Erwin looked as if he had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

Hearing his firm, unequivocal promise, the nerves that had been stretched to their limit finally eased just a little.

I sent a message to my senior.

[The lawyer has already met with me. Everything’s been arranged very carefully.]

[Senior, thank you. Truly.]

It took a while before he replied.

I was staring blankly at my screen when my phone suddenly vibrated.

He was calling me directly.

“You’ve met Erwin already?” he asked.

His voice was as calm as ever, but there was noticeably less distance in it than usual.

“Yeah.”

I nodded instinctively, then realized he couldn’t see me and added softly, “He’s very professional. And he’s been very considerate.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

“That’s good,” he said at last.

Something about the way he said those three words felt… off.

“For now, just cooperate with the process. Don’t overthink it,” he continued.

“I’ll take care of the rest.”

My throat tightened.

“Senior, you’ve already helped me so much—”

“I—”

“Tara.”

He cut me off, but his tone wasn’t harsh. “Don’t rush to thank me.”

“Just get through this stretch first.”

“When I finish dealing with what I have on hand, I’ll come find you.”

He said it naturally, calmly—but with a certainty that left no room for doubt.

I fell silent for a moment before answering quietly.

“Okay.”

After the call ended, I had no idea that almost at the same time, another call was being placed.

My senior stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, his expression dark and heavy. Neon lights from outside reflected faintly in his eyes, yet not a trace of warmth remained.

“Erwin.”

The moment the call connected, he said his name outright.

No pleasantries. No preamble.

“I’m warning you,” he said coldly. “Don’t entertain thoughts you shouldn’t have about her.”

A low chuckle came from the other end.

“You’re being a little dramatic, aren’t you?” Erwin replied lazily. “I haven’t done anything.”

“She’s not someone you get to toy with,” my senior said, his voice turning icy, every word steady and deliberate.

“She’s mine.”

There was a two-second silence on the line.

Then came a soft, ambiguous laugh.

“Understood.”

The response was perfunctory, almost entirely devoid of sincerity.

“Relax. I know my limits.”

Before another word could be said, the call was already disconnected.

At the far end of the corridor, my figure disappeared around the corner.

Erwin put his phone away, slid one hand into his pocket, and stood there watching for a moment.

The curve of his lips was lazy—yet dangerous.

As if he hadn’t taken that warning seriously at all.

When I returned to the hospital room, the tension in my mind snapped tight.

Randall and Samantha were standing by my brother’s bed, doing something I couldn’t quite see.

Almost instinctively, I quickened my pace and stepped between them and my brother. Hatred and vigilance surged up from deep inside me at the same time.

The moment Samantha saw me, a sweet smile bloomed on her face.

“Tara, thank you for being willing to withdraw the lawsuit,” she said softly.

Then, in a gentle tone that cut deeper than a knife, she added,

“You don’t have parents, so maybe you can’t really understand how important parents are to me.”

The words pierced straight into my chest like a needle.

“Oh, right,” she continued lightly. “Tara, the day after tomorrow is my mom’s birthday. Would you like to come over for dinner? We want to thank you properly in person.”

I swallowed down the metallic taste in my throat and rejected her coldly.

“No. My brother needs someone to take care of him.”

Samantha instinctively glanced at Randall, looking flustered and unsure.

Randall frowned and turned to me.

“Tara, there will be a caregiver to look after your brother. You don’t need to stay here all the time.”

“Samantha is my sister. Her family is essentially my family as well. This is a family dinner. It wouldn’t look good for you, as my fiancée, not to attend.”

I refused again, my tone decisive.

“We’re not married yet. I have no obligation to attend your family’s dinner.”

This time, the displeasure on his face finally slipped through before he could fully hide it.

He clearly hadn’t expected me—who had always been obedient—to push back against his arrangements.

After a brief pause, he softened his tone, as if assuming I was just being emotional.

“Since you’ve chosen to be my wife, you need to shoulder the responsibilities that come with that.”

