There's an earthquake. I'm trapped underneath the debris with another young woman.

"This woman's chest has been pierced by a steel bar. We have to save her immediately."

The rescuers start to approach me when my husband, Quintus Ford, suddenly darts in the other direction. "She's pregnant! Save her first!"

I look at him to see him staring at the other young woman in panic. He doesn't know I'm pregnant, too.

The doctor who's trying to stop my bleeding shouts, "I can't stop her bleeding! I suspect she has a blood clotting disorder!"

I force myself to nod and look at Quintus desperately. However, he says, "I'm her husband. I'll bear the responsibility if anything goes wrong."

At Quintus Ford's command, the rescue workers hesitated briefly before turning away.

Since he had taken responsibility, it hardly mattered to them who they saved first.

Meanwhile, I lay amidst the rubble, my body drained of blood. My mind reeled at his words, leaving me momentarily dazed.

The nearby doctors and nurses couldn't help but mutter their discontent.

"People today are unbelievable! His wife is in far worse condition, yet he rushes to save another woman!"

"The worst part is that the woman isn't even badly hurt. She just has a few scrapes, yet she insists on competing with critically injured patients for an ambulance."

"Marriage really is a matter of fate. Her chest is punctured by steel, and her husband doesn't even seem to care."

Their words pierced through me clearly. I turned my head and saw Quintus gently cradling the woman named Vanessa Lincoln in his arms.

On his face, I saw a look of deep concern, guilt, and sorrow.

That expression was something I had never once seen in seven years of marriage.

It wasn't that he was heartless. His heart was simply too full of Vanessa, leaving no room for me.

A creeping coldness spread through my body. If this continued, I might not even be able to save my child.

Summoning every ounce of strength, I grasped the nurse's hand and pleaded, "Please save me first. I'm pregnant…"

At that moment, Quintus approached with Vanessa still in his arms. Upon hearing my plea, he looked at me with visible disdain.

"Even now, you're still trying to play the victim for attention? How pathetic. I already said Nessa is pregnant, and now you're making up a lie just to compete with her?"

He turned to the doctor sharply. "Don't worry about her. She's fine. Nessa's the one who's hurt. She needs a full medical examination."

At that moment, whatever strength I had left drained away. My grip on the nurse's hand slowly slackened.

She gasped in alarm. "No! She's fading fast!"

Quintus didn't even look at me. He sharply said, "I told you—I'm her husband. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility. She's just putting on a show. She won't die. Focus on Nessa. If anything happens to her, which one of you is going to take the blame?"

With that, the doctors who had been tending to me hesitated, then turned away, redirecting their attention to Vanessa.

Only the nurse remained, gripping my hand tightly. "Miss, hold on. We will save you."

I fought to keep my eyes open, refusing to let myself slip into unconsciousness.

However, my awareness began to fade, and I could feel the warmth of my blood draining away.

A tear slipped from the corner of my eye, and in that final, fleeting moment before darkness took me, I wondered why it hurt so much.

Despite spending seven years as his wife, when it came down to life and death, he chose someone else without a second thought.

In the haze, I heard someone calling my name.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the emergency room.

"Ms. Jackerman," the nurse said softly.

Her eyes were red, and her voice trembled as she choked back sobs. "Do you have any other family members we can contact? We need a signature for the anesthesia. We tried calling your husband multiple times, but he won't pick up."

A dull ache swelled in my chest. Quintus was probably too busy taking care of Vanessa. He didn't have time for my calls.

"I'll do it myself," I whispered, forcing out the words.

Using every ounce of strength left in me, I gripped the pen and scrawled my name.

The pain was overwhelming, threatening to pull me under. As my consciousness blurred, I overheard the nurses murmuring in the background.

"Marriage really is a gamble. That pregnant woman we brought in earlier had a husband who treated her like she was the most precious thing in the world."

"In contrast, this one is on the verge of death, yet no one is here for her."

As if afraid her words would upset me, the nurse beside me quickly said, "Enough, stop talking!"

However, I wasn't upset at all. If anything, I felt like laughing.

If these people only knew that the so-called good husband they spoke of had abandoned his wife and child to serve another woman, I wonder how they would feel.

Yet, none of that mattered anymore. Right now, all I cared about was saving my child.

The anesthetic was injected into my body, and just before I lost consciousness, I weakly glanced at the young nurse.

"The child..."

I barely whispered those two words before drifting into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, the sterile smell of disinfectant filled my nose.

The anesthesia still hadn't worn off, and I slowly raised my hand, instinctively resting it on my stomach.

"You're awake? How do you feel? Don't worry, the baby's safe," the nurse said as she entered. When she saw me awake, her eyes lit up with happiness.

As she adjusted my blanket, she couldn't help but say, "After everything your husband has done, you're still worrying about his child in a life-or-death situation. Is it really worth it?"

I bit back the pain, forcing a weak smile. "At the very least, the child is innocent, right?"

The nurse froze for a moment, then gave a small nod. Sympathy flickered in her eyes, but she said nothing more. Instead, she simply reminded me to rest before quietly leaving the room.

