After his words were finished, he kicked the hospital bed with ruthless force.

The pain from my wound pulling deep within me sent waves of agony through my body as if my bones were being pulled apart, one by one. A strained groan slipped from my lips.

I had known Aiden didn’t care for me, but I never imagined the level of disdain his colleagues would hold for me.

My body felt like it was disintegrating, piece by piece. Staring into the empty void, I waited for death to claim me.

Everyone around me was too absorbed in their tasks, unaware of how my breaths had become shallow and labored.

Just as I clung to the edge of consciousness, I heard someone cry out for help on my behalf.

“She’s losing too much blood! Her face is wrong; please, someone help her! Don’t let her die!”

But instead of receiving aid, mocking voices responded.

“Why hasn’t she given up yet? We already told her Aiden is with Lorelei. If she’s so capable, why doesn’t she call him herself? Why bother acting like this for us?”

The whispers of onlookers swirled around me, sharp and cutting.

Under the weight of their cruel comments, Aiden was finally summoned by his colleagues.

But what I met wasn’t care or concern; it was a slap across my face. Twice.

“Corinne, I’ve had enough of you!” His voice was cold, as though every word cut through my very soul. “You might not care about your reputation, but I still care about mine!”

“What were you thinking, staging that accident? Are you scared now? If you want to die, go somewhere else! Don’t bring your bad luck to me!”

Even now, he still thought I was the mastermind behind the crash, convinced it was some twisted scheme to win his attention.

Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head frantically, trying to deny his accusations, but my voice failed me.

The child in my womb had gone eerily still. My throat, raw and hoarse, could only produce weak, desperate sounds. Despair gnawed at me, and with the last bit of strength I could summon, I pointed to my stomach, silently begging him to save us for the sake of the child.

But instead of the compassion I had desperately hoped for, Aiden's hand came down harshly on my belly, his eyes ablaze with fury.

"The baby is fine!" he spat, his words sharp as daggers. "Lorelei already told me she saw you talking to the driver. Now that it’s all out in the open, you're playing the victim? I don’t have time for your games. Lorelei isn’t well right now."

With a final, dismissive glance, he turned on his heel and stormed away.

A wave of alarm rippled through the crowd.

"There’s so much blood on the bed!"

"She’s lost too much; the baby can’t be saved."

"Push her out of here! How shameless can she be? Does she think this will make us feel sorry for her? Poor Aiden is stuck with someone like her. What terrible luck!"

A bitter smile tugged at my lips, but it was more of a grimace as my consciousness began to fragment, slipping further from my grasp.

As my eyes fluttered closed, memories of a night five years ago, the night of that fateful banquet, washed over me.

Back then, I had been nothing more than an intern, reluctantly coaxed into drinking far too much by my supervisor.

When I finally realized the danger I was in, I tried to break free, but the grip on me was unyielding.

Dragged into a room, panic rising in my chest, Aiden appeared, wielding a stick like a warrior. He drove the man away, saving me from the fire that threatened to consume me. At that moment, he was like an angel descending from the heavens, and without realizing it, he carved a place for himself deep within my heart.

The following morning, I woke to find he had stayed by my side, guarding me through the night.

Through our conversation, I learned just the basics about him, enough to make me feel even more indebted.

In gratitude, I found myself drawn to him more and more.

One day, he surprised me by picking me up after work. For the first time, it felt as though this untouchable man might just be softening before my eyes.

I seized the chance, pouring everything I had into making him smile.

I cooked for him, baked cakes from scratch, and stayed by his side during those late-night shifts.

For two months, every moment was a chance to show him how much I cared.

And in the end, I won him over, the icy walls around his heart slowly crumbling beneath the warmth I gave him.

I truly believed my sincerity had touched him, that we’d walk through life’s stages hand in hand, embracing the happiness we both deserved.

But instead, I found myself standing on the precipice of despair.

Once we were together, I was always the one reaching out, the one who put in the effort. His responses were scarce, and more often than not, he declined my invitations.

I made excuses for him, convincing myself that "doctors have demanding, exhausting jobs."

As his girlfriend, I believed I should be more understanding and more considerate. The more guilty I felt, the harder I tried to care for him.

But everything came crashing down on our first wedding anniversary.

A stranger added me as a friend, and from there, everything began to unravel, exposing just how naïve and foolish I had been.

Lorelei sent me a video, a cruel show of victory.

In that video, Aiden appeared as a gentle, loving version of himself I had never seen, his eyes shining with affection I thought was reserved for me.

It turned out that his so-called "busyness" was just a convenient excuse. For a single call from his childhood sweetheart, he would drop everything, no matter the distance, to be by her side.

Their childhood bond was something I, a mere stranger in his life, could never hope to match.

All I could do was cry in silence, my heart shattered, too afraid to confront him with the truth.

In my previous life, when Lorelei passed away, Aiden stayed by my side, never leaving. At that moment, I believed he had finally turned his attention back to our family, recognizing my worth.

He even designed a dreamy children’s room for our little one, pouring his love into every detail.

Every meal was carefully planned, each dish prepared by his own hands—his love seemed overwhelming, blinding me to the truth.

But on the day I gave birth, the truth finally shattered the illusion.

He had built a prison of love, raising me high on the wings of affection, only to bring me crashing down, his final act of vengeance for the woman he truly loved.

To see me fall from grace was his sweetest revenge.

“Such a shame, such a young life lost. Her husband’s a doctor, too; how could he not have seen the signs? What will she do now…”

“Shh, don’t speak anymore.”

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a double hospital room, the weight of it all sinking in.

A relative from the neighboring bed came over, her eyes soft with concern.

