At some point, heavy rain began to fall from the sky, and my tears slowly fell. My mind was filled with the overlapping images of Thomas, the man I had loved for years, being with Joan.

Suddenly, without warning, a car from the right lane sped up toward me.

Panicked, I jerked the steering wheel, but it was too late.

Bang!

With a deafening loud noise and a huge impact, the world was spinning around me. A severe pain exploded from my abdomen, and warm liquid gushed down my inner thighs, instantly soaking my skirt.

My child!

The instinct to survive made me push the door open with all my strength and struggle to crawl away.

At that moment, the person in the black sedan that had hit me stepped out of the car and walked slowly and deliberately toward me.

With great difficulty, I lifted my head. Through blood and rain, I saw my stepmother, Joan’s mother.

With an umbrella in her hand, she stood above me, looking down at me. I tried to speak, but darkness washed over me like a tide.

The last thing I saw was her cold, merciless gaze and the faint curve of her lips.

When I opened my eyes again, the smell of antiseptic filled the air.

“Victoria, you're finally awake! Thank goodness!”

I slowly turned my head toward Thomas. His eyes were bloodshot, stubble sprouted on his chin, and he looked utterly exhausted. The look in his eyes held pain, guilt, and a complex mix of emotions I couldn't quite name.

Joan was also standing behind him, with just the right amount of worry on her face.

“Victoria, you had a car accident, and your child couldn't be saved. Don't be too sad. Your health is important.”

As I looked at Thomas, and waves of pain throbbed in my stomach, I felt the man before me extremely unfamiliar.

At that moment, the ward door was flung open, and my father, Elliot Lawrence, stormed in with an ashen face and slapped me across the face.

Smack!

The force jerked my head to the side, and a faint metallic taste spread in my mouth.

Thomas exclaimed, "Dad!”

My father pointed at my nose, his voice cold and harsh as his gaze swept over my flat stomach with disgust.

“Victoria, you are absolutely a failure! You couldn’t even protect your own child. Were you that careless? What is Thomas supposed to do now? How about the Lawrence family's reputation?”

“Dad...” I tried to speak, but my throat was too hoarse to make a sound.

“Don't call me Dad!” he cut me off harshly.

"Since you're so useless and can't even bear children, do something useful. Joan needs a bone marrow donor. You’re her sister, aren’t you? So, get your health back quickly and prepare to donate bone marrow to her. That’s probably your only value now."

Every word my father spoke pierced my heart.

Sure enough, everyone was counting on me to sacrifice myself to save my sister.

My father used to cherish me most, but everything changed after my stepmother and Joan entered the family. I had become the unwanted presence in this family.

Slowly, I lowered my hands from my face and looked at the people in front of me.

At Thomas, his eyes filled with guilt, though hopeful, toward Joan, who desperately tried to hide her delight, and at my father, who was scrutinizing me with anger.

What a “harmonious” and bitterly ironic bedside scene.

Just then, the ward door swung open.

"Victoria, I’m here to take you away!”

When I looked up, I found none other than my childhood sweetheart, Hugh Stone.

Hugh was the president of the Stone Consortium, a true figure at the very top of the pyramid. His company's assets had far surpassed the Lawrence Group.

He strode straight toward me, his tall figure casting a shadow that nearly engulfed me.

“Victoria,” his voice was low and steady, “I've come to take you away.”

There were no empty words of comfort, just a simple statement, yet it brought a long-lost sense of security.

Thomas's expression instantly darkened. He strode forward, blocking the space between Hugh and me.

“Mr. Stone, Victoria is my wife. She needs rest and won't be going anywhere. Please don't interfere in our family affairs.”

Hugh didn’t even look at him. He simply helped me to get out of bed and set me into a wheelchair.

"Hugh!" Thomas's voice rose. “By what right are you taking her away?”

"Victoria, so you've already found a new man? Are you this eager? This shameless?”

Before I could react, a sharp thud rang out.

Thud!

Hugh turned around abruptly and slammed a punch on Thomas's jaw. The force was so great that Thomas staggered and fell backwards, hitting the wall with a cry of pain. Blood immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Hugh shook his fist and towered over the disheveled Thomas.

"Thomas, this punch is for Victoria. If I hear another word of insult from your mouth, I won’t hesitate to show the Crawford Family what it means to be destroyed!"

Thomas's face turned from red to white. Meanwhile, my father, who had been so aggressive to me before, was cowering to the side at this moment, too afraid to speak.

Just then, the sound of hurried high heels echoed through the room. My stepmother, Joan's mother, rushed in.

“Wait! You can't leave!” She grabbed the armrest of my wheelchair. “I've arranged everything. Joan will have her bone marrow transplantation tomorrow. You absolutely cannot leave!”

I lifted my eyes and slowly brushed her hand off the armrest.

“What surgery?” My voice was unnaturally calm. “I don’t agree.”

“What?” my stepmother shrieked. “What do you mean you don’t agree? She’s your sister!”

I looked into her eyes and said word by word, “I have entrusted the Stone Consortium's legal department and private investigators to re-investigate my car accident.”

