"I'm sorry, Ms. Thorne. There was nothing we could do. Mr. Miller signed the blood donation consent as her fiance. Besides, you know who he is. We simply couldn't afford to offend him."

"Did you tell him I was pregnant?" I nearly shouted.

The nurse was taken aback. She stammered, "W-We did, but Mr. Miller didn't believe us. He insisted it was just an excuse we made up to avoid violating regulations. He even said that if we refused, he would shut the hospital down. We showed him the medical report, but he didn't care at all."

I couldn't remember how I made it back to my hospital room that day. I only knew that less than 30 feet felt endlessly long.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Chester sitting by the bed with a grim look on his face. "Get changed later and apologize to Giselle. You ruined her birthday."

I let out a soft laugh, as if I had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Fine. I'll apologize."

This time, Chester looked genuinely surprised. He glanced at me in disbelief. "Since you are going to be my wife, the two families still need to get along."

I struggled out of my hospital gown. When he saw the scars covering my body, Chester froze.

After all, he had never touched me, nor had he ever seen my body, which Giselle had beaten until it was covered in wounds.

On the way to Giselle's room, he actually supported me for once, but the moment the door opened, he immediately let go.

Clutching my aching stomach, I apologized to Giselle again and again.

I would never forget her face, alight with laughter and smug triumph as I lifted my head, nor the message she sent after I left.

"I poured all your blood down the drain. I would never let filthy blood like yours flow in my veins."

I lingered on the message for a long moment before taking a screenshot and saving it.

If Chester knew that the woman he cherished not only toyed with me but also made a fool of him, how would he react?

If Felix knew that his child had been killed by his own brother, what would he feel?

I was starting to look forward to the wedding.

A notification popped up on my phone. It was a message from my grandmother's assistant, saying they would arrive at the wedding on time.

"Ms. Thorne, Mrs. Thorne Senior insisted on coming with us. She said she wouldn't rest unless she personally stood up for you."

The message eased the tension in my chest. I smiled and headed back to my room, where Felix was standing at the door, gasping for breath.

I froze in place. Felix ran up to me and gripped my hand tightly. "Miranda, I'm so relieved to see you're okay."

His hair was damp with sweat. He must have run all the way here. In that instant, my emotions were difficult to put into words.

Forcing down the bitterness rising in my chest, I pulled my hand free and said calmly, "Didn't we just see each other? What could have happened to me?"

Felix stared blankly at his empty hand.

I could not help reminding him, "You stormed off angrily just now, remember?"

He stiffened, then smiled bitterly. "Yes, but I have thought it through now. I was worried about you."

At that moment, I thought that if he could admit everything and apologize to me, maybe I would soften and forgive him.

"Chester, you should go back first," I said. "I want to be alone tonight. We will meet at the wedding."

Felix looked at me deeply, then lowered his head and kissed me.

This kiss was no longer gentle or lingering. It was fierce and burning, as though he wanted to devour me whole.

In the end, he reluctantly pulled away and turned to leave.

I could tell he was holding back, but it no longer concerned me. After all, the last thing tying me to him had already died because of Chester.

…

On the day of the wedding, Chester came to my room early in the morning. For someone who was always so cold, he personally zipped up my wedding dress.

I gave a faint smile as I watched the clock's pendulum swing steadily back and forth.

It was 10:00 am. They would be here any moment.

Chester had booked the wedding at a remote chapel. Even through the thick doors, I could feel the lively excitement inside.

"Miss, you may enter now."

The bells rang, and I lifted my skirt, ready to step inside.

The moment the doors opened, every guest turned to look at me in shock.

At the front, Chester was half-kneeling, placing a ring on Giselle's finger with a look of pure adoration. Beside him stood Felix, looking just like him.

Seeing my stunned expression, Chester raised Giselle's hand as if to stake his claim. "Today is my wedding with Giselle. I don't know why this lady has to appear here in a wedding dress."

I remained expressionless. "Isn't today my wedding?"

The guests frowned, staring at me as if I were insane.

Giselle let out a light laugh and flung a wedding invitation at my face. "Look carefully! Mr. Miller's bride is me!"

The sharp paper scraped against my temple, but I felt nothing. I knew exactly why—I had been living through days worse than death.

As I remained silent, Giselle assumed I was overcome with sorrow, and her eyes gleamed with even more triumph. She stepped closer and said, "Miranda, do you really think someone as lowly as you could ever earn true love?

"I'll tell you. If it weren't for helping me get revenge, you would never even get near Mr. Miller in your whole life."

She nudged Chester's arm. "Am I right, darling?"

Chester slid his arm around her waist and cast a cold glance at me. "Exactly. I only approached you to take revenge for Giselle. Who would have thought someone as vile as you would have the nerve to ruin her artwork! Every second I spent with you made me feel sick, but…"

He shifted his gaze to Felix. "Fortunately, my brother shared the burden. I didn't have to touch your filthy, cheap body, or I wouldn't have lasted this long."

Felix stood in the shadows, unable to look at me.

I cast him a glance and let out a quiet, almost amused laugh. "Is that so?"

Giselle frowned at my composure.

"Why are you staring at Felix? Don't fool yourself—he would never take your side!" she snapped, "Do you really think a filthy, treacherous woman like you could ever become the future Mrs. Miller? Keep dreaming."

All eyes in the chapel were on me.

Giselle beamed with satisfaction and shouted, "Today, everyone will see what kind of woman you really are!"

She turned to the large screen behind her. "Play it!"

Felix lunged forward, grabbing Giselle's hand. "Are you really going to play it? You said it was just a joke!"

Before he could finish, Chester grabbed his collar. "How dare you lay a hand on Giselle! Felix, I suggest you think carefully about the consequences."

He shot me a glance. "Do you want this lowly woman, or do you want the position of the Miller family's second son?"

With a tight frown, Felix's features revealed the battle raging within him.

Finally, he clenched his teeth and muttered, "I was wrong."

Chester released him abruptly and turned to the staff. "Play the video."

The guests all looked up curiously at the screen, and Giselle slowly turned with a smug smile to watch.

The screen flickered, and a brief static crackle sounded, but nothing played.

Giselle lifted her skirt and strode forward, impatiently brushing the staff aside. "Hurry up! If this drags on, you'll kill everyone's excitement!"

She slammed the button. The static vanished instantly, and the chapel speakers carried a woman's voice.

"Let me make this clear—being Mrs. Miller isn't that easy. Someone as lowly as you will never rise above your station. When we were kids, I could take your paintings and your inheritance. Now that we're adults, I can take your husband just as easily."

Giselle's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at me.

Chester froze as his eyes landed on Giselle, who stormed at me and slapped me hard. "No wonder you looked so calm earlier—you've been scheming the whole time! How dare you fake an audio to frame me!"

She put on a pitiful expression and turned to Chester. "Chester, can't you see how ruthless she is? She ruined my career, and now she's trying to ruin our wedding too!"

Despite the blatant holes in her story, Chester believed her without a second thought and clamped his hand around my neck.

"Miranda, how dare you twist the truth and spew such nonsense?" he snarled. "You picked the wrong person to cross. I could pretend to love you for years for Giselle's sake, and I can just as easily destroy you for her now."

My face burned as his grip on my neck tightened. "Grandma…"

I cast a quick glance toward the chapel doors not far away. Chester's frown deepened as he followed my gaze.

Suddenly, a razor-sharp knife spun through the air like a streak of silver and slammed into his wrist. A piercing scream tore through the chapel, freezing everyone in place.