The director regarded Elara with a trace of regret in his eyes.

She had been the most outstanding doctor he had ever mentored—losing her was a true waste of talent.

After leaving the hospital, Elara walked to a nearby phone booth and dialed a familiar number.

"Van, the hospital has approved my appointment for the rural support program. I'll be leaving on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."

On the other end, Evander’s voice burst with excitement.

"That’s great! I knew you’d figure things out. Everything’s been arranged—I’m just waiting for you to get here."

After hanging up, Elara stepped out of the phone booth, only for a military jeep to screech to a stop in front of her.

The window rolled down, revealing Stellan’s cold, unreadable expression.

"First day of the new year, and instead of being on duty at the hospital, you’re out wandering around. What are you up to? Looking for another wild man?"

Elara’s face paled. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, a familiar, sickeningly sweet voice cut in.

"Stellan said he’s going to marry me soon," Juliet chimed, poking her head out from beside him. "Today, as a soon-to-be son-in-law, he should pay respects to his future in-laws. You should come too, Elara!"

Stellan cast Elara a cold glance and scoffed.

"Someone as heartless and ungrateful as her? How could she possibly remember the adoptive parents who raised her?"

Stellan blocked her path before she could refuse, leaving Elara with no choice but to get into the car.

At the cemetery, she stood motionless in front of the tombstone, watching Juliet sob dramatically, pouring her grief into the cold stone as if she were the only daughter who had ever mattered.

Elara had come to the Whitmore Family when she was ten years old—along with a fortune.

Her parents, maritime traders, had perished in a tragic accident at sea, leaving her in the care of her aunt, Sylvia Whitmore. With her inheritance, the Whitmore Family quickly secured their place in Westbridge, using the power and wealth she brought to elevate themselves. Eventually, they even leveraged that very fortune to separate her from Stellan.

To say she didn't hate them would be a lie.

A mocking voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"You really are ungrateful," Stellan sneered. "Your adoptive parents raised you all those years, and you can't even shed a tear?"

"Stellan, don't say that about Elara," Juliet interjected with a gentle, understanding tone. "After all, she's not their biological daughter. I can understand her indifference. As long as our Whitmore Family has a clear conscience, that's what matters."

Stellan pulled Juliet into his arms, looking at her with heartache.

"You’re too kind, Juliet. That’s why you’ve always been bullied by this adopted daughter." His voice turned softer, yet his gaze remained locked on Elara, sharp and unrelenting. "Don't worry. From now on, I'll protect you. No one will ever dare to hurt you again."

Elara clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palm, tearing open the wound she had yet to treat.

The ride back was suffocatingly silent. Just as Elara was about to ask Stellan to drop her off at the next intersection, a speeding car suddenly lost control and veered straight toward them.

Stellan reacted instantly, yanking the steering wheel to the side. The impact sent their vehicle careening into a wall.

Elara and Juliet, both seated in the back, were thrown forward at the moment of collision.

At the last second, Stellan turned, shielding Juliet with his body.

Elara, unprotected, crashed headfirst into the windshield.

When the car finally came to a jarring stop, Stellan immediately turned to Juliet.

"Juliet, are you hurt?" His voice was laced with concern.

Juliet clung to him, trembling violently. "Stellan, my stomach... it hurts so much."

Without hesitation, Stellan kicked the car door open and carried her out in his arms.

Blood streamed down Elara’s forehead, blurring her vision. Every breath she took sent sharp, searing pain through her chest, as though her internal organs had been crushed. She tried to lift a hand—perhaps to call out, perhaps just to move—but no one even glanced back at her.

"Stellan," Juliet murmured weakly, her voice laced with hesitation. "What about Elara? She… she looks injured."

Juliet clung tightly to Stellan’s neck, her delicate fingers pressing into his shoulder. As they walked away, she glanced back at Elara, who lay motionless on the ground, her breath faint, her body barely holding on.

Stellan didn’t pause. If anything, his steps quickened, his grip on Juliet tightening.

"If she dies, she dies," his voice was cold, devoid of emotion. "You and the child are all that matter to me."

The words sliced through Elara like a blade, severing the last fragile thread of love she still held for him. The warmth in her eyes dimmed, and as darkness swallowed her, she let her lids fall shut.

---

When she woke again, she was in a hospital ward, the sterile scent filling her lungs.

"Doctor Whitmore, you’re finally awake!" A nurse’s relieved voice broke through the haze. "Any later, and we might’ve lost you."

The city was already buzzing with news—Captain Pierce’s car had burst into flames on a busy street.

"Luckily, a group of migrant workers was passing by. They risked their lives to pull you out. If not for them, you’d have burned to ashes."

Elara’s throat felt dry. She licked her lips, the bitterness in her chest heavier than before.

"Where’s Stellan?"

The nurse hesitated, her expression softening into pity.

"Captain Pierce hasn’t left your sister’s side since the accident. Juliet was so shaken she almost miscarried. He called in the best gynecologist, turned the entire hospital upside down for her."

Elara reached up, pressing her fingers against her forehead, a wry chuckle escaping her lips.

---

By afternoon, she forced herself out of bed, her steps unsteady but determined. As she reached the corridor, hushed whispers drifted from a group of nurses nearby.

"Captain Pierce truly spoils his fiancée. Her ward is overflowing with flowers and gifts."

"I heard the wedding date is set for the fifteenth. He even handed out wedding candy today."

"And Elara? She nearly died, yet Captain Pierce hasn’t even visited her."

"She deserves it. She abandoned him for another man, and now she has the audacity to try and win him back? Shameless! And let’s not forget—he’s her brother-in-law now."

Elara’s fingers tightened around the railing, her nails digging into her palm.

A presence loomed behind her.

