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?"

The nurse nodded, but I could not smile.

I only stared at the clock on the wall, wishing time would move faster.

Just then, Jason told me that Vincent wanted me to personally care for Madison in her hospital room.

When I entered, he did not even look up. "You've always wanted to frame her, haven't you? This time, I'm giving you the chance."

He handed me a fruit knife. "Peel some fruit for her."

I looked at the knife handle and smiled bitterly. Then, I took it and stood there peeling an apple in one long, continuous spiral.

After the peel fell to the floor, Vincent spoke again.

"Feed it to her yourself."

I froze. Madison shrank back with an exaggerated show of fear.

Vincent stroked her head gently.

"Don't worry. I'm here. She won't dare hurt you."

Then, he turned back to look at me coldly. The warmth vanished from his face in an instant. I knew he was warning me and punishing me.

In the past, I would have fallen apart or made a scene. However, I was truly exhausted now.

I picked up a slice of apple and raised my bandaged hand with difficulty, bringing it to her lips.

My throat was painfully dry. "Eat up, Mrs. Hartwell."

Hearing this title, Vincent scoffed.

He thought I was being sarcastic again, but he did not know that I meant it this time.

Let whoever wanted to be Mrs. Hartwell take the title.

That day, Vincent made me change Madison's clothes, wipe her down, feed her meals, and pour her water.

I did everything a servant would do. Even after all of that, he still would not let me go. He made me watch as he gently stroked Madison's belly.

"Baby, when you're born, Daddy will give you the best of everything in the world."

Only when Madison grew tired did he finally let me leave.

Before I left, I handed him a document.

"It's the receipt for the medical bills. You should stay with her. I won't disturb you anymore."

Seeing my empty, lifeless eyes, Vincent thought I had finally learned my lesson. He signed it without hesitation, without even glancing at it.

He did not know it was the divorce agreement I had prepared for so long.

Back in my hospital room, I removed the ring from my finger and set it on the bedside table. Then, I took out a pen and signed my name on the divorce agreement.

As the final stroke fell, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This marriage was finally over.

As I was leaving the hospital, I overheard a conversation between the bodyguards stationed outside Madison's room.

"I can't believe Madison was so ruthless with herself. What if the baby actually died and Mr. Hartwell left her?"

The other one laughed mockingly. "I heard the baby isn't even Mr. Hartwell's. If she miscarried, she could get rid of that woman and use Mr. Hartwell's sympathy to get pregnant again with a real one. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

I listened quietly, then let out a soft laugh. My steps did not slow as I walked resolutely toward the airport.