Ever since the scandal with Kendrick and that young model broke out, Ambrose had barely been home. And whenever he did show up, he was always in a rush.

He claimed that he was overwhelmed with surgeries at the hospital. But I knew exactly where he'd been.

While he was gone, I used the time to clear the house of anything that had to do with me.

…

It was the day of the procedure. I lay on the cold operating table, begging the doctor to let me keep whatever was left of the pregnancy.

My hands shook as I touched it, hoping to sense the faintest sign of life. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.

The baby had come at the worst possible time, but maybe that was for the best. After that day, I no longer had anyone left in this world.

…

Once the surgery was over, I dragged my weakened body home.

Just as I slid the key into the lock, the door swung open from the inside.

Nellie appeared in my silk nightgown. Her hair was still damp. It was clear she had just stepped out of the shower.

She leaned lazily against the doorframe. Her voice was laced with provocation as she drawled, "Well, look who's back. Hey, Talitha."

I'd never understood her hostility. I had picked her out of a group home, sponsored her, and never once held back when she needed help.

Knowing she was born with a congenital uterine condition, I found the best doctor to treat her. When she started college, I let her live with me so she wouldn't have to worry about housing.

And still, she carried this deep resentment toward me.

Worst of all, she knew my mother had a heart condition, and yet still chose to bring up Kendrick's infidelity at her most vulnerable moment. The stress was too much. In the end, my mother passed away.

I shot Nellie a piercing look. "You're enjoying the thrill of being the other woman, aren't you?"

Her smug expression faltered. But almost immediately, her face twisted with scorn as she spat, "You're the other woman. So what if you're some heiress? At the end of the day, they love me. You're the one nobody wants, so you're the real third party here!"

"Thanks for helping me take out the trash, then," I shot back with a sneer.

Furious, Nellie shoved me.

I was too weak to hold my ground and stumbled backward before slamming hard into the sharp corner of the shoe cabinet. All at once, a piercing pain shot through me, followed by a tearing ache in my lower abdomen.

Meanwhile, Nellie dramatically collapsed to the ground. She clutched her stomach and yelped.

Ambrose, who had been in the kitchen cooking, came rushing out at the sound of the commotion.

His eyes locked onto Nellie first. Without hesitation, he bolted straight to her, not even sparing me a glance.

"Nell, are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Nellie sobbed uncontrollably. Her voice shook as she stammered, "T-Talitha shoved me the second she walked in. I-It hurts…"

Only then did Ambrose notice me. I was leaning weakly against the cabinet. Despite that, his first instinct was to snap.

"If you've got a problem, take it out on me! How could you lay a hand on her? She's been fighting with Kendrick and has nowhere else to go. So, I told her she could stay for a couple of days."

Once upon a time, whenever Nellie accused me of something, Ambrose would step in right away.

"Tali would never do that," he'd say with conviction.

He used to come to my defense like he was doing for her now. Unfortunately, this time, the same protective tone was turned against me.

I clutched my abdomen as waves of pain crashed over me. Then, my vision blurred.

Nellie slumped into Ambrose's arms, saying, "Don't blame Talitha. She's never liked me. It's okay. I'll leave."

Her voice was soft, yet I caught the glint of triumph in her eyes.

Ambrose was very protective of her. He glared at me and barked, "Talitha Fanning, apologize to Nellie now!"

With that, he grabbed my arm, trying to drag me toward her.

That was when I felt something warm trickling down my leg. A second later, another wave of pain tore through me.

"Ambrose… I don't feel so good," I muttered. My voice was barely above a whisper.

Ambrose stared at my pale face, momentarily dazed.

But Nellie spoke up just in time. "I'm fine, Ambrose. It just hurt a little when she pushed me. There's no need for her to apologize."

Her expression was thoughtful, but her every word added fuel to the fire.

In an instant, Ambrose's expression hardened again. He shoved my head down, trying to force me to apologize.

"I won't! Ambrose, don't make me hate you!" I yelled.

I fought back with all my might, yet despair and humiliation crashed over me like a tidal wave.

Then, blood trickled down my leg, pooling quickly into a red smear on the floor. The pain was so intense that I nearly blacked out.

A beat later, I collapsed to the ground. My body trembled uncontrollably.

Ambrose's eyes widened the moment he saw the blood.

Nellie, however, feigned shock. She covered her mouth and gasped. "Oh no! Talitha, are you on your period? Why didn't you wear a pad? Are you having cramps?"

With that much blood, there was no way that Ambrose—being the trained surgeon that he was—didn't know I was hemorrhaging.

And yet, he barely looked at me. Instead, his gaze drifted back to Nellie's hand resting on her stomach.

After that, he addressed me, "Tali, go lie down. I'll have someone bring you some medication. I'm taking Nellie to the hospital. She's too delicate to handle that kind of fall."

Even though I had already given up on him, his words still tore through me.

Without hesitation, he scooped Nellie into his arms. She looped hers around his neck and shot me a smug look, as if to tell me she'd already won.

As for me, I lay limp on the floor, completely drained. All I could see was Ambrose's retreating figure as he walked away without a second thought.

…

I was unconscious the entire night. By the time I came to, the blood beneath me had dried. The pain in my abdomen had also dulled into something hollow and numb.

I fumbled for my phone. The screen read 9:00 am. Yet, there were no missed calls or messages.

…

When the medics arrived, they gasped at the sight of the bloodstain.

The emergency room was packed. Since there were no beds available, they had no choice but to set me up on a folding cot in the hallway for IV fluids.

It was the dead of winter. Wind slipped in through a half-cracked window, and I pulled the thin blanket tighter. However, the cold still seeped into my bones.

Nearby, a nurse was sorting charts and whispering to her colleague.

"See the difference it makes when a patient actually has someone to care for them? Dr. Sinclair's girlfriend just said her stomach hurt, and he had her in a VIP room in minutes. He's even keeping her company."

The other nurse replied, "Yeah. He treats her like no one else matters. Not like that poor woman. She nearly bled out at home, and nobody even noticed."

Their voices weren't loud, but I heard every word.

I stared up at the white ceiling. I should've felt heartbroken. Yet, I had experienced the pain so many times that all I felt now was numbness.

At that moment, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Ambrose.

He wrote, "Sorry about yesterday. I acted out of line, but you were at fault too. Our wedding will take place the day after tomorrow. Just stay home and rest for now. I've got back-to-back surgeries, so I'll be staying at the hospital."

What a coincidence. My flight was also scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

If he was looking forward to the wedding, how could I possibly let him down?

…

On the morning of the wedding, I approached the dressing room, only to hear Ambrose's voice coming from inside.

"Don't worry. I'll make my move during the ring exchange. All you have to do is wait for me at the hospital. I'll make sure you can have children again," he said quietly.

Moments later, I handed a USB drive to the wedding planner and asked her to swap it in for the commemorative video.

I hoped that both Ambrose and Nellie would enjoy my gift.

Then, I turned and got into a cab bound for the airport.

As the scenery blurred outside the car window, my lips curled into a smile.