Before it's our turn to get our marriage registered, I beam brightly as I scoot closer to Charles Scott for our commemorative photo-taking session. But he suddenly darts away from me for no reason.

"I saw you when your team was in action yesterday."

I freeze momentarily. "How is that even possible? This week is filled with secretive prostitution-busting campaigns…"

Charles nods lightly.

"When you led your team to inspect the venue next door, I was in the middle of pinning her against the wall while screwing her brains out.

"She was so nervous that she shook even more than the first time we slept together. Later on, you were summoned to another place. Only then did she have the guts to keep moaning."

After following Charles' line of sight, I find myself looking at the young woman, who's currently taking photos of us with her camera. That's when my mind buzzes loudly.

It's Samantha Wood, the hostage whom my dad has taken seven stabs for just to save her in a kidnapping case.

Just now, Samantha was all tears and snot as she swore to me, "Nat, if he dares hurt you in any way, I'll definitely exact revenge on him, even at the cost of my life!"

Charles moves to shield Samantha from my gaze, though his tone remains gentle.

"It's your choice now. Do you want to continue with the process? Or do you want to take some time off to cry your heart out, and we can do this another day?"

I feel my blood turning to ice at that moment. The system's warning blares loudly in my mind.

"Warning—you have failed in registering your marriage with the target. The eradication protocol will be activated soon. You now have a 48-hour countdown."

I froze on the spot, my blood instantly turning cold.

A wave of nausea washed over me, and my vision went black for a moment.

Charles Scott caught me just in time, then gently wiped the tears from my face. "You're going to be a mother soon. Why are you still so reckless?"

Overwhelmed by resentment, I stared intently at him. "Why… Why does it have to be today?"

Stunned, Charles looked past me and glanced at Samantha Wood, his voice soft. "I never wanted to tell you the truth.

"But she's been taking photos for us from the side. She always forces a smile, so I suddenly feel bad."

After a momentary pause, he continued, "I've wronged her terribly. As for you, I've made it up to you by giving you a child."

My sanity finally shattered. "What… What do you mean that you've made it up to me?"

Charles revealed nonchalantly, "You had a miscarriage last time because we accidentally spilled some lubricant on the stairs."

That revelation struck me like a bolt from the blue.

I thought I had lost the baby because I was rushing for my mission.

After the miscarriage, I had been crying every day. Every time, Charles would hold me in his embrace and comfort me.

It turned out that everything had been nothing but a lie.

I bit my lip so hard that the metallic taste spread in my mouth. I raised my arm and threw a tight slap across his face.

Having been slapped, Charles seemed relieved rather than furious.

"I finally got to confess everything today. I don't want to hurt Sammy anymore.

"She's still young. Just come at me if you're mad."

I lost it and pulled off the veil.

His eyes were red, and he sounded relieved when he said, "It seems like you've made up your mind. Let's register our marriage next time. I've waited for ten years anyway."

Just then, the system's sound rang out, blending with his receding footsteps.

"Tenth anniversary. The deadline for the marriage registration has now expired.

"Mission failed.

"The elimination program will be activated.

"Counting down. 48 hours left."

The next instant, Samantha set her camera down and looked at me. "Nat, why won't you smile? You're the prettiest today!"

She swept her gaze around and finally fathomed the situation. Her voice was trembling as she asked, "Nat… did you find out about everything?"

I forced a bitter smile with red-rimmed eyes.

Samantha raised her arm and threw the camera at Charles.

But he didn't even budge a bit.

Samantha's eyes were bloodshot as she cried out, "I told you I never needed you to make our relationship public. How could you tell her everything today? How could you hurt her?"

Charles couldn't be bothered with the blood on his forehead and said to Samantha, "And you? Have you ever thought about yourself?"

The sight of them being all affectionate with each other only disgusted me.

Just as I was about to leave, Ethan Gardner pushed the door open and blocked my way.

"Natalie, Sammy only wants a family. Don't hold it against her."

I struggled to speak. "So, you know about this, too? Did you send me away on purpose during the mission last week?"

Ethan let out a sigh. "Natalie, among the 100 people who were taken hostage during the abduction, only Sammy survived.

"She sees you as her sister. You've been taking care of her for so long. Isn't it because you haven't guided her properly that she made a mistake?

"Don't make things hard for her. All her family members died during that accident back then. Life has been tough on her."

"Life has been tough on her?" I wondered.

Back then, I felt sorry that she had lost her family, so I took care of her like she was my own sister.

But Ethan had forgotten that my dad, who was also his mentor, had been badly injured during the rescue and had become a vegetable. Eventually, my dad passed away.

"Nat, you can hit me if you're mad, but don't hold it against Charles."

Samantha walked up to me, and I ripped off the lucky charm given by my dad from her neck.

She gasped. Charles' face turned icy-cold instantly, and he shoved me away.

I stared at him in disbelief.

"I'll send you home so that you can calm down," Ethan said gently.

Charles didn't even look back. "Sammy is injured. I'll take her to the hospital. We'll talk about that later."

…

However, my phone rang when I was on my way home.

"Natalie, just come at me if you have a problem. Don't pull such dirty tricks!"

Upon hearing that, Ethan slammed on the brakes, causing me to bump my forehead.

Charles sent me a screenshot. Someone had uploaded a photo of Samantha and me at the city hall on the internet.

Samantha was circled in the photo, and the caption read, "You're so young. Why must you be a homewrecker?"

