Hearing James's anxious voice jolted me awake and for a moment, I did not know where I was.

I opened the door in a dazed state. When he saw I was okay, relief washed over his face, but it quickly turned to anger.

“What’s wrong with you? You were ignoring my calls and messages. Are you trying to scare me for fun?”

After I picked up the phone, I realized James had called me multiple times.

While I was asleep, another earthquake struck.

“Sorry, I was in a deep sleep and didn’t hear anything," I apologized.

James exploded, "Don't lie! You’re terrified of earthquakes. Even the slightest tremor keeps you up all night!”

He was not wrong. Every time it happened, he would stay up with me and assure me that he would protect me.

He even said that even if the building collapsed, he would be there with me until the very end.

When I saw his misbuttoned shirt, a strange warm feeling filled my heart.  Turned out, he did still care about my safety.

Yet, as soon as my gaze landed on the marks on his neck, I snapped from my imagination. I realized his concern was not for me at all.

He was only looking after me because of his dying brother’s last request and I was just a pitiful orphan who happened to be part of his responsibility.

"I guess I was just too tired," I calmly said.

Clearly, James did not believe my claim because he looked inattentively at my face for a while before reprimanding me coldly, “Why is your face so pale? Did you do this just to make me come here?”

I looked up and saw the frustration in his eyes.

In the past, if there was an earthquake and he saw my pale face, he would tell me not to worry and that everything would be fine.

Now, when he saw my pale face, he accused me of putting on an act and painted it white.

Although my lips stretched into a smile, inside, I felt like I was soaking in ice-cold water.

“Sorry for ruining your night, Big Brother. Go back and keep your girlfriend company.”

I hadn’t called him “big brother” in a long time.

The name that slipped out of my mouth made James's lips tighten into a thin line and in his dark eyes, I saw the emotions I could not decipher.

“You’re coming back with me. If there are aftershocks, I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe with me and Jane. Besides, this will prevent you from doing this kind of stunt again," he added.

“I won’t cause any trouble. You can go.” I refused to leave.

James, who had almost lost his patience, frowned. “Because you wouldn’t answer your phone, I had to leave Jane alone. Can’t you be more considerate?”

I had already aborted our child and planned to leave quietly, was not it sensible enough? What more did he want from me?

Before I could say anything, his phone rang.

A delicate, tearful voice asked, “James, when are you coming back? I’m scared .…”

"Jane. Don't worry, I'll be back soon," James assured her with a gentle tone while giving me a look. His eyes urged me to cooperate.

The fact that he thought of me during the first sign of the earthquake was already enough for me. After all, we were not related by blood and he had taken good care of me for years. If I still did not that it was time to draw a line, I was being ungrateful.

James was still on the phone when I refused to leave, so he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, then carried me to the elevator. 

When I was busy struggling and telling him to put me down, I accidentally knocked his phone to the floor.

Angry and frustrated with my antic, he slapped my backside hard. The crisp sound echoed down the hall.

We were so shocked that we both froze at the same time.

The warmth of his hand seeped through the thin fabric, making me feel uncomfortable.

When the thought of the mistake we made that night went through my mind, my cold body turned hot.

The little girl who passed by covered her mouth and snickered as she ran away.

I overheard her excitedly gossiping with her friend around the corner, “I just saw the cutest couple! I bet they won’t leave the hotel room for days!”

When James who had been stunned silly because of his action heard this, he immediately threw me to the floor. His usually calm demeanor shattered as his face flushed all the way down his neck.

“Look at the mess you’ve caused. This is a disaster! I should never have bothered about you!”

After saying this, he picked out his phone and stormed off the hotel.

I used all my strength to steady myself by holding onto the elevator doors until they were about to close. Then I collapsed, unable to stand anymore.

He was the one who tried to drag me away and he was the one who crossed the line.

If that was enough to embarrass him, what about his act of getting me pregnant? What did that mean?

As my emotions surged, I felt a rush of blood flowing from between my legs.

