The restaurant on the south side of the city was very far from the hospital. It would take a one-hour drive to be there.

By the time Vivian returned to the ward, Archie and Cassie were just preparing to leave.

Archie had changed into a well-tailored casual outfit, while Cassie wore a beautiful dress, her face unable to conceal her excitement.

"Archie is taking me to the observatory in the suburbs! I heard there's a meteor shower tonight!" Cassie happily told Vivian.

Vivian remembered she had once mentioned to Archie that she wanted to watch a meteor shower with him.

But what had he said to her then?

He had called it a stupid idea.

Now, he was going to fulfill that very wish with another woman.

"Miss Fuller hasn't fully recovered from her gastroenteritis. It is not good for her if she gets in a draught," Vivian reminded him out of professional habit as a nurse.

The smile on Cassie's face stiffened.

Archie's expression instantly turned cold. He walked up to Vivian, exuding an intimidating presence with his tall frame. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"

"I was just..." Vivian tried to explain.

"Stay out of her business." Archie cut Vivian off coldly, with an evident note of warning in his tone.

He took Cassie's hand and said softly, "Don't listen to her. There are blankets in the car. You won't catch a cold."

With that, he put his arm around Cassie and walked straight past her, not sparing her another glance.

When they had walked far away, Vivian could still hear Cassie's coquettish voice. "Archie, can't you be a little nicer to Vivian from now on?"

Archie instantly softened and readily said, "Okay."

Standing alone in the empty hospital room, Vivian felt that she really was pathetic.

After she returned home, she shut herself in the room, keeping telling herself that it was time to let go.

Late at night, Archie came home.

He carried the chill from the suburb and a faint trace of women's perfume—the one that Cassie always wore.

Without a word, he walked into the bathroom. When he came out, he tossed a first-aid kit in front of Vivian.

"Cassie sprained her ankle," he said coldly, "Go over there now and take care of it. You're responsible for looking after her until she is fully recovered."

Vivian looked at him, feeling it utterly absurd. "I am a nurse, not an on-call private nanny available 24/7."

Archie narrowed his eyes and approached her step by step. "Say that again?"

"I mean..." Vivian tried to say something.

But Archie stopped her violently.

He threw her onto the bed, pressing down his tall, strong body over her, his hands clamped tightly around her wrists. "Know your place, Vivian. I can make you my wife, but I can also take everything away from you."

His gaze was venomous and fierce, sending a chill down Vivian's spine.

"You tampered with the steps of the observatory to make Cassie fall, didn't you?" He leaned down, enunciating each word.

Vivian's eyes widened in shock.

She hadn't been to the observatory the whole day!

"It wasn't me!" she protested vehemently. "I was home all night!"

"Is that so?" Archie let out a cold laugh, the mockery in his eyes stronger. "Do you think I can't tell that you're jealous of Cassie?"

He gave her no chance to explain and just roughly tore her clothes open. "Since you like playing dirty, I'll show you what a real dirty trick is."

The cold touch and humiliating pain washed over her in an instant.

She didn't know what he took her for.

A vicious woman who would resort to any means out of jealousy to hurt others? Or merely a tool for him to vent his anger on at will?

Tears streamed down her face, soaking into the pillow.

She closed her eyes desperately.

It turned out that, in this marriage, in the name of repaying a favor, there was always no trust.

All he ever gave her was hurt and humiliation.

The next morning, Vivian was awakened by the sound of the doorbell.

Exhausted, she opened the door and saw Cassie standing there with a crutch.

"Good morning, Vivian!" Cassie beamed brightly, holding a box with a cake in it in her hand. "Archie told me yesterday that today is your birthday. So I made a cake for you!"

Vivian was taken aback.

Vivian had almost forgotten about her own birthday if Cassie hadn't reminded Vivian.

But Vivian wondered why Archie would actually remember her birthday.

No, he didn't. He just casually mentioned it to Cassie, and Cassie happened to remember it.

Vivian found that hilarious.

"Thank you." Vivian took the cake, feeling a mix of emotions.

"Make a wish!" Cassie limped into the living room, urging excitedly.

Vivian looked at the flickering candlelight on the cake, unsure what wish to make.

She considered wishing for him to love her for a fleeting moment, but then found the idea utterly ridiculous.

Then she thought about wishing she could leave him.

Suddenly, she felt like that was the wish she should make.

She closed her eyes and silently blew out the candles.

"What did you wish for, Vivian?" Cassie asked curiously.

"Nothing." Vivian cut a piece of cake for Cassie, but found that Vivian had no appetite.

Cassie took a bite and enjoyed the cake happily with her eyes closed, "Tasty! I added lots of nuts, and it tastes very good!"