Exhaustion weighed heavy on me, and I was about to drift off when voices from the next room reached my ears.

"Quintus, it hurts..."

"I'm here, Nessa," he said as he soothed her.

I lowered my gaze.

"Quintus, the baby..." Vanessa whimpered.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, everything will be fine," he reassured her.

His voice held a tenderness I had never heard before. It was gentle, patient, and full of devotion.

"Shouldn't you check on Giselle? She seemed badly hurt..."

The moment my name was brought up, his tone shifted into one of pure disgust.

"Nessa, why waste your kindness on her?" he scoffed. "She's the one who made up lies to steal medical resources from you. Such a malicious woman deserves whatever happens to her."

My mind went blank, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

Compared to the wound from the steel rod, Quintus's words felt like a sharp blade, tearing me apart.

I couldn't bear to hear any more, so I forced my eyes shut.

Once my condition stabilized, I was transferred to a regular ward. I called the housekeeper, asking her to come take care of me.

The phone rang for a long time, but the other side didn't pick up.

I hung up, and not long after, the housekeeper entered with a meal box in hand.

When our eyes met, I saw the awkwardness and surprise in her gaze, like she had walked into the wrong room and didn't know whether to advance or retreat.

I tossed my phone aside and curiously asked, "Lydia, why didn't you answer the phone?"

She instinctively hid the meal box behind her and stammered, "It was Mr. Ford who asked me to come..."

A quiet laugh escaped my lips, but deep down, I wasn't surprised.

When the earthquake struck, Quintus had made sure the doctors saved Vanessa first.

Naturally, after the surgery, he could have his housekeeper take care of her first as well.

I cleared my throat and gave Lydia Jones a slight smile. "Since you're here, why don't you take me out for a walk?"

Lydia seemed reluctant but didn't dare protest. She only nodded and wheeled me out of the room.

Eventually, I stopped in front of Vanessa's room.

The girl lying in the hospital bed was young and beautiful.

Her skin was smooth and radiant, and beneath her delicately arched brows were a pair of clear, bright eyes. When she saw me, she showed no surprise.

Instead, she spoke with the composure of a lady of the house. "Lydia, who is she?"

I said nothing, only quietly gazing at her.

Lydia awkwardly scratched her head, and after a long pause, she replied, "She's Mr. Ford's wife."

At the mention of this, Vanessa immediately put on a pitiful expression and softly muttered, "Oh, so you're Giselle."

Her eyes traveled over me and continued.

"Giselle, don't blame Quintus. It's all my fault. If I hadn't been hurt and pregnant, Quintus wouldn't have left you to be with me."

Listening to Vanessa's insincere words, I couldn't help but scoff. "It seems Quintus doesn't have much taste. If he likes you so much, then take him. A man who's been tainted is better off discarded."

With that, I turned to leave.

Before I could move, someone pushed my wheelchair forcefully from behind.

With a loud thud, it slammed into the bedside table, and I fell to the ground.

Agonizing pain ripped through my body. Lydia gasped in shock and rushed to help me up.

Vanessa covered her mouth, feigning remorse. "Oh, Giselle, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I saw you were angry and didn't want you to misunderstand my relationship with Quintus. I only wanted to stop you in a moment of panic."

I felt a warm sensation between my legs and instinctively looked down. To my horror, I saw that my pants were soaked in blood.

"Ah, Giselle, you're bleeding! Somebody help!"

Vanessa screamed in panic, but in her eyes, I caught a fleeting glimpse of satisfaction.

Once again, I was rushed into the operating room.

However, luck was no longer on my side this time.

My child was gone.

When I regained consciousness, Quintus was sitting at the edge of the bed with a grim expression.

I thought he knew about the baby, but instead, the first thing he did was blame me.

"You shouldn't have gone to see Nessa," he said.

"What did you just say?"

A dull, muffled ringing filled my head, as if someone were pounding a drum inside it. A cold numbness spread through my body.

He scoffed. "Why do you look so shocked? It was just a fall. You were in surgery, but now you're fine, aren't you? If you had just stayed in your room instead of going after Nessa, none of this would have happened."

I frowned, slowly piecing together the key details.

Quintus didn't seem to know about the baby.

Vanessa and the housekeeper must have pulled some strings behind my back.

That was fine. He didn't deserve to know.

Quintus cleared his throat, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of earrings. "These are for you."

My gaze fell on them. It was the pair I had once yearned for. I had begged him to buy them for me before, but he always dismissed it, saying a married woman should be proper and not waste time on vanity.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

I knew Quintus too well. He never lowered his pride unless he had an ulterior motive, and it certainly wasn't an apology for Vanessa's sake.

"The earthquake incident has been getting a lot of attention," he began.

I raised an eyebrow. "So?"

He continued, "Reporters will be coming to the hospital the day after tomorrow. You were severely injured but survived despite having a blood clotting disorder. It's practically a miracle. I want you to give up that interview spot to Nessa and let her pretend to be my wife."