She turned, meeting the familiar gaze of Juliet.

"You heard everything, didn’t you?" Juliet’s voice had lost its usual softness, now sharp and edged with triumph. "Stellan and I are getting married soon. If you have any sense, you’ll move out of the Pierce Family mansion before then."

Elara held her gaze, her own voice turning cold.

"Don’t worry. I’ll leave."

Juliet let out a light chuckle, her eyes glinting with amusement.

"I know you’re bitter. After all, you were the one who met Stellan first. But what can you do? You just weren’t good enough to keep him."

Elara’s expression darkened. "If Stellan knew the truth about what happened back then… do you think he’d still love you?"

Juliet’s smirk wavered—just for a second—before twisting into something even crueler.

"Go ahead. Tell him," she sneered. "Do you really think he’d believe you?"

Then, without warning, she staggered backward, her body tilting precariously.

And she fell.

Before Elara could react, Juliet had already collapsed onto the ground, tears streaking down her delicate face.

"Elara, I know you're angry with me because of Stellan," she choked out, her voice trembling. "But you were the one who looked down on him and left him. How can you blame me for stepping in?"

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she gasped softly, her fingers gently resting on her stomach. "If you love Stellan that much… I can get rid of the baby and give him back to you, okay?"

The words had barely left her lips when a sudden force slammed into Elara. She staggered backward, crashing onto the cold hospital floor. The IV needle ripped from her hand, sending blood splattering across her hospital gown in thin crimson trails.

"Elara, you dare lay a hand on Juliet?!"

Stellan’s voice was laced with fury. His sharp gaze bore into her like a blade, his whole body seething with rage. He loomed over her, his expression dark and menacing, as if he wanted to crush her beneath his heel.

"I… I didn’t push her," Elara gasped, her breath shaky. Pain radiated through her limbs as she forced herself to meet his gaze, her bloodshot eyes filled with disbelief. "She did it herself."

"You’re still lying?" Stellan’s voice dropped to a dangerous low, his disgust palpable.

Stellan cradled Juliet in his arms, his voice low and soothing.

"Juliet, don’t be afraid. I would rather die than marry someone like Elara. A cruel, shameless woman like her disgusts me—just looking at her makes me sick."

The crowd murmured in agreement, their judgment sharp and merciless.

"How shameless! She actually wants to steal her sister's man."

"Everyone knows Elara was the one who abandoned Captain Pierce first. And now she has the audacity to come crawling back?"

"Juliet is already pregnant, and she still wants to interfere? This isn’t just cheap—it’s despicable."

Their words sliced into Elara like a thousand blades. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms until pain grounded her.

It was like being stripped bare in front of the world—humiliated, trampled on, despised.

"It's not like that. It was—"

She tried to speak, to explain, but before she could utter another word, Juliet let out a pained gasp, clutching her belly.

"Stellan, my stomach… it hurts so much." Her voice quivered, laced with panic. "Is something wrong with our child? What should I do? I'm so scared."

Stellan’s gaze turned icier than ever as it fell on Elara, his voice laced with lethal intent.

"You’d better pray that Juliet and the baby are safe," he warned, his tone seething with barely restrained fury. "Because if anything happens to them… you will pay for it with your life."

With that, he turned his back on her, carrying Juliet away without hesitation.

Elara stood frozen, watching them disappear, her heart crumbling into irreparable shards.

In this world, a woman's reputation was worth more than her life.

And now, hers was ruined beyond redemption—tainted, trampled, spat upon.

Elara spent a full week in the hospital before she was finally discharged.

She didn’t go home right away. Instead, she took advantage of the eighth day of the first lunar month to go straight to work and apply for a household registration transfer.

This time, she wasn’t coming back.

As she stepped out of the police station, the lively chatter from the marriage registration office next door caught her attention. Without thinking, her feet carried her in that direction.

The entrance was packed with people, laughter and teasing filling the air.

"Captain Pierce, now that it's official, shouldn’t you kiss your bride?"

"Captain, my wife is pregnant too. Are you going to hand out wedding candies?"

"Kiss! Kiss!"

In the middle of it all, Stellan and Juliet stood together. Juliet's face was flushed with shyness, as if she had just won the greatest prize in the world.

Then, at that moment, Stellan’s gaze flickered past the crowd—straight to Elara.

Their eyes met.

Elara felt the air still around her. But just as quickly, she looked away. Without hesitation, she turned and walked off.

Outside, snow fell in thick, soundless sheets. The excitement and celebration behind her had nothing to do with her anymore.

Watching her retreating figure, Stellan suddenly felt something in his chest snap—like something precious had slipped through his fingers forever.

But instead of stopping her, he let go of Juliet and pulled her into a casual embrace, flashing a smile at the crowd.

"This is a matter between husband and wife," he said smoothly. "How can you all be so nosy?"

Laughter erupted around them, but his eyes no longer held the light they once did.

---

Elara returned to the Pierce Family mansion only to find it dressed in red.

Large, bold "double happiness" characters were pasted outside, red lanterns swayed at the entrance, and the entire house pulsed with a festive air.

As she stepped inside, she saw Aunt Celeste coming down the stairs, a familiar box in her arms.

Elara’s heart clenched. She recognized that box.

It was hers.

Aunt Celeste hesitated when she saw Elara, an apologetic look crossing her face.

"The head of the household said he will be marrying Miss Juliet soon," she explained hesitantly. "It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to stay upstairs anymore… so he asked me to move your things to the small room downstairs."

A small room. The one reserved for the nanny.

Aunt Celeste extended the box. "I also found this under your bed."

Elara reached out, taking the box into her arms.

Inside were all the small things Stellan had given her back when they were still together.

She held them tightly, her fingers trembling slightly.