Darkness clouded my vision and I fell backward.

 When the young woman saw me collapse, she shouted toward the elevator, “Hey, your girlfriend just fainted!”

I forced my eyes open, catching only a glimpse of the elevator numbers dropping steadily. The number stopped on the first floor and stayed there for a long time.

The girl who had been watching earlier rushed over and helped me up.

When she saw the blood pooling beneath me, she was furious. “What’s wrong with him? Did your boyfriend just leave you here like this?”

I managed a bitter smile. “You’ve got it wrong. He’s not my boyfriend.”

However, she automatically assumed that we had argued and broken up.

With her support, I tried to make my way back to the room, but after just a few steps, everything went black and I passed out completely.

When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was white. The familiar smell of disinfectant told me I was in a hospital.

"Are you awake?" asked the nurse.

After she checked on me and confirmed that I was stable, she began to complain, "What's wrong with your emergency contact? I had tried to call him so many times but every time, he hung up on me."

"You're lucky. The girl who bought you here covered your medical expenses."

I pulled out my phone and looked at my call history.

There was no doubt about it, James was truly angry this time. However, I did not have any intention to explain anything or make peace with him.

I actually felt a sense of relief that he did not answer the phone, otherwise, I could not hide the fact that I had just miscarried.

I stayed in the hospital for a few more days before heading back to the hotel to collect my belongings.

However, when I went there, I was told that James had already checked me out. The staff who handed me my luggage gave an apologetic look, but there was a hint of amusement in their eyes.

As I left, I overheard their gossip, their words clear as day. "It seems she must’ve fallen out of favor, right?”

“Of course. Mr. Stork is already engaged. There’s no place for her now as his sister-in-law."”

“I thought she’d be the one to win his heart after all these years. Turns out she lost to his true love instead!”

In the hotel lobby, a news report played on a screen, announcing James and Jane’s engagement set for the next day.

I acted like I didn’t hear anything, flagged down a cab and headed to the airport.

As the cab moved, the scenery outside the window turned blurred and I closed my eyes out of sheer exhaustion.

The car kept driving, much longer than it should have. When I opened my eyes, I realized something was wrong.

Panic set in as I glanced at the rearview mirror. The masked driver’s gaze flicked toward me, it was cold and snake-like.

I tried to stay calm and discreetly pulled out my phone to call for help.

Unfortunately, he realized my movement. He gave me a sinister smile and slammed on the brakes.

“It's too late now,” he sneered.

He got out and pressed a damp cloth over my nose and mouth. My vision blurred as I started losing consciousness.

He grabbed my phone and mocked me, "Are you trying to get help? Let's make a bet. If he answers your call, I'll let you go. If he doesn't, well …."

The man unlocked my phone with my fingerprint and dialed the number at the top of my contact list.

Just as I expected, James did not pick up my call. The call went to voicemail and when the man tried again, it was immediately declined.

On the third attempt, James finally answered. I tried to cry for help, but my voice was barely a whisper.

On the other end, his voice was filled with anger, "Sandra, you should know your place! My brother is dead and to me, you’re nothing but a stranger. Stop trying to drag me back into your life!”

His furious shout echoed through the phone, mixing with the masked man’s taunts. The words stabbed into my ears and heart like a knife.

The car stopped at an abandoned factory and the man dragged me out, then threw me onto the cold, hard ground.

A pair of high heels appeared in my line of sight. Before I could see the woman’s face clearly, she kicked me hard twice. My body was so weak that I saw stars because of it.

"Sandra, you're so shameless!" she hissed. "James sees you as a little sister and here you are, trying to slander him!”

I recognized the voice immediately. The day I stumbled upon James and Jane’s moment of passion, she looked at me with hostility.

At that moment, she glared at me with her hand holding her phone.

“Did you leak this photo?” she demanded. “If I hadn’t caught it in time and James hadn’t handled it properly, you would’ve had your way!”

I glanced at the photo and finally understood why James had said those words.