“You have to attend this dinner. Otherwise, your brother’s treatment—”

I snapped my head up and stared at him.

This man I had once loved so deeply.

Even after being hurt so many times, I had still underestimated just how ruthless he could be.

To force me to submit, he was using my brother to threaten me again.

I still remembered how he used to tell me that as long as I didn’t want to, he would never force me to face his parents.

But with Randall, I would always come second to Samantha.

Thinking of the conversation I’d overheard not long ago in the obstetrics department, my mind suddenly shifted.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

I wanted to see for myself just how much filth the Hendershots and the Massrys were hiding beneath the surface.

Samantha’s birthday “family dinner” was ultimately held at the Hendershots’s mountain estate.

I sat at the very end of the long table, watching the two families laugh and exchange pleasantries, warm and familiar with one another.

To them, my tragedy—and my brother’s—were nothing more than idle table talk, incapable of stirring even the slightest emotional ripple.

My gaze swept over Randall’s father, then landed on Samantha’s mother.

And that was when I noticed their feet entwined beneath the table.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth and let out a quiet, mocking laugh.

Just then, Jamey slowly lifted his wine glass, his smile thick and greasy.

“Come now, Miss Barnhart,” he said.

“Since we’re all sitting at the same table, there’s no need to keep such a long face.”

His gaze openly traveled over me before finally settling on my bandaged hand. There wasn’t a shred of remorse in his tone.

“Thank you for being sensible enough to withdraw the lawsuit.”

“At the end of the day, making a big fuss doesn’t look good for anyone.”

Catherine immediately followed up, her voice gentle and composed.

“That’s right, Tara. You’re educated—you understand reason. Forcing people into a corner doesn’t do your reputation any favors either.”

William also raised his glass and sighed.

“Child, you have to learn to look forward in life.”

“You’re not in great health right now. Clinging to these matters—what good does it do you?”

Jamey’s smile grew even more self-satisfied, his tone practically condescending.

“As for your hand, to be honest, you were just unlucky.”

“Young people need to suffer a little, so they learn who they can’t afford to offend.”

“Life can’t always go smoothly, can it?”

He extended his glass toward me, his tone firm and final.

“Come. Let’s have a toast.”

“Once you drink this, we’ll consider the matter settled.”

My fingertips wouldn’t stop trembling. I used almost all my strength just to keep myself from losing control and standing up on the spot.

The people who had pushed me to this point… How could they be so shameless, so self-righteous?

This whole family was disgusting beyond words.

Before I could explode, Samantha suddenly reddened her eyes.

“Dad, please don’t say that.”

Her voice was soft and delicate, carrying a hint of choking sobs.

“Tara must be hurting so much inside.”

“Why don’t we do this…”

She stood up, as if she had finally made up her mind.

“I’ll drink in Dad’s place.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she downed three glasses in a row. The liquor slid down her throat, and an unnatural flush quickly spread across her face.

Lucy immediately panicked.

“Slow down, slow down. Don’t push yourself.”

Samantha shook her head, clearly forcing herself to stay composed.

“I’m fine.”

“As long as Tara can calm down.”

She poured another glass, held it with both hands, and offered it to me. Her eyes were red.

“Tara.”

“Could you give me this bit of face?”

“I know you’ve been wronged, but things have already come to this.”

“Just consider it for the sake of the child, okay?”

Randall finally snapped out of it. He grabbed the glass from her hand, his voice rising sharply.

“Are you crazy?”

“You’re already—”

He stopped himself abruptly.

The words left unsaid were more brutal than if he had finished them.

He looked down at her, his eyes filled with tenderness, his tone instantly softening.

“You don’t have to do this.”

But when he looked up at me again, all warmth vanished.

What remained was irritation and judgment.

“Tara.”

“Samantha has gone this far. Uncle and Aunt have already lowered themselves. What more do you want?”

“Haven’t you already agreed to drop the charges?”

“Why are you still putting on airs?”

“Do you enjoy watching everyone bow their heads to you?”

