At my three-year anniversary dinner with Vincent Hartwell, his secretary deliberately poured red wine over my head. I finally reached my breaking point and slapped her in front of all the guests.

That very night, the incident spread like wildfire through high society circles. When my mother saw the leaked bedroom photographs of the two of them, the shock triggered a heart attack. She collapsed and died on the spot.

When I learned the news, I sank to the floor and cried all night. Meanwhile, Vincent stayed by his secretary's side, comforting her.

When he came home, he brushed past my disheveled state without a glance, loosened his tie, and spoke in that careless tone of his. "I've already buried the story. Don't let it happen again.

"I have a meeting tonight. Pull yourself together and get to the villa within thirty minutes. Madison needs you."

As he walked toward the door, he added over his shoulder, "She's fragile right now because of the pregnancy. If you do anything to harm my only child, I won't forgive you."

I listened without crying or arguing. However, after he left, I pulled the divorce agreement from my drawer that I had prepared weeks ago. Beneath it lay my own positive pregnancy test.

'Vincent, I'll leave to find my biological father in three days.'

This time, I was really leaving. I would make sure my father paid for every grievance I had endured over the last few years.

[Eloise's Point of View.]

Before Vincent Hartwell left, he emphasized once again, "Madison likes mild food. Remember to cater to her palate.

"When you go into her room, make sure you're quiet. She values her peace and doesn't like being disturbed."

I had not heard Vincent say this many words in a long time. Ever since Madison Laurent appeared in our lives, his conversations with me never exceeded five words.

I listened with a blank expression, the light in my eyes dimming further.

He tossed a globally limited edition bag onto the couch carelessly.

"Madison is kindhearted and won't hold grudges, but you must apologize to her properly. This is your compensation."

I stared at the bag for a long time, my tone devoid of emotion. "Vincent, Mom is dead, and it's because of us. She was so upset that it killed her."

His hand paused as he loosened his tie, then he laughed softly. "Eloise, you've been spouting more and more nonsense lately. She came to see you three days ago and looked perfectly healthy, didn't she?"

Before I could respond, he turned and walked toward the door. As he passed me, his steps halted. "Don't blame me for being cruel. If you want to blame somebody, blame your own useless body."

Then, he pinched my tear-stained face and chuckled lightly, his tone casual. "Be good and obedient. Once she has the baby, everything that belongs to you will come back to you."

After those words, he turned and left. The moment the door closed, the pregnancy report I clutched in my hand fluttered to the floor.

I did not come back to myself until the butler knocked on the door.

"Ms. Stern, the car is ready."

To please Madison, Vincent had ordered all the servants to call her Mrs. Hartwell, while I, who once kissed him beneath the church archway, was reduced to 'Ms. Stern'.

I ignored him and began packing up my mother's belongings. Before long, the door was forced open, and several bodyguards physically shoved me into the car.

When I was pushed out at the villa, Madison took one look at my disheveled appearance and laughed mockingly.

She threw a menu at me. "I want to eat these things tonight. Deliver them to my room within an hour."

I stared at the menu on the ground for a long time, then picked it up and walked toward the kitchen.

Madison froze, clearly not expecting this reaction from me. After all, just yesterday I had angrily slapped her across the face.

However, she did not know that I completely gave up on Vincent the moment my mother's heart stopped beating.

He had taken away the last person I loved. I only wanted to endure these final three days, then disappear from his life entirely.

I prepared the dishes according to the menu, but Madison barely took a few bites before she clutched her stomach and vomited violently.

Less than ten minutes later, Vincent rushed back home. He shoved me aside roughly, scooped Madison into his arms, and ran out.

Outside the treatment room, the doctor said Madison was allergic to seafood and was receiving emergency care. However, the menu she gave me clearly included several seafood dishes.

Vincent whipped around to face me.

"Didn't I tell you she can't eat seafood? If anything happens to my child, I'll never forgive you!"

With a wave of his hand, he summoned the butler, Jason Smith. "Throw this woman in the garden and don't let her out without my permission!"

I instinctively covered my stomach. I had a severe pollen allergy.

When Vincent first pursued me, he sent a truckload of roses, and I collapsed and went unconscious on the spot.

Back then, he pounded the wall in regret until his knuckles bled. From that day forward, no flowers ever touched any room in the house except the garden.

However, now...

At that moment, I suddenly lost the energy to explain. I only said softly, "Vincent, I'm pregnant. If you do this, the baby will die."

