly.

"Simone, what's wrong? What was in the box?" Anthony bent down gently to meet her lowered gaze. Then, he flinched at the redness in them.

He finally realized something was wrong, and panic crept in. "Are you feeling sick? I'll go get a stethoscope."

He hurried out, leaving only Simone and Winona in the room.

Winona opened her eyes and sat up in bed. A sharp smile cut across her face. She didn't look sick at all.

She sneered. "Why are you like a piece of gum, Simone? Why is it impossible to shake you off? Haven't you noticed that I just need to put on a simple act each time to make you end up beaten so badly that you can't get up?"

She leaned in and whispered in Simone's ear, "For example, that baseless abduction back then."

Simone saw the smugness in her eyes and asked hoarsely, "Did you stage the abduction?"

"Uh-huh. And that little incident at your wedding? That was me, too." Winona smirked. "Anthony is mine. Since you dared to steal him from me, consider this a lesson for you and your sister. I hope you both enjoyed it."

Shock and rage crashed over Simone. She saw red, and she slapped Winona hard across the face. "Enjoy it? I hope you enjoy this slap, then!"

She'd put all her strength into it, so Winona's cheek turned red and swelled in an instant.

"How dare you hit me, you wretch! Aren't you afraid Anthony will punish you?" Winona screeched.

Simone stiffened for a beat at Anthony's name. Then, she curled her lip. "You're right. He won't help me, which is why I'll settle my own scores!"

She raised both hands and landed two more sharp slaps on Winona's face.

Winona shrieked in pain. She was about to strike back when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Her gaze turned vicious in an instant. "Wanna make a bet, Simone? Anthony will always choose me."

With that, she clamped onto Simone and dragged her along as she hurled herself out the window. Outside, a thicket bristled with sharp, thorny bushes.

Winona sounded like she was about to cry as she screamed, "Anthony, help me! Simone wants to kill me!"

Anthony shot to the window like an arrow. His eyes bulged as he watched the two women fall together.

Calvin rushed up behind him, shouting, "Mr. Lancaster, there's only time to save one person. Choose now!"

Anthony's gaze locked onto Simone. But a second later, he reached out and grabbed Winona's arm, hauling her into the safety of his embrace.

He held her tightly, relieved that she'd escaped harm. "Thank goodness, Winona. Thank goodness you're safe."

She curled up in his arms tearfully, but the smug smile at the corner of her lips pierced Simone's eyes. She mouthed to Simone, "Gum."

In that instant, Simone's blood ran cold, and her limbs went numb. Her heart ached so badly that it went numb.

She shut her eyes in despair, feeling her body fall into the thorny bushes below.

It turned out that Anthony had truly never loved her at all.

She landed with a loud bang.

…

Simone had a long, long dream.

In it, she was brought back to that torrential night four years ago—the night that turned out to be a nightmare.

She stood barefoot in a pool of blood. Her hands were shaking as she called for an ambulance. The call was answered by a man whose voice was deep and steady. "Hello? Please tell me what happened."

Simone fought to keep her voice level. "We crashed on the Seavern Bridge. My mom and dad are both unconscious. Please hurry! Please, I'm begging you!"

The doctor on the other end quickly rattled off a series of first-aid steps for her to follow. "Hang in there, miss! We're on our way!"

The ambulance soon arrived, and that same doctor came with it. He stayed calm, directing the rescue with precise, swift measures.

This time, in the dream, Simone finally saw the doctor's face clearly. It was Anthony.

So, he was the one who'd tried to save her parents back then.

Under the crushing weight of the trauma, Simone's brain had blurred the memory as a defensive measure. It explained why she'd felt an inexplicable peace and reliance on Anthony when meeting him again.

He had been her lifeline in a huge crisis, leading her out of the shadow of her parents' fatal crash. He had painted a vivid streak of color across her gray world.

But in the next breath, she was pinned to a cold operating table.

Anthony donned a mask and raised a scalpel. His eyes gleamed icily behind his glasses. He was ready to cut her open alive.

"No, don't! Anthony, it's me, Simone! Please don't!"

Simone screamed and struggled, calling his name over and over. The only response she got was the sickening scrape as the scalpel sliced into flesh.

"This is the debt you owe, Simone."