He stepped forward, his voice cold, like issuing a final ultimatum.

“Is drinking one glass really going to kill you?”

He knew.

He knew perfectly well.

I had just undergone surgery.

I couldn’t drink at all.

But to everyone at this table, my body, my pain, my life meant nothing.

What mattered was whether I would lift this so-called “reconciliation wine.”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

As the glass moved closer and closer, I raised my hand and knocked it away hard.

The glass shattered. Liquor splashed everywhere.

Samantha’s hand was cut. She screamed.

Before I could even react, the next second, Randall’s slap landed across my face without mercy.

I stood frozen, my ears ringing, my cheek burning.

I hadn’t wanted to cry, but my eyes betrayed me, turning red anyway.

Seven years together, and Randall had never laid a hand on me.

The first time he did, it was for Samantha.

My mind went blank. I turned, wanting only to leave.

Behind me, Randall seemed to realize what he’d done. He shut his eyes in regret, then quickly chased after me.

“Tara, I didn’t mean it. Don’t be mad.”

He grabbed me, panic finally creeping into his voice. “This is a mountain resort. There are no cars outside. You can’t leave right now.”

“Stay for now, okay?”

“Be good. Once you calm down, I’ll explain everything.”

I shook his hand off.

I looked at him, then, right in front of his eyes, pulled the plain band off my finger and tossed it into the trash. Without another word, I went upstairs.

“Tara!”

Randall panicked and tried to follow, but Samantha called out to him.

I watched him hesitate for a moment before turning back to the dining room.

Downstairs, laughter soon resumed, as if nothing had happened.

I let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. What hope had I still been clinging to with this man?

Taking a deep breath, I turned and walked toward Randall’s father’s room.

I quietly placed the pinhole camera I had prepared long ago.

When I returned to the guest room and tried to call a car to go home, I saw Samantha slip inside like a snake and shut the door with a click.

She slowly turned around. The fake fragility was gone. What remained was smug provocation.

“Tara, does it feel stifling?”

She glanced at my phone lighting up and dimming again, the corners of her lips curling slightly. Her voice was so gentle it was almost pitying.

“Were you trying to call someone to pick you up? Or looking for someone to back you up?”

“You used to have that idiot brother who’d charge in for you. But now… he’s probably gone, huh?”

“What a pity.”

She sighed softly. “Your brother really had bad luck, getting stuck with a sister like you.”

“If you’re going to spew nonsense, do it outside. Don’t stand in front of me and get in my way.” I stood up. I didn’t want to stay in the same room with her for another second.

Samantha didn’t get angry at all. Her gaze slid from my face to the bandaged hand.

“Tsk, tsk. Look at our doctor. That hand is seriously injured.”

“Aunt Jaclyn was just saying earlier—this is perfect. Now, you won’t have to show your face everywhere anymore. You can stay home and be a useless person in peace. At least that way, you’re somewhat useful.”

As if recalling something, she chuckled softly.

“Did you know? They never really liked you.”

“Country background, weak family, stubborn personality, and still insisting on clinging to Randall’s future. In their eyes, someone like you isn’t even qualified to be a daughter-in-law.”

She stepped closer, superiority dripping from her tone.

“But I’m different.”

“The Hendershots has liked me since I was little. They’ve always believed I’m the one who truly belongs by Randall’s side.”

My breathing grew heavy. My whole body began to tremble.

Samantha looked as though she had been waiting for this moment. She slowly rested a hand on her abdomen.

“You still don’t know, do you? This child inside me—”

She smiled lightly, absolute confidence in her voice.

“Randall is very satisfied.”

“He said this is the child that should be born. The one everyone has been waiting for.”

“As for that clump of flesh of yours that got taken care of like a dog—”

“To put it bluntly, it’s a good thing it was never born.”

“After all, even if it had been, it would’ve just been an unacknowledged bastard.”

Her tone was casual, but every word was poison.

“And your brother.”

“Honestly, if he really dies, it’d be cleaner.”