I replied calmly, "It wasn't me. Besides, they're right."

"Enough." Charles interrupted, clearly annoyed.

"Samantha never wanted to take anything away from you. Why do you have to pick on her? She's not like you. Don't play your tricks on her."

Ethan frowned slightly. "Natalie, your dad sacrificed himself to save her. Can you bear to see her get ruined completely?

Before I could reply, Samantha's message popped up. "Nat, I won't take anything away from you. Just now, I tried to persuade Charles to apologize to you.

"It's all my fault. He insisted on making me wear the blindfold just now and kept asking me to guess the next posture.

"I kept getting it wrong because I was worried about you. He's more furious now. You'd better be careful."

I gripped my phone tightly, saying nothing.

Sensing that I had fallen silent, Ethan spoke more gently. "You should attend Sammy's graduation ceremony and present the award to her. That way, the rumors will die down."

As if he were doing this out of pity, Charles promised. "Let's register our marriage after the ceremony."

"Forget it. You disgust me." My voice was hoarse.

"Charles, are you that desperate? You do know how to have fun, huh?"

Charles was startled for a moment. He sneered when he grasped the meaning behind my words. "What's wrong? Are you disgusted? It's not the first time I used you to spice things up a little."

My eyes were red as I questioned, "What?"

"Do you still remember Sammy calling you in tears to comfort you on the day of your dad's funeral?"

I vaguely recalled those days. Charles had gone on a business trip, and Samantha had been busy with her thesis.

"I was behind her at the time, and I heard everything you said. But I never stopped what I was doing.

"I was thrusting her so hard that she struggled to catch her breath, yet she was still comforting you," Charles said.

My blood turned cold in an instant. For the first time in my life, I felt like I hated everything about the world.

The system's voice rang out. "The host's desire to leave has become stronger. The elimination time will be reduced to half. Counting down. 24 hours left."

Clenching my fist, I said, "Fine, I'll attend her graduation ceremony."

At the graduation ceremony, Samantha wore a haute couture white dress and stood under the spotlight as a high-achieving graduate.

The students behind me started gossiping. "Sammy is so pretty and bright. More than 100 people died in that abduction. She'll live on with them in her heart."

Samantha flashed me a gentle smile. "Nat, I'm glad that you're here."

Charles shot me a look, urging me to say it.

Expressionless, I unfolded the "graduation farewell" note he had prepared earlier.

"I'm dealing with hormonal issues. I lost my temper yesterday and slapped Sammy. I'll find out who's behind the rumor that says she's a homewrecker."

Sneering, I tore the note to pieces. Seeing the frown on his face, I took the microphone and said, "What makes you think I'll give that ungrateful woman a chance? Let me clarify something. The rumor is true. Samantha Wood is a homewrecker."

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Samantha was stunned, then her eyes turned red instantly. "Nat, I'm indebted to you. I don't mind taking the baby you're carrying as my own. What do you still expect me to do?"

I grinned mockingly. "Are you out of your mind?"

The next instant, she took out a certificate and handed it to me.

It was a marriage certificate, and the registration date was yesterday.

"Nat, Charles and I are legally married."

Dumbfounded, I turned around.

Charles seemed unbothered and muttered, "I recalled that I had never taken a photo with her, so I thought of giving this to her as a graduation gift to cheer her up. Don't worry. I'll get a divorce tomorrow. We'll register again a month later."

Samantha's eyes were red-rimmed as she said, "Nat, I know you're afraid that I might expose your dad for killing 100 people because of his mistake, but you shouldn't ask someone to post that I'm a homewrecker."

I raised my arm and was about to slap her. "What did you say? My dad saved your life!"

Right then, someone gripped my wrist tightly. Ethan had rushed onto the stage.

He flung my hand, his expression cold. "You're giving her a hard time even when we're around. Who's going to protect her when we're not with her?"

I stared at Ethan in disbelief. "Why didn't you defend my dad? You know he's a hero!"

A hesitant look flashed in Ethan's gaze. Then, he said through gritted teeth, "If I strip you of your status as the martyr's daughter, you'll keep picking on Sammy. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe even without that status."

Charles leaned in and said, "Nat, your dad is gone, but the survivors should live on. Make up with Sammy."

The system's ticking echoed in my mind.

There were three hours left.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I asked, "What about me? What if I die?"

Charles held his breath.

Just then, the crowd erupted into chaos. Someone had made a move.

The red paint from the bucket trickled down my police uniform.

"Natalie's dad killed those people! She's trying to make the guy marry her with the baby! How shameless!"

"Her dad is a murderer, and she's a mistress! Birds of a feather flock together!"

"Do you deserve to wear this police uniform? Take it off!"

The students swarmed toward me. Someone gripped me by the collar, someone pushed me, and some even spat on me.

Charles was about to rush over when Samantha held her head and exclaimed, "Nat, my head hurts whenever I think of what happened back then. Stop pushing me…"

Ethan carried her anxiously and left.

After hesitating for a moment, Charles said gently to me, "It's okay. Those kids are just messing around. You're good at fighting, so you won't get hurt."

The system's sound rang out. "The host's vital signs are deteriorating."

However, I could hardly hear it anymore.

My ears were buzzing with curses, laughter, and the clicking sound of cameras.

I had no idea how long it had been, but I suddenly felt warmth spreading through my lower abdomen.

Someone exclaimed, "Oh my! Why is there so much blood? Is she gonna die?"