With those words, the blade sank into her. Blood splattered onto the hem of Anthony's pristine clothes, but he didn't even flinch. He held up a fresh, warm kidney in his hand.

It was her left kidney.

Simone screamed and jolted awake, staring straight into a pair of familiar eyes.

Anthony's eyes were bloodshot, and there were bruises underneath them. He looked like he'd kept watch over Simone for a long time.

"Simone, you're awake!" He grabbed her hand excitedly.

She flinched instinctively and yanked her hand back. She stared at him coldly.

His smile froze, and he felt like someone had gripped his heart and squeezed. He pressed his lips together. "Simone, with how things were, I could only save the person closest to me. And besides, you did push Winona out…"

Simone's bloodless lips trembled as she stared at him in disbelief. "I didn't push her! She grabbed me and threw herself out the window!"

Anthony looked at her as disappointment clouded his eyes. "Simone, I always thought you were kind. I never imagined you'd lie through your teeth like this. I'm honestly heartbroken."

She opened her mouth but couldn't force out a single word. Tears pooled in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.

"Don't act like you're the victim here. The palm prints on Winona's face are proof!" he growled.

Simone shut her eyes and turned her face away as her tears spilled, soaking the pillow. Her voice shook as she asked, "Would you believe me if I told you that Winona's abduction back then isn't what you think it is?"

The room fell briefly silent. Anthony sighed. "Don't do this, Simone."

Simone's clenched fists suddenly loosened weakly. She laughed so hard that her body trembled, then asked softly, "Did you ever love me, Anthony? Even just a bit."

He furrowed his brows as he stroked her back, soothing her. "I love you, Simone. Of course, I do. Stop crying, okay? It'll be our third wedding anniversary in two days. Let's have another ceremony then, alright?"

He pressed his lips to her forehead, then to her reddened eyes. "I'll marry you again. Once Winona is better, I'll send her back to Lancaster Manor. We'll go back to how things used to be."

Simone lay on the hospital bed while staring blankly at the ceiling. From the moment Anthony dug out her kidney with his own hands three years ago, there was no going back.

…

Anthony didn't leave to attend Winona's birthday party, maybe because he was worried about Simone. He stayed at the hospital, never leaving her side. He fed her water and medicine, tending to her bit by bit.

He told her funny stories from the various hospital departments, making the young nurses laugh until they doubled over.

He made her restorative herbal broths, even testing them on himself, just to get the effects just right. He checked her medical records over and over, terrified he might miss the slightest change.

Simone overheard the nurses chatting outside her room.

"Which god do you think I should worship to snag a man as perfect as Dr. Lancaster?"

"Dream on. Handsome guys always go with beautiful women. Dr. Lancaster's significant other has to be a knockout like Mrs. Lancaster."

Another curse cut in, "But Mrs. Lancaster is so cold to him. Did they get into a fight?"

"It's nothing to worry about. Whenever Mrs. Lancaster gets mad, Dr. Lancaster cheers her up in no time. Just wait—I bet the silent treatment will end by tomorrow morning."

"I say tonight. They always kiss and make up so quickly!"

Their chatter carried into the room. Anthony chuckled and feigned anger. "What are you all babbling about? I'll have the department head dock your pay if you disturb my wife!"

In the past, Simone would blush at moments like this. This time, she simply drank her water quietly, not even glancing up.

A strange feeling rose in Anthony's chest. Simone seemed different.

"Sign here. I found a place I like in the south of the city." She took out the divorce agreement again.

Before Anthony could take a closer look, his phone rang. Winona's name flashed across his screen, and he frowned, losing all focus on the document.

He quickly signed and left the room to take the call in the hallway.

Simone took back the divorce agreement. She let out a long, steady breath as she stared at his bold signature. Finally, she was free.

She pulled out her phone and texted that mysterious number. "It's done."

A reply came almost instantly. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."

She locked her phone, feeling settled at long last.

Out in the hall, whatever Winona said made Anthony's expression shift drastically. He refused loudly at first, then closed his eyes in agony as she broke down in sobs.

"Fine, I'll do it. But this is the last time."

…

That night, Simone suddenly felt stabbing cramps in her lower abdomen. At first, she could bear it. Then, the pain grew stronger. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her whole body felt torn apart.

