Morgan barely slept that night.

The next day was her scheduled follow-up at the hospital.

Sebastian cleared his entire schedule and personally drove her there.

Just as they arrived, they saw a woman with severe burn scars covering her face, crying in anguish on the ground.

"I was disfigured saving you, and now, just two years later, you’ve already found someone new? How can you be so heartless?"

The man looked at her with cold indifference.

"You only have yourself to blame for being so stupid. Just looking at your hideous face every day gives me nightmares!

"I let you keep your title as my wife and didn’t throw you out onto the streets—that’s more kindness than you deserve."

Morgan’s fingers clenched as she watched the scene unfold.

How was this any different from her own situation?

Before she could stop herself, she asked, "Sebastian, is this how you think too?"

Was that why he cheated on her in secret? All because he believed keeping her as his wife was already an act of generosity?

Sebastian’s warm palm caressed the scars on her face. "Morgan, do you not trust me?"

When she remained silent, he spoke more firmly. "I love you for who you are. It has nothing to do with your looks. Whether you're beautiful or not, I love you all the same."

Morgan let out a bitter laugh. "Is that so?"

Sebastian vowed earnestly, "Of course. When we got married, I swore to love only you for the rest of my life."

The words from their wedding vows still echoed in her ears, yet the man who had sworn them was no longer the same.

Inside the hospital, an unexpected sight greeted them—Luna.

Sebastian’s expression darkened as he questioned her. "Why aren’t you at home doing your job? What are you doing here?"

Luna clutched her lower abdomen, her face twisted in pain, but there was unmistakable triumph in her eyes as she turned to Morgan.

"Mrs. Cole, I didn’t mean to skip work. It’s just… my boyfriend was too rough with me last night. You’re a woman too. You understand, don’t you?"

Morgan’s gaze remained indifferent. "Looks like your boyfriend really loves you."

Luna pouted deliberately. "He’s so mean! He left me to come to the hospital alone after doing this to me. He’s nothing compared to how Mr. Cole treats you.

"Oh! My number's about to be called. I’ll head up first."

After Luna left, Sebastian seemed visibly distracted.

He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Morgan, I just remembered that a friend of mine is hospitalized here. I’ll go visit him quickly and be right back."

Morgan nodded calmly.

But his idea of "quickly" meant disappearing without a trace.

She didn’t care, though.

After her checkup, she took a cab straight to the visa center to apply for her travel documents.

Meanwhile, Luna updated her social media.

“Feeling sick, but my boyfriend has been taking such good care of me. He even brought me gifts to cheer me up!”

In the attached photo, a diamond necklace in the shape of a crescent moon hung around her neck—identical to the one Sebastian gave Morgan just the day before.

Morgan’s chest tightened.

She closed the app and put her phone away.

Two hours later, Sebastian’s call came through.

His voice was filled with urgency. "Morgan, where are you? I’ve been looking for you everywhere."

Morgan took a deep breath. "I finished my checkup and went home."

Sebastian sighed, sounding guilty. "Morgan, I lost track of time while catching up with my friend. It won’t happen again, I promise.

"Mom wants us to come over for dinner. I’ll drive back to pick you up now."

Dinner at the Cole family estate was a mandatory tradition set by Sebastian's mother, Grace.

This was the moment Morgan dreaded the most.

In the past, it had been tolerable, but ever since her disfigurement, Grace had grown to resent her.

Even though she was scarred saving Sebastian’s life, his mother still believed a woman with a ruined face was unworthy of her outstanding son, let alone the title of the Cole family’s daughter-in-law.

When Morgan was still in a coma after the accident, his mother had repeatedly suggested that Sebastian pay her off and call off the engagement.

As the car pulled into the grand estate, Morgan had just stepped out when a young boy suddenly aimed a large water gun at her and sprayed her.

"Kill the ugly witch! Kill the hideous monster!"

Morgan raised her hand to block the water, but droplets still seeped into her clothes.