Vincent smiled, full of mockery. "Eloise, we all know about your condition. If you keep joking about being pregnant, you can forget about getting out for the rest of your life."

After he spoke, the bodyguards moved toward me, but I raised my hand to stop them. I followed them of my own accord.

Vincent's body stiffened when he saw the look in my eyes as I left. He instinctively took a step forward, but just then, the doctor pushed open the door.

He immediately turned around. His furrowed brow only relaxed when he heard that Madison's baby was fine.

He comforted Madison inside the hospital room. At the same time, I collapsed on the garden lawn, my body convulsing as cold sweat poured from me.

A piercing pain shot through my stomach. My vision grew increasingly blurred.

The roses bloomed brilliantly. Those flowers that once symbolized love were now witnessing love's death.

I did not know how much time passed before the gate slowly opened. The man I had loved for so many years rushed toward me urgently.

When I woke up again, I was alone in a hospital bed. Vincent was taking care of Madison.

Jason's tone was mocking as he told me this, but my heart felt nothing. I only told him coldly to leave, then looked at the message Dad had sent.

[Are you sure you don't want the helicopter to pick you up? I can't wait to see you, sweetheart.]

He had sent many photos, most of them showing off the gifts he had prepared for our reunion. A sprawling estate stretched as far as the eye could see, with rows upon rows of bodyguards and maids.

This was the power of Valoria's largest conglomerate.

After Mom died, I found a gold ring among her belongings with Dad's name engraved on it.

She had grown tired of his wealthy family and fled with me in tow. Back then, I did not understand why she did it.

However, my marriage into high society made me understand completely. The complicated family dynamics and the temptation of power turned every emotion into a joke.

It was because of all this that Dad's other children had died one by one in the family’s power struggles. Now I was his only child, and the sole heiress to the conglomerate.

That was how he found me.

I looked at these exquisite images, my face expressionless.

Just then, Vincent pushed open the door. I instinctively closed my phone.

Vincent frowned. "What are you looking at? You’re being so secretive."

I turned my head away and ignored him. He paused, then walked to the bedside and stroked my hair.

"Be good next time, and you won't have to go through all this."

I smiled bitterly and said softly, "I understand."

There would be no next time. In two days, I would take our child and fly to another country.

I tried to use coldness to drive Vincent away, but not only did he not leave, he even sat beside me and brought a spoonful of soup to my lips.

Before it reached my mouth, the bowl crashed onto the bed. The scalding liquid instantly covered my skin with blisters.

At the doorway, Madison had collapsed to the floor. She looked at him, her whole body shaking with sobs.

Vincent immediately went to comfort her, then blocked the doctor rushing toward me.

"Check on her first!"

I watched his retreating back and thought back to our vows, those tender and beautiful words.

When we were in a car accident on vacation, he had dragged me out from beneath the wreckage despite his broken bones, risking his own life.

Then, at the rural hospital with limited medical equipment, he gave me the most advanced instruments they had.

Back then, he had said, "You're more important than my life. If you die, I won't go on without you."

I had told Mom about all these things. She had initially opposed my marrying into a wealthy family but finally relented.

However, Vincent had pushed me toward Hell again and again with his own hands. Because of this disastrous marriage, Mom died before she even turned fifty.

All of this stemmed from the one thing I could not give him during the Hartwell family power struggle: a child, a legitimate heir.

Due to his earlier promises, he had not cheated at first. He tried every method with me to conceive.

However, as his brothers' children were born one by one, Vincent gave up on me.

The first time I caught him in bed with another woman, I smashed everything breakable in that hotel room.

At first, Vincent would still try to soothe me. However, eventually, all that remained was one cold sentence.

"If you weren't useless, would I need to sleep with other women?"

He waved his hand dismissively, his tone like that of a stranger's. "Get out. Remember to close the door."

During that time, every time I looked at a pregnancy test with only one line, I would break down crying.

This marriage, once the envy of high society, was now shattered beyond recognition.

Now, I had finally conceived a child, and I had finally woken up. Between us now lay years of his coldness, his cruelty, and Mom's death.

I closed my eyes, feeling the sting of the scalding burn and the flutter of a tiny life in my belly. I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up again, my arm was wrapped in bandages.

This time, Vincent sat beside me.

Our eyes met.

After a long silence, Vincent asked, "Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head. "It won't hurt anymore."

He seemed to catch the hidden meaning in my words. His brow furrowed, then he stroked my arm gently.

"Don't worry. I'll get the best doctor for you. You won't have any scars."