“You’re finally awake. How do you feel? Should I call your husband? Honestly, how could he be so busy? You were in such a dangerous state, and yet he wasn’t by your side.”

I couldn’t stop myself from glancing down at my now-flat abdomen, the emptiness of it all overwhelming. Tears fell as if they had been waiting for the chance to escape.

“The baby couldn’t be saved. If only…”

My voice broke, and I shuddered slightly. “Maybe it’s better this way. At least the child won’t have to suffer because of me.”

The woman sensed my sorrow and stammered, trying to offer comfort.

“Right now, you need to focus on taking care of yourself. Don’t dwell on it too much.”

Many had pointed out to him that something was wrong with me, but he remained convinced it was just another one of my schemes.

Precious time, time that could have saved us both, had slipped away.

Seeing my expression, the woman’s face flushed with indignation.

“Doctors these days, aren’t they supposed to be angels in white? But all I see are butchers!”

“If I hadn’t raised a ruckus and begged them to check on you, you probably wouldn’t have made it. It would’ve been a double tragedy.”

“And your husband, how could he stand by and let you die, even if couples argue? He’s a doctor, for heaven’s sake!”

“I saw countless videos of the scene online. Public opinion is in an uproar.”

Her voice grew more heated with each word, and I could almost see her rushing to the nurses’ station to unleash her fury.

I swallowed the storm rising in my chest and, with a heart heavy as a stone, whispered, “He doesn’t love me. To him, my death would be a release.”

My words seemed to hit her like a slap, and her expression faltered.

She hesitated, then tried to offer what comfort she could, urging me to divorce him once I was out of the hospital and even promising to help me for the next few days.

I smiled faintly and politely declined.

I picked up my phone in silence, my heart sinking as I scrolled through the news.

The fractured relationships between medical staff and patients have always made headlines, but today, the situation has crossed a line.

As a doctor, saving lives was their sworn duty. Yet, they had stood by, letting a patient slip away.

The vivid red bloodstains on the floor were a stark reminder of the horror.

Someone had uploaded the entire video to the comment section.

The fury was instant and unrelenting.

People demanded answers. How could a doctor fail to recognize the peril of a pregnant woman in distress? Where was their sense of professionalism?

The pregnant woman had voiced her discomfort time and again, yet they remained so detached, so indifferent.

How could anyone trust their lives to such people in the future?

Anger was bubbling up everywhere, with many demanding the hospital’s official response.

But I knew, deep down, that the outcome would be nothing more than Aiden being dismissed, just a small blip in his privileged life.

I longed to see him fall, to watch him sink, trapped in a pit of his own making.

Lost in my thoughts, Lorelei sent a daring message.

In the VIP ward, Aiden was doting on her, never leaving her side, tending to even the smallest of needs as though afraid she might so much as break.

But I disappointed Lorelei; I didn’t beg for Aiden’s attention as she’d hoped.

A man like him? I had long stopped caring.

My phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with Aiden's name.

Finally, on his sixth call, I reluctantly answered.

"Corinne, I thought you were dead! Why the silence? What’s your problem? Do you think I wanted to call you? Just hearing your voice makes me sick!"

Aiden’s voice thundered through the phone, each word dripping with venom.

"Are you out of your mind? Did you send someone after Lorelei? Thank goodness she’s alright; otherwise, it’d be attempted murder! Do you even get that?"

"Get yourself over here and apologize to Lorelei on your knees! You vile woman, I can't believe I haven’t kicked you out already!"

Before I could respond, Lorelei’s sugary voice pierced through, sweet as poison.

"Sister Corinne mustn’t have meant it. Please forgive her, Brother Aiden. She’s just so in love with you, blinded by it. It’s pitiful, really. You should care more for her."

With those few words, she neatly turned all the blame on me.

"Lorelei, you're as innocent as always, too pure for your own good. People like her only dare to hurt you because of your kindness. It’s a blessing it didn’t harm you."

"Women like her need to pay for what they’ve done."

Aiden's voice was cold, his words a blade cutting through the air.

I listened to their sweet, almost flirtatious exchange, my expression an unshaken mask of indifference.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll grant your wish. I fear this 'vile woman' might lose her grip and hurt you again.”

“Let’s end this. Meet me at the civil affairs office.”

“Corinne, do you honestly think you’re worthy of a divorce? You’ll end up in jail—”

Before he could finish his furious rant, I ended the call.

Barely a moment passed before a flood of abusive messages poured in.

“Are you insane? Do you really think you deserve to divorce me? If you weren’t pregnant, I would’ve gotten rid of you long ago!”

“You think you’re something special? You’re not even worth a single finger of Lorelei. If you hadn’t worn that white dress, looking a little like her, I never would’ve bothered saving you.”

“Now go create an account and publicly confess your wrongs. Don’t be a coward, leaving Lorelei and me to take the fall.”

Each message oozed with disdain, bitterness, and scorn.

His fury exploded as the messages kept coming.

I didn’t waste a second on them. Without a single word, I blocked and deleted him.

Even though I had met such a tragic end in my past life, facing his vile actions now still felt like my very soul was being ripped apart. The pain was unbearable, searing through me with each passing second.

Across from me, the nurses chatted eagerly, their voices sharp as daggers piercing through the silence.

“Wow, Dr. Winslow is incredible! He’s so devoted to his wife; it's like something straight out of a childhood romance. Just look at how he dotes on her; it’s almost too sweet.”

“I accidentally nicked her while removing the needle earlier, and Dr. Winslow was so upset. He held her close, comforting her for what felt like forever.”

“What are you all talking about? Dr. Winslow’s wife is on this floor!”