As her consciousness started fading, she reached out and shook Anthony, who was dozing with his head propped up by her bed.

"Anthony…"

He snapped awake, gripping her hand in a panic. "What's wrong, Simone?"

"My stomach hurts… My baby!" She bit her lip hard, and the color drained completely from her delicate, pretty face.

Her vision tunneled and went black. Just before she lost consciousness, she saw Anthony hold her hand tightly. His eyes were dark with something unfathomable.

He murmured, "It'll be okay, Simone. Everything will be okay."

Simone didn't know how much time had passed. It felt like she was back on that cold operating table with a sudden emptiness yawning inside her.

A machine's beeping cut through the air.

"Dr. Lancaster, we've removed the placenta from Mrs. Lancaster. It's intact."

"Send it back to the villa immediately!"

When Simone woke up, the hospital room was empty, save for herself. It was bright outside, and the sunlight filtered in. However, she only felt a bone-deep chill.

The sentence she'd heard on the operating table last night kept echoing like a curse, stabbing straight into her heart.

"Mrs. Lancaster, you're awake. Mr. Lancaster told me to take good care of you."

Simone pushed away the nurse's hand and ignored her attempts to stop her. She staggered out of Lancaster Hospital. She walked and coughed the whole way. The cold wind made her lips crack until they bled.

She didn't know how long she had walked, but she finally made it back to the Lancaster residence. Somehow, she'd lost a shoe along the way and hadn't even noticed. She rushed straight inside to see a scene that made her feel like she'd been slapped.

Winona was nestled in Anthony's arms in the warm, sunlit room. He fed her medicine one spoonful at a time. She stuck out her tongue and whined cutely, "It's so bitter, Anthony."

He seemed to smile and shake his head. Then, he put the bowl down, picked up a piece of candy, and placed it in her hand. "Just one more sip, okay?"

Winona pouted, refusing to listen. Anthony's voice dropped low. "Weren't you the one who said that using a freshly extracted placenta in this herbal tincture would be the fastest way to cure post-op complications? Hurry up and finish it."

She smiled. "Will you agree with everything I say, Anthony?"

Simone didn't hear Anthony's answer. It was like her soul had been yanked out of her body. A hot mouthful of blood burst from her lips and splattered across the floor.

Her placenta—her baby's placenta—had been removed to be put into a herbal tincture for Winona!

This was the final straw for Simone, and she snapped. Anthony had removed the placenta himself, just like her kidney and Thalia's kidney.

All the good things Anthony had done for her were for Winona's sake.

Simone clutched Button tightly and dragged her broken body out of the Lancaster residence, wanting to get to the police station to lodge a report.

However, she was too weak after her miscarriage, and the shock she'd suffered was too great. Blood began to trickle down her legs.

It left a horrifying trail, starting from the villa's front door and snaking all the way down the path.

She wore a white hospital gown. Her face was ashen and almost translucent. It was as if the villa behind her had sucked out every drop of her life.

She used to be a rose that once blazed crimson, but she'd been reduced to nothing but a single withered stem.

Just then, the thrum of helicopter blades cut through the air. Simone looked up and saw a familiar face. He was Elvane's most elite scion?

She reached out with the last of her strength. The man caught her hand, steady and sure.

"Help me avenge my child and Thalia!" Hatred and anger flared in Simone's eyes. "I want him to pay. A life for a life!"

"I will."

…

Anthony came out of Winona's room with an empty bowl. He quickly called the hospital and asked, "Is Simone awake? Is she feeling any discomfort?"

"Mr. Lancaster, Mrs. Lancaster ran out on her own!"

"What?" Anthony's voice dropped low. Then, he stared in shock at the large, winding swaths of blood on the ground. Whose blood was it?

His face drained of color as an intense sense of unease exploded in his chest.

Just then, Calvin rushed in, looking more panicked than Anthony had ever seen him.

"What's wrong?" He heard how hoarse he sounded.

Calvin could barely catch his breath from how hard he'd been running. Before he could say anything, his knees buckled, and he fell to the floor. Then, he wheezed, "It's Thalia! She—"

"What about her?" Anthony grabbed his shoulders and roared, "Hurry up and tell me!"

Calvin clenched his jaw and shouted, "Thalia died ages ago! This just arrived at the company from a law firm—a divorce decree."