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?"

Lying on the operating table, I felt the icy-cold instruments twisting inside me.

I could feel the life within me gradually slipping away, but deep down, I was relieved.

Maybe the baby was never meant for this nasty world.

…

The sun was setting when I dragged my weary body home.

Charles glanced at my pale face and handed me a glass of warm water.

"I was just about to pick you up from the campus. Don't hold it against Sammy. She wouldn't have been terrified and said that if you hadn't humiliated her in public and provoked her.

"Stop being mad. You're going to be a mother soon. Why bother picking on a youngster?

"I already asked Sammy to file for a divorce. Once the formalities are finalized, we'll register our marriage."

My face remained blank as I turned to look at our wedding photo on the wall.

I grabbed the glass and threw it at the photo.

The glass shattered into pieces, and the shreds cut Charles' face in the photo.

His face fell instantly.

Just then, Samantha came out of my room, gripping her phone. "Charles, I was terrified when Nat threw a tantrum just now. I entered the information incorrectly three times, and I got locked out. I can only make the reservation after seven days."

My face was devoid of emotions, and I didn't even bother to look up.

Charles suddenly laughed after seeing my deadpan expression.

"Let's put the divorce on hold for now. Nat doesn't seem concerned about it, so why are we rushing to get it done then?

"Everyone knows that we've been together for a decade, and we've been family for a long time."

A resentful look flitted across Samantha's eyes. She pushed Charles away and fell to her knees, her eyes red. "Nat, I didn't mean it. I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, then look—"

She put her phone closer to me and whispered into my ear, "Nat, is your baby still alive? Is he with Mr. Lowe now?"

Her tone grew harsher as she spoke. "My parents died, but why did your dad just have to save me? Since he had saved me, it was only right for him to give me a home. I'm pleased to have Charles.

"By the way, that day when Mr. Lowe regained his consciousness, I went to thank him. I even showed him a video of Charles sleeping with me for the first time.

"I didn't expect that he couldn't take it. He actually bit the nasal cannula out of anger."

I gritted my teeth so hard that my jaw hurt.

My sanity finally snapped, and I mustered all my strength to slap Samantha across her face.

Charles kicked me away, and my wound from the surgery split open and bled. I couldn't help gasping in pain.

"Natalie, what the hell are you doing?"

I broke down in tears. "It was her… She killed my dad!"

Charles froze on the spot. Just as he was about to say something, Ethan came in and held Samantha in his arms. A pained look filled his eyes. "Natalie, you're a cop! Look at you! How can you still call yourself a cop?"

He saw my red-rimmed eyes and let out a sigh. "The controversy is escalating. They will investigate Mr. Lowe, so his body will be moved out of Martyrs' Cemetery for now.

"And you'll be suspended from duty to reflect on your mistake. Sammy is emotionally unstable now. You can take good care of her.

"You're her only family now. Don't hurt her again."

Charles scoffed. "You inherited your dad's ID number. Hand over your uniform and gun. You don't get to leave the house until you apologize."

The system's sound echoed in my mind. There were ten seconds left.

Seeing the smile tugging at Samantha's lips, I laughed so hard that I was in tears.

I gently caressed the gun and walked up to the window.

Just as I was about to hand it over, I turned the gun and held it against my temple.

"Just an apology… isn't enough to make up to her."

Charles subconsciously reached out for me with both hands, his pupil contracting.

Smiling, I said, "I'll pay with my life."

Bang!

The glass shattered.

Charles cried out in pain, "Natalie! No!"