The photo showed James was walking away and leaving me on the ground.

It was accompanied by a caption that read, "All almighty netizen, please help me expose this scumbag! His girlfriend just had a miscarriage and when he couldn't get his way, he dumped her violently!”

I swallowed the metallic taste of blood in my mouth and denied it, "You've misunderstood."

“Misunderstood? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! You heard James is getting engaged to me and now you’re panicking!” she yelled.

"You are a virgin, but you're so shameless. You even went so far as faking to have a miscarriage just so you can play the victim, huh? You have no shame!”

It was bad enough that James had humiliated me and denied everything. However, Jane had kidnapped me and was hurling insults at me. Did they think I was that easy to bully?

With all the strength I could muster, I shoved her foot off my face. She wasn’t prepared, lost her balance and fell.

Enraged, she raised her hand as if to slap me but then hesitated for some reason. A sinister smile that I could not understand spread across her face. "Sandra as a woman, I can tell you like James Let’s see just how important you are to him!”

A sense of dread filled me.

Before I could do anything, Jane slapped her face hard, twice. She then removed her engagement ring and slipped it onto my finger while I watched in shock.

Finally, she scratched her arms, leaving deep, bleeding marks, before instructing the masked man to tie her up.

She faced me with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sandra, did you bring me here just to kidnap and humiliate me?"

Just as she finished speaking, the door was kicked open and a figure rushed in. Even with the light behind him, I recognized James immediately.

Upset and extremely aggravated, I called out softly, "James …."

However, he ignored me. He rushed over to untie Jane. As he cradled her in his arms, he gently soothed her, "Jane, are you okay?"

He cupped her swollen face, his eyes filled with concern.

There was a time when he would look at me that way, but ever since Jane returned, I no longer existed in his eyes.

He checked her over from head to toe, his expression darkened when he saw the scratches on her hand.

Furious, he turned to me and yelled!" Sandra! Who gave you the right to hurt her?”

Jane's eyes were red and teary like a rabbit. She choked back sobs as she pleaded on my behalf, "James, don’t be mad at your sister-in-law. She likes you, so it’s understandable that she resents me. Luckily, you arrived in time, so I wasn’t seriously hurt.…”

James glanced at the masked man, who took the opportunity to flee and then slapped me hard.

“What kind of sister-in-law falls for her brother-in-law, making a spectacle of herself? She has no shame, but I still have my reputation to protect!”

Jane’s lips curled, but she maintained a pained expression as she tearfully begged me, "Sandra, could you please return the ring? It’s the engagement ring James gave me. If you give it back, I won’t hold this kidnapping against you.”

Her eyes, swollen and red, were full of provocation.

Seeing through her act, I took the ring off and tossed it at James’s feet.

Looking him straight in the eye, I said firmly, “I don’t like you and I have no interest in playing along with your fiancée’s drama. Take your stupid ring and get out.”

My words darkened James’s face; his expression turned gloomy.

“Sandra, pick up the ring and hand it back to your sister-in-law! Apologize to her!” he yelled.

From start to finish, he was the one at fault, yet he was forcing me to apologize.

“She’s the one who brought me here. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s her!” I yelled back.

“Sandra, I’ve spoiled you for far too long!”

“Fine, don’t apologize. You'd better go to my brother’s grave and reflect on your actions. Think about whether you’ve honored his dying wish to take care of you!”

His tone was icy, leaving no room for argument.

He was right because I was about to leave, I owed it to Luke Stork to pay my respects.

At the cemetery, he watched as I obediently knelt before the grave. Then, with Jane who gave me a smug look in his arms, he walked away.

Rain began to fall and without a second glance, I booked another flight, determined to leave this place.

As the plane was about to take off, I searched for my medical documents and only then I realized the folder was missing. The record was filled with my prenatal checkup records and miscarriage report.

Just then, James unexpectedly called me, "Sandra! Tell me the truth … who's the man who got you pregnant?"