“A family like yours just drags people down. One less burden would actually make things easier.”

She tilted her head, as if sincerely thinking it through for me.

“Look at you. No child. No hand. No future. And soon, no brother holding you back—”

At that moment, I couldn’t hear anything anymore.

The world dissolved into a sharp, piercing hum.

I lost all control.

I raised my hand and slapped Samantha across the face with all my strength.

A sharp slap cracked through the room.

The next second, the expression on Samantha’s face changed abruptly.

She sucked in a sharp breath, her body tilting toward the window as if pulled by momentum. She clutched my wrist tightly, swaying on the edge, looking as though she might fall from the height at any moment.

“Randall! Help!”

She screamed, her voice shrill and full of terror.

“Tara is trying to push me down! She’s trying to kill me!”

My pupils shrank. My mind went completely blank.

Before I could even react, the door was kicked open.

Randall stormed in. Without a second of hesitation, he grabbed me and violently shoved me aside.

I crashed hard onto the floor. My back went numb on impact, my vision darkening in waves.

“Tara, have you lost your mind?!”

His voice exploded with rage, as though years of suppressed fury had finally found an outlet.

“You actually dared to lay a hand on Samantha?!”

Samantha immediately collapsed into his arms, trembling all over, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

“Randall… I was just trying to explain things to her. She suddenly hit me and said I deserved to die…” Her sobs broke apart. “I was so scared…”

Randall lowered his head to look at her. The pain and tenderness in his eyes were almost overflowing.

But when he lifted his gaze to me, every trace of warmth vanished, leaving only cold disgust.

“Apologize.”

His tone was icy, absolute.

“Apologize to Samantha. Now.”

I pushed myself up from the floor. My throat was tight, but my voice came out unnervingly steady.

“Why should I apologize?”

“She cursed my brother to die. She said I deserved to lose my hand, deserved to never have children—”

“That’s enough!”

Randall cut me off sharply, impatience written all over his face.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

“You did something wrong. You apologize.”

Cold spread through my entire body, but I stood straight.

“I did nothing wrong.”

Randall looked at me, the corner of his mouth twitching. His eyes were dark and bottomless.

Right in front of me, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“John.”

His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

“Remove Nik’s ventilator.”

In that instant, my world collapsed.

It felt as if my blood reversed course. I froze in place, unable even to breathe.

“Randall!”

I screamed until my chest tore apart. “Are you insane?! Do you know what you’re doing?!”

He ended the call and looked down at me from above, his calm more terrifying than anger.

“This is the price for disobedience.”

“Attempted murder is still a crime. I’m teaching you to respect life.”

I didn’t hear another word after that.

I stared at his phone, my voice shattered into something barely human.

“Don’t remove the ventilator…”

“Please… don’t…”

The call had already been cut off, clean and final.

Randall looked down at me, his gaze as indifferent as if he were staring at a dog pinned by the throat.

“Now,” he said, “you can apologize.”

“Kneel.”

“Apologize to Samantha.”

“As long as she forgives you, I’ll have them put the ventilator back.”

In that moment, dignity, pride, and self-respect were crushed into dust.

I knew him too well. If Randall said it, he would do it.

He truly did not care whether my brother lived or died.

The sound of my knees hitting the floor was dull and deafening.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s my fault.”

I bowed again and again, my forehead nearly touching the ground. My voice shook uncontrollably as tears slammed down.

“Please… spare my brother.”

“I’m begging you… please…”

Samantha said nothing.

She stood there, looking down at me from above.

After a long moment, she slowly pressed a hand to her stomach, her face turning pale.

“Randall…”

“My stomach hurts.”

“Will the baby… be okay?”

Randall’s expression changed instantly.

He no longer spared me a glance. He scooped her up in his arms, panic and concern flooding his voice.

“Come on. We’re going to the hospital.”

I lunged forward like a madwoman, clutching desperately at the hem of his clothes.

“Randall! Call them—”

“Please, make the call first!”

“Tell them to put the ventilator back… please!”

