Early the next morning, Ethan was in the walk-in closet adjusting his tie.

I finished putting on my lipstick and said casually, "I'm going with you to the celebration dinner tonight."

His hand paused on the tie, and our eyes met in the mirror.

A flicker of surprise crossed his face, but he quickly slipped back into his usual gentle tone. "Of course. Just remember there'll be a crowd. I don't want you getting tired. We'll drop off the gift and leave early."

I nodded lightly, fully aware of what this meant. This was the last social event I would ever attend as his wife.

…

The Schmidt family's ballroom glowed with bright lights, and celebrities from across the city gathered to celebrate Vivian.

I slipped into a corner with a glass of champagne to avoid the crowd, but I couldn't avoid the endless praise showered on her.

"Ms. Holcomb, the new jewelry designs for the auction are absolutely brilliant. Any one of them could fetch a sky-high price!"

"It's an honor to attend the auction you're hosting. It's going to be a massive success."

Vivian basked in the attention, grinning so wide she could barely contain herself.

"Oh, please. I'm just doing it for fun…"

When her eyes landed on me, a flash of guilt flickered there, but it vanished almost instantly. She said loudly, "Laurel, you look awful. Are you still bothered about the auction? Relax. Just leave it to me. You stay home and try not to mess things up."

I ignored her and looked at the big screen, which displayed sketches of the jewelry designs.

The moment I saw them, my heart clenched. They were mine.

Every sketch in that collection was something I had refined over countless nights. I had never shown them to anyone and planned to debut them at the auction and steal the spotlight.

Yet now, every one of them had Vivian's name printed on it.

Vivian walked close and leaned toward my ear. "Laurel, do you like my designs? When the Fuller Group board gives me my cut of the profits, try not to get too jealous."

My hands curled into fists, shaking with fury.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she suddenly staggered backward and fell.

She clutched her stomach as she let out a piercing scream. "Ah! Laurel, why did you push me?"

She sat on the floor sobbing, instantly pulling everyone's attention toward us.

"What happened?"

"Vivian's pregnant! How could you push her?"

"Call a doctor!"

Chaos erupted. Just then, a tall figure rushed through the crowd and carefully lifted Vivian into his arms.

It was Ethan. He didn't spare me a single glance, as if I no longer existed in his world.

Instead, he soothed Vivian gently. "Are you okay?"

She leaned against him, voice soft and trembling. "It hurts… Ethan…"

He finally looked at me. The warmth I once knew was gone, replaced entirely by disappointment.

His tone was soft, but it cut deeper than any accusation. "Laurel, if you're upset about something, we can talk at home. You didn't need to do something this cruel."

I could barely hear him.

I just stared at him and asked softly, "Ethan, tell me. Why does she have my jewelry design sketches?"

He froze for a moment before looking away, pretending not to understand. "Maybe it's just a coincidence. She likes jewelry too. You're sisters. It's normal for you two to have similar ideas."

Coincidence? All my design files were encrypted. Ethan and I were the only two people who knew the password.

The truth hit me like a slap—he betrayed me.

That entire collection was meant to be a gift for our fifth anniversary. I wanted to show him that I wasn't just an accessory in his life, but a woman capable of standing beside the heir to the richest family in the country.

Now it had been stolen and used as a weapon against me.

I suddenly laughed, my eyes burning and my nose stinging. That was when he panicked.

Ethan handed Vivian to the medical staff and rushed toward me, gripping my hand tightly. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? It's too chaotic here. Let me take you home."

I inhaled deeply, forcing back my tears. "Okay."

His expression eased with relief.

I kept the same calm smile and added, "But I don't want to go home. Tomorrow is my birthday. I want you to go with me to the mountaintop to watch the sunrise."

The drive up the mountain was silent.

Ethan's warm hand rested over mine as he said gently, "I hired your favorite five-star chef. Whatever you want for your birthday dinner, he can make it."

He paused, his gaze softening. "Once things settle down, we should think about having a baby. You've always said you love kids."

I didn't respond. I just watched the scenery blur past the window.

He didn't know that we could have had a child long ago. But that little angel died because of the order he personally gave to the hospital staff.

We hadn't driven far from the banquet when his personal phone rang.

He answered the call, spoke softly, then turned back to me with an apologetic expression. "There's an urgent issue at the company. I need to go back and handle it myself."

I nodded calmly. "Go ahead. Work comes first."

He looked taken aback, as if wanting to explain. "Laurel, I…"

"It's fine. Go," I said with a small smile, nudging his arm. "I'll wait for you at the top. You promised to watch the sunrise with me, remember?"

I climbed the mountain alone.

The wind was icy. My phone's bright screen felt harsh in the darkness.

Vivian had posted a new update.

In the photo, she was wearing a hospital gown, sitting on a bench with a pitiful look as she held her stomach.

The caption read, "Tonight was terrifying. Poor me, getting pushed while pregnant. Thank goodness the baby is fine! But someone dropped everything to rush here and stay with me. I don't even know how to thank him."

I recognized the blurred silhouette beside her instantly.

It was Ethan.

I called him. The phone rang for a long time before Vivian picked up. "Hello? Laurel? Ethan's busy. He's talking to the doctor about my condition."

Her voice was dripping with pride. "You have no idea how much he cares about me. Once, I tripped but told him I was hit by a car. In less than ten minutes, Ethan called every specialist in the hospital to me!

"Even the surgeon who was supposed to perform an emergency operation had to come check my foot first. Do you think you could ever compare to me?"

Her sharp, triumphant laugh echoed through the speaker.

But all I felt was my blood turning cold.

How could I not know about the night she mentioned?

That was the night I lost my child. The "delayed emergency operation" they never performed was mine. And all of it happened because of a lie she made up on a whim.

My hand trembled as I ended the call.

I waited the entire night. It was long enough for darkness to swallow the mountains and the hours to drag by without end.

As sunrise approached, Ethan still hadn't shown up.

I told the driver beside me, "You can go back first."

He hesitated. "Mrs. Fuller, aren't you coming with me?"

I shook my head softly. "I just want to stay here a little while and get some fresh air."

He seemed unsure, but remembering who I was, he finally left.

I walked forward slowly, staring at the dull gray sky.

I recalled his sweet words, his embraces, and his promises…

Memory after memory drifted through my mind, but none stirred anything in me. Compared to his "Priority above everything" for Vivian, they felt like a joke.

When the first trace of sunlight broke through the clouds, I dialed his number one last time.

This time, his phone was turned off.

I stared at the screen and scheduled a timed email to be sent to him.

Inside, I attached three things.

First, a photo of the hospital order stating, "Prioritize treatment for Vivian."

Second, a medical report confirming my miscarriage due to delayed treatment.

And third, an audio recording of Vivian admitting she lied about being hit by a car.

Once it was done, I looked at the sunrise spreading across the horizon. Without hesitation, I stepped forward and jumped.

…

At the hospital, Ethan was preparing to leave.

Vivian reached out to stop him, her voice weak. "Ethan, stay with me a little longer, please?"

He shook his head firmly. "No. Today is Laurel's birthday. I promised to watch the sunrise with her. I have to go find her."

Just then, his assistant, Thomas Walters, rushed in. He was pale and frantic as he exclaimed, "Mr. Fuller, something terrible happened! Mrs. Fuller jumped off the cliff!"