The color drained from her face. Terror and panic flashed in her eyes. “What nonsense are you spouting? It was an accident. The police closed the case. Victoria, have you lost your mind?”

Her panic and loss of composure were starkly obvious to everyone present. Even my father looked with suspicion and disbelief.

Hugh personally pushed my wheelchair. “Let's go.”

I hadn't expected that the moment I arrived at the Stone family villa to recuperate, Thomas would follow close behind.

I watched him standing rigidly in the pouring rain, his gaze filled with a near-obsessive plea. And I knew all of it was for Joan.

Hugh sat next to me. His eyes were deep and serious. “Should we let him in, or have someone escort him out?”

I watched Thomas in the rain in silence. If this were the past, his posture might have softened my heart. But now, I only felt truly disgusted.

“If we make a scene now, the media will be on it, and this won't benefit me in reclaiming the Lawrence family. Six more days. I need time, and I also need Joan’s medical records. Without solid evidence, I can’t expose their lies.”

I analyzed the pros and cons calmly. Hugh’s appearance had successfully saved me from the hospital and spared me from being forced into surgery, but the road ahead, I would have to walk it myself.

Hugh was silent for a moment. Then he gently patted the top of my head and sighed. “Do what you need to do. Just remember—the entire Stone Consortium stands behind you. Six days from now, no matter the outcome, I’ll come for you.”

I nodded and walked toward Thomas. “I'll go back with you. I'm willing to donate to save Joan.”

Thomas's eyes flashed with disbelief.

"But the Stone Consortium's doctors have examined me. My health is too poor right now. They said I need at least six days of rest and observation before a bone marrow transplant can proceed.”

Six days—the exact timeframe for the “Seven-Day Plan” to be finalized.

Hardly without hesitation, Thomas nodded. “Alright, I'll do whatever you say. As long as you're willing to go back and save Joan, I'll do anything!”

I stared coldly at the man before me, who was pleading desperately for my stepsister's sake.

A cold smile touched my lips.

Thomas, I hope you will still be able to smile in the end.

The day after returning to the Crawford residence, Thomas took Joan and me to an exclusive jewelry auction under the pretext of helping me unwind.

With his one arm casually draped around my waist and Joan clung tightly against him on the other side, the three of us formed a strange and attention-grabbing formation. Many people cast complicated looks at our way; some sympathetic, some curious, but most with amused looks, as if watching a show.

The auction proceeded smoothly, but I was losing interest until a sapphire necklace was presented on the display stand.

As if possessed, I raised my bidding paddle. “One hundred and eighty thousand dollars.”

Almost the moment my words fell, Joan’s sweet voice chimed in beside me, “Two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.”

I turned to look at her. She wore an innocent and naïve expression. “Victoria, I really like it too.”

I tightened my grip and raised my paddle again. "Two hundred and seventy thousand dollars."

"Three hundred dollars." Joan followed closely.

Whispers rippled through the room—it was clear to everyone that this wasn't a normal bidding war.

Suddenly, Thomas made a gesture. "Always bid fifteen cents higher."

This meant that, no matter how high the final bid reached, he pledged to purchase the item for fifteen cents more than the winning bid.

The auctioneer excitedly brought down the hammer. “Congratulations, Mr. Crawford!”

The sapphire necklace was carefully presented before us.

I thought it was for me, but Thomas didn't glance at me. Instead, he gently placed the necklace around Joan's neck. “Joan, consider this a wish for your surgery's success. You deserve the very best.”

Joan’s eyes reddened with emotion as she threw herself into Thomas’s arms.

And I turned around, and under everyone's sympathetic or mocking gaze, I walked out of the auction hall stiffly and went to the balcony.

Unexpectedly, Joan followed me out and stood beside me.

“Sister,” she said softly, her voice laced with malice as she gently stroked the necklace, “What a pity. You can never win against me. Ever since childhood, everything you've wanted will ultimately be mine.”

She paused, admiring my pale profile. “Your child... what a pity. But it doesn't matter. Once I get better, I'll have many children with Thomas. As for you, you'll end up with nothing.”

I remained silent, refusing to turn toward her. But she suddenly took a step back and raised her hand.

Smack!

A crisp slap echoed.

"Why did you hit me?" she cried out with tears streaming down her face as if she had suffered the greatest injustice. “I was only trying to comfort you. I know you're hurting, but how could you do this?”

I turned in shock, but Thomas had already rushed out after he heard the sound.

When he saw the red mark on Joan's cheek, his face instantly turned gloomy. "Victoria."

He pulled the sobbing Joan behind him. “When are you going to stop causing trouble? Joan kindly came to cheer you up, and this is how you treat her? You made a scene at the hospital, you made a scene at home, and now you’re embarrassing yourself out here. Where are your manners?”

“I didn't ...” My protest sounded weak and feeble.

“Enough!” Thomas cut me off, refusing to listen. He shot me a look of utter disgust before turning to the butler, who had hurried over, and instructed, “Madam is unwell after her miscarriage and emotionally unstable. Take her home immediately. She is not to leave the house again without my permission.”