He flung me away without hesitation, his eyes colder than ice.

“Reflect properly on your mistakes.”

I slammed to the ground.

All I could do was watch as their figures disappeared through the doorway, the world falling silent around me.

I collapsed onto the freezing floor, my fingers shaking so badly I could barely hold my phone.

“Please… anyone… save my brother.”

I unlocked the screen in a panic, my fingers randomly tapping through my contacts. I didn’t even see whose name it was before the call went through.

Each ring felt like a hammer striking my heart.

The next second, the call connected.

“Hello?”

The familiar voice broke me completely.

“Senior—”

“They’re pulling my brother’s ventilator…”

“Randall has lost his mind. He really wants to kill my brother…”

My words came out broken and incoherent.

“Can you help me say something… please, ask the hospital to spare him…”

“I’ll agree to anything. I really can’t hold on anymore…”

“Tara.”

My senior’s voice lowered.

“Calm down and listen to me. I’m here. Your brother will be fine.”

I heard him rapidly instruct his secretary to contact people for help, then he said quietly, “I’m not by your side right now, but you can use Erwin anytime.”

There was a trace of gritted teeth in his voice.

“I’ve already sent Erwin to pick you up.”

“He’s nearby. He’ll be there soon.”

“You don’t need to do anything. Just stay where you are and wait for him.”

I opened my mouth, but my throat felt blocked. Only a faint, broken breath escaped.

“Really… nothing will happen?”

“I promise.”

His voice was firm.

At that moment, the tension holding me together finally snapped.

My phone slipped from my hand. I slid down along the wall, tears pouring out uncontrollably, my sobs tearing free.

My consciousness began to fade, my ears filled with nothing but my own frantic breathing.

Before everything went dark, I heard his urgent voice through the phone.

“Tara, hold on a little longer.”

“Erwin will be there any second.”

But I couldn’t hold on to anything anymore.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already daylight.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds in thin strips across the bedsheets. For a moment, I couldn’t tell where I was or what day it was. My whole body felt hollowed out, even breathing dull and painful.

A note sat on the bedside table.

The handwriting was clean and decisive. Erwin’s.

It read: [Your brother is temporarily stable. I stayed with you all night. There’s an urgent matter at the company. I’ll be back as soon as I finish.]

Something inside my chest seemed to lift slightly.

I threw off the blanket and got out of bed, barefoot, heading straight out.

I needed to see my brother immediately.

Only by seeing him lying there, still breathing, could I truly relax.

But the moment I pushed open his hospital room door, it was empty.

My heart sank violently.

My voice changed as I grabbed a passing nurse and asked where he was.

Startled, the nurse stammered, “A pregnant woman just had massive bleeding and urgently needs a transfusion. The blood bank doesn’t have enough supply. Your brother’s blood type matches, so he was taken for a transfusion.”

My head buzzed.

I nearly screamed out of control. “He’s a patient! He’s the one lying in a hospital bed. What right do you have to take blood from a patient?!”

The nurse turned pale. “It was an order from above. We’re just following instructions.”

It had to be Randall.

I didn’t even have time to put on my shoes. I turned and ran toward the operating room.

I was running too fast. The hallway blurred and darkened before my eyes.

Thankfully, I made it in time.

I forced myself in front of the gurney, the wheels screeching as they stopped.

I threw myself forward, gripping the edge with both hands until my knuckles turned white, my voice trembling beyond control.

“He can’t give blood…”

My words were chaotic, my breathing ragged, my vision darkening.

“My brother is sick. If he gives blood… he’ll really die!”

The next second, a brutal force struck from the side.

Someone seized my wrist, squeezing so hard it felt like my bones would shatter.

I let out a muffled cry of pain, forced to let go as I was violently flung aside.

Randall burst out of the operating room, his face terrifyingly dark, violent fury surging in his eyes.

“What are you making a scene for?!”

His voice was cold and final, without the slightest hesitation.

“This is what your brother owes Samantha.”