The next second, Sebastian grabbed the boy by the collar and smacked him on the backside.

"You’re mean, Uncle! Protecting the ugly monster! You're the worst!"

The boy's wails quickly drew the attention of Grace, who rushed over and shielded her grandson.

"He’s just a child! Kids only speak the truth—calling someone beautiful or ugly is just stating the obvious. Are we not even allowed to be honest anymore?"

Sebastian’s expression darkened. "Mom, Morgan was scarred because of me. If not for her, your son would’ve been dead!

"From today on, I don’t want to hear a single word against Morgan in this house. If I do, we won’t be coming back ever!"

Sebastian’s firm tone instantly brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.

In the past, Morgan would have stepped in to smooth things over, even if it meant taking the short end of the stick.

But now, she simply stood there, watching coldly.

Grace had only one son, and in the end, she had no choice but to back down.

She even made her grandson apologize to Morgan.

At the dinner table, Grace kept piling food onto Sebastian’s plate. "Sebastian, you’ve lost weight again. Eat more."

Then she shot a glare at Morgan.

"They say a good wife should look presentable in public while being capable in the kitchen. Since you clearly lack the first, the least you could do is keep your husband happy with your cooking."

Morgan swallowed her food mechanically, tasting nothing.

"We recently hired a new housemaid. She’s a great cook, and Sebastian enjoys her food."

Grace scoffed. "A housemaid is just a housemaid—she’s not Mrs. Cole. As his wife, you should be the one taking care of these things."

Morgan didn’t reply, just smiled faintly.

Maybe she wouldn’t be Mrs. Cole for much longer anyway.

Sebastian cut in, his voice firm. "Mom, enough. Can we just eat in peace?"

Grace instantly deflated. "Fine, fine. No more talking—let’s eat."

The table finally fell into silence, but Sebastian’s phone kept buzzing.

From the corner of her eye, Morgan caught a glimpse of the message from Luna.

“Mr. Cole, I have a fever. I heard women get even hotter inside when they’re burning up. Want to come test it out?”

Luna attached a private photo of herself in barely-there lingerie.

Sebastian’s face darkened as blood rushed to his head.

He slammed his phone shut, the movement so abrupt that even Grace noticed something was off.

"Sebastian, what’s wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Sebastian quickly stood up. "Mom, something urgent came up at work. I need to take care of it."

Then he turned to Morgan. "Morgan, I might be back late tonight. Go to bed without me."

Without waiting for her response, he hurried out the door.

The moment he left, Morgan lost any desire to stay and endure more of Grace’s attitude.

She stood up, ready to leave as well.

Grace slammed her hand on the table, finally unleashing all the pent-up anger from the night.

"I’m still sitting here, and you’re already leaving? Do you have no manners at all?"

Her voice turned sharp. "Mrs. Cook, Ms. Wood, lock her in the attic! Let’s see if that teaches her some discipline!"

Morgan’s expression turned cold.

"You have no right to lock me up. This is illegal detention."

Grace let out a mocking laugh. "What a joke. A mother-in-law disciplining her daughter-in-law is perfectly justified."

Before Morgan could resist, the two older housemaids grabbed her and dragged her upstairs, shoving her into the dark attic.

Her heartbeat pounded wildly.

Tremors ran through her body.

She had claustrophobia.

The suffocating fear of death wrapped around her like a vice.

The pitch-black room felt like it was hiding monsters, waiting to devour her.

She banged on the door, shouting Sebastian’s name.

In high school, her classmates once locked her in a storage room as a prank.

She had been just as terrified back then.

Sebastian was the one to kick the door open.

Light had poured into the room with him, chasing away the darkness, and for the first time, she felt safe.

From that moment on, she saw him as her salvation.

She loved him, willingly giving up everything for him, even her own life.

But now, no matter how much she screamed, Sebastian never came.

Instead, a basin of ice-cold water was dumped over her.

Mary Wood stood over her, glaring. "Mrs. Cole, you’d better quiet down. If you keep making a fuss, don’t blame us for getting rough."

