My scalp burned as though it were being torn off, but I still managed to laugh. "Luca, you’ve really made a noble sacrifice for Lilian Yates."

He threw me to the floor. Looking down at my pathetic state, he sneered, "You should be thanking Lilian, then. If she hadn’t accidentally leaked that photo of you as a joke, would you even have the chance to marry me?"

"No need." I rose slowly, brushing myself off and looked at him with composure. "I’m not marrying you. Marry your beloved Lilian."

He said word by word, "Can you say it again?"

His cold words sliced through the air. "Say that again."

I did not bother to repeat myself. I turned to go back to the bedroom, but he grabbed my arm with such force it nearly dislocated.

I stumbled, completely off balance and crashed into the coffee table, landing hard on my lower back.

Seeing me in so much pain that I could not get up, Luca scoffed impatiently, "Stop pretending, Zara Yvonne."

Pain shot through my abdomen like a blade and a sudden warmth trickled down my thighs, pooling on the floor beneath me.

Just before everything went black, I heard him calling my name in a panic.

But I no longer wanted to listen.

When I woke up in the hospital, I was not shocked, just relieved.

The door creaked open. Luca entered, his expression unreadable. After a pause, he asked, "Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?"

I let out a cold chuckle. "How would I know if the child was even yours?"

His face twisted in anger. "You’re already four months along. Whose else could it be?"

"Right. A strong child, really. At three months, you drugged me and handed me over to Grant for an entire night and it still survived." I turned my head slowly and stared at him, my voice laced with venom. "How is it today? Still holding on?"

The color drained from his face. He went quiet for a long time, then muttered, "I’ll have another child."

I did not respond. He seemed embarrassed, fumbling for an excuse. "If you had told me earlier… this wouldn’t have happened."

"That night at the award ceremony… I wanted to tell you after the event. Did you even give me the chance?"

"At least I wouldn’t have…"

"What? Wouldn’t have sent me to Grant’s bed?" I cut him off with a cold laugh. "No. You’d have forced me to get an abortion, claimed I wasn’t worthy to bear your child, then kept sending me to sleep with investors… all so you could boost Lilian’s career."

My words struck deep. His face twisted with fury and shame. He snapped, "Is that really how you see me? Zara, don’t forget, if it weren’t for me, you’d still be a nameless orphan, working odd jobs to survive. Becoming a top actress would’ve been nothing but a dream!"

"I’ve given the title back to you. The child, too. And even my body."

I endured the pain and asked with steady calm, "Tell me, Luca York, what exactly do I still owe you? I’ll repay every last bit."

He opened his mouth to respond, but his phone rang. The moment he glanced at the caller ID, his expression shifted. I did not need to look to know who it was. Who else but Lilian?

"Lilian, I’m at the hospital."

"It’s nothing serious. Zara had a miscarriage."

"You don’t need to come. If the reporters catch wind of it, it’ll damage your image to be linked with someone like her."

In the end, Lilian had won. I watched as Luca’s tone softened into a familiar smile. "All right, all right. I’ll listen to you. You’re always overthinking, silly girl."

When the call ended, he turned to me as he spoke with a cold voice, "Lilian will be here soon. Watch your mouth. Say the right things, keep the rest to yourself."

I nodded with mock obedience. "Don’t worry. Even if she hurts me just like you did, I’ll forgive her."

"After all, you’re protecting her. And I know better than to fight a losing battle."

Half an hour later, Lilian walked into the ward, her face hidden behind a tight-fitting mask. She did not even bother to take it off before she started. "Miss Yvonne, are you all right?"

I looked at her calmly and replied, "Do you think a person is ever all right after a miscarriage?"

“Zara!”

“No need to shout. I’m not deaf.”

I turned to Lilian with a smile. “Miss Yates, you’re here to gloat, aren’t you? How pitiful I must look to you. I, a woman mired in scandal, freshly out of the hospital after a miscarriage. The father of her child in love with someone else, the man she loved serving her up to others just to please that very woman.”

I saw my own hollow reflection in her sharp, venomous gaze.

“In your mind, what should I be like? Collapsing into sobs, begging Luca not to abandon me? Mourning the child I lost? Watching you win, consumed by jealousy, then lashing out like a lunatic? And you, standing behind him, protected and perfect, watching a pathetic clown like me flailing in vain?”

“Did I get it right?”

Lilian’s face twisted in fury and she forced the words through clenched teeth. “Miss Yvonne, why do you always think everything revolves around me?”