After saying this, he got up and locked the door, then brought another spoonful of soup to his lips and blew on it.

I swung my hand out. The hot soup splashed onto the back of his hand, and his skin immediately turned red.

Vincent froze for a moment. The next second, he violently pinned my wrist to the headboard and brought his face close to mine. I could feel his breath on me.

"Honey, stop this." His voice was husky and seductive.

Vincent bit down hard on my lip, his tongue invading my mouth skillfully.

I struggled violently, but the more I resisted, the tighter he pressed me down. His kiss grew more aggressive and demanding, as if he wanted to devour me whole.

I did not know how long it lasted before he finally released me. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth where I had bitten him.

"Eloise, you know I don't like being refused. Don't let it happen again."

I gasped for air, feeling nothing but revulsion.

Just then, his phone rang. This time, Vincent moved to silence it.

I pressed my hand over his and said softly, "Go ahead. I won't make a scene anymore."

Vincent paused, then picked up his phone and left. Halfway to the door, he turned back and tucked the blanket around me.

"I'll have someone bring your mother over to keep you company later."

After saying this, he finally left. The room fell silent once more.

I had never felt so exhausted before.

My mother? Vincent, I no longer had a mother.

However, I still had a father.

Looking at my flight's departure time, the weight on my chest finally began to lift.

That evening, Vincent sent me a message.

[Madison's pregnancy is unstable. I need to stay with her tonight. Rest well with your mom. I'll come see you tomorrow.]

He had not sent me such a long message in ages. Our previous messages were nothing but my personal monologue.

[When are you coming home?]

[Are you still coming back today?]

[When exactly will you come back?]

The woman who once smiled so easily had become someone bitter and half-crazed.

I thought that Vincent and I had drifted apart not only because Madison was pregnant. Perhaps it was also because I had changed.

All of this would end soon. I would no longer cling to him and refuse to let go.

As long as I got through tonight and tomorrow, none of this would concern me anymore. However, Madison had no intention of letting me have my way. In the middle of the night, she kicked open my door.

"I can't believe you're pregnant, you bitch! If this hospital wasn't full of my people, Mr. Hartwell would've found out."

The room was dark, but it could not hide the viciousness on her face.

I immediately pressed the call button and grabbed the fruit knife from the bedside table, but Madison was faster. She snatched it away and pointed the blade at my stomach.

Just as she was about to plunge it in, Vincent's footsteps echoed from down the hall.

Madison's expression changed. I immediately bolted toward the door, but she tripped me.

When I turned my head, I saw Madison flash me a triumphant smile. Then, she drove the knife deep into her own abdomen.

The moment the lights came on, blood had stained her white dress crimson.

Vincent reached the doorway and froze instantly. Then, he rushed toward her.

He pressed his hands desperately against the wound, his voice shaking badly.

"Doctor! Get a doctor now!"

The scene descended into chaos. I was stunned too. I had not expected Madison to be so ruthless with herself.

Madison's voice was choked with tears, looking pitiful and fragile. "I only came to check on Mrs. Hartwell because I heard she was ill. Why would she do this to me?

"Mr. Hartwell, I'm sorry. I failed to protect our child. I'm so sorry."

After Madison was carried away, Vincent grabbed me by the collar and lifted me before I could even speak.

His eyes were bloodshot. I rarely saw him this emotional.

The last time he looked like this was when I had been kidnapped by a rival family. When he saw the wounds on my body, he nearly beat the kidnappers to death with his bare hands.

"Eloise!" He roared my name.

His grip was so strong that my feet lifted off the ground. I could barely breathe.

Just as I was about to pass out, he released me abruptly. I fell hard to the floor.

Immediately, a tearing pain shot through my abdomen. Blood flowed slowly from between my legs, mixing with Madison's blood on the floor.

I grabbed at Vincent's pant leg and begged with every ounce of strength I had left, "Call a doctor. I really am pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Vincent laughed coldly and looked down at me from above. "Eloise, I think you've gone insane from how badly you want a child."

He yanked my hand away and gripped my chin roughly. "You think this is how it ends?

"Eloise, if this child dies, I'll keep sleeping with her or other women until an heir is finally born."

He did not punish me that day. He only left me with those words, which hurt a hundred times more than being locked in the garden.

All the doctors were pulled away to care for Madison. Only after news came that Madison's baby was safe did anyone come to help me up.

I clutched the nurse's sleeve and pointed at my stomach. My voice was barely audible.

"Is the baby still alive?"