Soaked to the bone, Morgan was left locked in the attic all night.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the door finally swung open.

Sebastian rushed inside, gathering her shivering body into his arms. "Morgan, I’m sorry. I came back too late…"

The embrace she once considered her salvation now only suffocated her.

She shoved him away and walked toward the door.

The moment she stepped outside, her vision blurred, and everything went black.

When Morgan opened her eyes again, the blinding white of the hospital room filled her vision.

Her fingers twitched slightly, instantly startling Sebastian awake.

Relief flooded his expression as he grasped her hand tightly. "Morgan, you’ve been unconscious for two whole days. Thank God you’re finally awake."

The memories of what happened before she passed out came rushing back.

She looked at the man in front of her—the same man who acted as if he cared for her deeply but had already betrayed her.

Morgan could see the affection in Sebastian’s eyes.

But if he still loved her, then why did he cheat?

Was it really just because of her face?

Yet when she first got disfigured, she suggested traveling abroad for full-face graft surgery.

Sebastian stopped her. "Morgan, the procedure is excruciating, and the risk of infection is too high. I can’t let you take that risk.

"Trust me, to me, you’ll always be the most beautiful."

He kissed every scar on her face with reverence, making her believe that he truly didn’t care about her appearance and loved her for who she was.

But now, the same man who once cherished her scars betrayed her, repulsed by the very face he once claimed to love.

Her voice was hoarse as she finally spoke. "Sebastian, you—"

Before she could finish, the hospital door swung open.

A nurse entered, wearing a mask. "Mr. Cole, it’s time for Mrs. Cole’s IV."

She tore open the sterile pack and inserted the needle into Morgan’s hand.

But it missed the vein entirely.

Morgan winced as the nurse pulled the bloodied needle out and tried again.

Pain shot through her hand, and within seconds, bruises spread across her skin.

Sebastian’s expression darkened as he strode forward, shoving the nurse away. "What’s your employee number? I’m filing a complaint!"

Tears welled in the nurse’s eyes as she looked up at him.

"Mr. Cole, I’m just an intern. I haven’t quite mastered the technique yet."

Sebastian froze before snapping, "So you think it’s okay to use my wife as practice? I’m reporting you right now. Come with me to the nurses’ station."

Grabbing her by the wrist, he dragged her out of the room.

But Morgan knew he wasn’t taking her to the nurses’ station because that "nurse" was none other than Luna in disguise.

Morgan quietly followed behind them.

Sebastian led Luna straight up to the rooftop.

"Who told you to come here?"

Luna unbuttoned her nurse’s uniform, revealing the lacy lingerie underneath, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mr. Cole, you’ve been stuck at the hospital with your wife these past two days. I missed you."

Sebastian’s anger visibly diminished, his tone no longer as harsh.

"You still shouldn’t have disguised yourself as a nurse and stabbed her like that."

"You’re the one who said I needed to be bolder, didn’t you? I was just practicing!"

"Practicing on my wife? Are you out of your mind?"

Luna pouted, but excitement gleamed in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong."

Her fingers trailed downward, teasing him. "Why don’t you punish me, then? Give me a shot instead?"

Sebastian lost the last shred of his restraint.

He grabbed Luna and pushed her against the wall.

Her whimpers echoed across the rooftop, growing louder with each passing second.

Morgan couldn’t watch anymore.

Her body felt numb as she turned and walked away.

Back in her hospital room, the real nurse arrived to administer her IV.

Morgan stared at the clear liquid dripping slowly into the tube, feeling as though her heart was being torn apart, piece by piece.

She had no idea how much time had passed when her phone rang.

It was Sally.

"Morgan, your reconstructive surgery has been scheduled. It’s set for ten days from now. You’ll need to arrive early for the pre-op tests."

Morgan was about to tell her that her visa would be ready in seven days.

But before she could respond, Sebastian’s voice cut through the silence.

"Who’s getting reconstructive surgery?"