She was standing close, her back to Luca. So when she suddenly screamed and fell, he rushed over in a rage and struck me without hesitation.

The blow hit hard. My vision went blurry with stars, my cheek swelled almost instantly and blood welled at the corner of my lips.

Luca quickly helped Lilian up before staring at me with an icy gaze. It was as if he had forgotten he was the one who just hit me.

Lilian whispered with feigned concern, “Don’t be angry. Miss Yvonne is just too heartbroken. She didn’t mean it.”

He finally turned to me and mercilessly said, “You shouldn’t have pushed her. You brought this on yourself.”

The doctor was clearly warned in advance because he said nothing about my injuries. He simply handed over some medicine and left.

There were bodyguards stationed outside the ward. Luca had imprisoned me here.

I lay in silence, thinking how absurd all this was. I had devoted them to a man who turned out to be nothing more than a heartless liar.

What made it even more absurd was the news Zoe brought me soon after.

Lilian and Luca had officially gone public and they had paid marketing accounts to rewrite the story, painting me as the mistress.

The story was carefully crafted and supported by pictures and captions. Even more damning, just yesterday, someone had exposed me for allegedly sleeping my way to the top. With so much fuel added to the fire, the netizens had no choice but to believe it, even if they did not want to.

Zoe was so furious she practically jumped up and down. “How could Mr. York be so heartless!”

On the other hand, the moment I realized it was Luca’s doing, I did not even flinch.

“Zoe, did you bring my phone?”

“I did, but please don’t go online,”

“Don’t worry.”

I dialed Luca’s number and surprisingly, he picked up on the first ring.

“Zara, you…”

“Let’s get married.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end. After several seconds, he finally spoke in disbelief, “What did you just say?”

Zoe looked like she had seen a ghost, but I remained calm. “Didn’t you say you wanted to marry me? Fine. I agree. Let’s go get our marriage certificate tomorrow.”

“You’re insane, Zara. You…”

“You only get one chance. If you don’t want it, forget it.”

There was a long pause before Luca finally responded, “Fine. Let’s get married.”

Zoe looked absolutely horrified. “You’ve lost your mind. Even if you want revenge, this isn’t the way. You can’t throw yourself into the fire like this!”

“Getting married is easy,” she added, “but getting divorced is a nightmare!”

I shook my head. “That’s not going to happen. Lilian will never let me marry Luca so easily.”

Zoe’s anxiety grew. “She’s probably already called the reporters. I bet she’s written up a hundred press releases waiting to tear you apart tomorrow.”

“And her fans... those obsessive ones are ruthless. What exactly are you planning?!”

I stared out the window and whispered more to myself than to her. “Luca treats me like I’m a toy... but someone else once saw me as something worth protecting.”

That night, after Grant had left, another man came.

I was barely conscious, my mind a blur. I could not even remember what he looked like.

Still, I remembered the man told me that if I chose to report everything to the police, he would stand by me.

In the end, I chose to believe Luca and he would probably be very disappointed by that.

The next day, he came to pick me up. I was momentarily stunned to see him dressed so formally. He even brought a shirt for me.

I took it with a faint smile and changed while saying, "Luca, we’ve been together for ten years. That’s a long time."

He gave a sigh, almost nostalgic. "Ten years ago, I promised to marry you. Today, I’m finally keeping that promise."

"You just announced your engagement to Lilian Yates. If the media catches you registering a marriage with me, the fallout will be massive."

He sneered, "Isn’t that exactly what you’re counting on? But your plan will fail."

I chuckled, too. With Lilian in the picture, no matter how well he planned it, everything would fall apart.

And sure enough, just as we stepped out of the car in front of the City Hall, a wave of reporters surged forward. The street, which had been quiet just moments ago, was suddenly filled with flashing cameras and raised microphones.

Luca’s face darkened in frustration, but I still had the energy to mock him. "Didn’t you talk this over with Lilian? I thought she always did what you asked."

The reporters’ cameras were practically shoved into our faces. His bodyguards quickly surrounded us and started pushing us back into the car. But just as I was about to climb in, a searing pain exploded across my back and it felt like my skin was being torn open.

Someone in the crowd screamed, "It’s sulfuric acid!"

The crowd scattered in chaos. I collapsed into the seat, completely unable to move.

Luca shouted in panic, "Drive! Get to the hospital now! And go find out who did this!"

My body was limp with weakness. Luca held me in his arms, terrified to even touch my back.

His hands and voice were trembling. "Zara, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay."

I closed my eyes, exhausted. If I had the chance to go back ten years, I would never have fallen in love with Luca.