But suddenly, before Vivian could say anything, Cassie's expression changed.

Cassie clutched her throat, her breathing growing rapid, as patches of red rash spread swiftly across her face.

"I can't breathe..." Cassie's voice was filled with panic.

Vivian's expression changed. She immediately realized it was a severe allergic reaction.

"Don't move, I'll get the medicine!" She rushed into the room, retrieved adrenaline and anti-allergy medication from the first aid kit. When she was about to administer the medication to Cassie by injection, the door of the mansion was kicked open.

Archie stormed in with fury.

When he saw Cassie struggling to breathe on the sofa and Vivian holding a syringe, his eyes turned red instantly.

"Vivian!" He roared like an enraged beast, lunging forward to snatch the syringe from Vivian's hand and smashing it to the floor, then pushing Vivian away forcefully.

Vivian stumbled back, her lower back slamming hard into the sharp corner of the coffee table. Struck by a wave of overwhelming pain, she could barely stand.

"Archie..." Cassie reached out to Archie weakly.

Archie immediately held Cassie in his arms, anxiously checking her over. He said, his voice filled with unprecedented panic, "Don't be afraid, Cassie. I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

He scooped Cassie up in his arms and hurried out.

As he passed Vivian, he stopped and looked back at her, his eyes filled with overwhelming hatred. "Do you really hate her that much? If anything happens to her, I'll make you pay with your life."

His harsh words were like a dagger to her heart, leaving it bleeding profusely.

He had convicted her without even asking for an explanation.

Watching their retreating figures, Vivian, clutching her aching back, slowly crouched down.

She looked at the cake on the floor. The very thing that was supposed to celebrate her rebirth now became the evidence of her guilt.

She felt it was really ironic.

Archie returned in the early evening.

Cassie was out of danger after the emergency treatment but still needed to remain at the hospital for observation.

Archie looked more menacing and intimidating than ever. He walked up to Vivian without a word and threw a document in her face.

The edge of the paper sliced across her cheek, leaving a faint line of blood.

It was a share transfer agreement.

Archie was transferring the small company left by Vivian's father, which was also her only comforting reminder of her family, into Cassie's name.

"You owe her this." Archie's voice was devoid of any warmth.

Archie, with his vast wealth and strong power, had no need for such a small company.

Cassie, who was a teacher in a kindergarten, had no need for company shares either.

But Archie knew this was the most important thing to Vivian.

He simply wanted to take away something she cherished the most and then destroy it.

"I didn't do anything to her! She made the cake herself. She didn't even know she was allergic to nuts, so how could I?" Vivian defended herself, her eyes red and her voice trembling.

"Yes, she didn't know it. But you should have known it because you're a nurse," Archie sneered coldly, with unmistakable disdain in his eyes. "Stop playing the victim. It only makes me feel sick."

"That company is the only thing my father left for me!" Vivian nearly screamed.

"So what?" Archie stepped forward, gripping her chin to make her look up, "Even if she wanted your life, you would have to give it to her."

Vivian finally broke down, tears streaming down her face. "I saved your life with my blood, not for you to humiliate me like this!"

"Saved me?" Archie looked as if he was amused by Vivian's words, tightening his grip on her chin. "Do you honestly believe I married you because of your blood?

"Cassie is pure-hearted. Being too close to me would expose her to the blood and brutality I deal with—it would tarnish her world. She couldn't be my wife, but you're used to blood and flesh in the operating room, which made you just the right fit."

It turned out that she wasn't even qualified to make him repay her the favor—she was just a pitiful substitute.

Archie watched her face turn ashen; a flicker of pleasure passed through his eyes. "You want your company back? There is a way."

He released her, looking down at her. "Go to the hospital and beg Cassie for her forgiveness on your knees. I'll give the company back to you when she agrees."

With that, he turned and walked up the stairs without giving her another glance.

Vivian collapsed onto the floor, feeling utterly powerless.

She was numb with heartache.

She had lost, completely and utterly.

Her love, her dignity, and everything about her meant nothing to Archie.

That night, Vivian had a high fever.

The bruise on her lower back had become infected. Her body burned, and she was semiconscious.

She struggled to reach for the medicine but didn't even have the strength to get out of bed.

In her daze, she thought she heard the door open.

It was Archie.

He walked to the bed, looked at her flushed face, and frowned slightly.

He reached out and touched her forehead briefly; it was the first time he had willingly touched her in three years.

For a moment, Vivian thought there might still be a trace of humanity in him.

However, he took out his phone and dialed his assistant, his voice as cold as ever. "Get a doctor here to make her live. I still want to see her begging Cassie for forgiveness on her knees tomorrow."