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."

After her high fever subsided, Vivian was forcibly taken to the hospital by Archie's men.

In the private room of the hospital, Cassie leaned against the headboard, still looking a bit pale.

When Cassie saw Vivian, Cassie's eyes wandered.

"Please don't be like this, Archie. I made that cake myself. It has nothing to do with Vivian..." Cassie said innocently.

But Archie didn't reply and just stood aside.

He looked at Vivian, his gaze was icy. Then only a single word escaped his thin lips. "Kneel."

Vivian's body stiffened.

She felt her knees had turned to stone and couldn't bend them.

She was clinging to the last shred of her dignity.

Seeing her unmoving, Archie's patience ran out.

He stepped forward and kicked her hard behind the knees.

Vivian immediately lost her balance and fell violently onto the cold floor.

Her knees hit the floor with a dull thud; the pain was so sharp that her eyes grew dim.

"Apologize," Archie said again.

Vivian raised her head, looking through her tearful eyes at Archie, who was extremely ruthless.

At that moment, when he forced her to kneel, she was dead inside.

"I'm sorry," she heard herself say numbly.

She wasn't apologizing to Cassie, but to herself, who had recklessly fallen in love with a devil three years ago.

Astonished, Cassie struggled to get out of bed. "Archie, let Vivian get up! I forgive her, I truly do!"

Only then did Archie walk over to Vivian and roughly pull her up from the floor.

"Get out," he said to her.

Vivian didn't look at him, nor at Cassie. She limped out of the room like a puppet.

From that day on, Vivian never returned to that mansion.

She went back to her apartment, where she had lived before marrying Archie. She removed her SIM card and severed all ties with the world.

She submitted her resignation to the hospital and had a lawyer draft a divorce agreement.

She wanted nothing from the divorce.

She just wanted to escape from Archie and this suffocating place.

A month later, Archie hadn't even noticed Vivian's absence.

That day was Archie's birthday banquet.

The banquet was held at a top luxury hotel in Afosso, and many celebrities and socialites had been invited.

Dressed as a hotel staff member, with a mask and cap, Vivian moved through the crowd. She had placed the signed divorce agreement in an inconspicuous envelope, ready to hand it to Archie's assistant when she had the chance.

The stars of the evening were undoubtedly Archie and Cassie.

Archie was dressed in a tailored black suit, as handsome as a statue of a god. Beside him, Cassie wore a white gown, looking as innocently elegant as an angel.

Together, they looked like a perfect match.

For the first time, Vivian saw a gentle smile on Archie's face.

At the host's invitation, Archie led Cassie onto the stage. He took the microphone, his affectionate gaze fixed on her. "Tonight, I want to say thank you to Cassie, the most important person in my life. She is my angel. She brought light into my world."

Under the gaze of everyone here, he opened a velvet box. Inside, there was not a ring, but a necklace composed of countless dazzling pink diamonds.

"This is for you!" He personally adorned Cassie with it.

The room erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

Cassie covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes brimming with tears.

Standing in the corner, Vivian watched the scene unfold, feeling a dull ache in her heart, leaving her breathless.

It turned out that he could be romantic; it was just that she wasn't the one he chose to be romantic with.

He wouldn't even want to talk to her, his lawful wife, on their anniversary, yet he prepared a grand display of affection for another woman.

Just then, the doors of the banquet hall were thrown open. A group of armed men stormed in, led by Archie's sworn enemy, Jonathan Buckley. "This is the end of yours, Archie Palmer!"

Chaos erupted instantly. Guests screamed and ran to flee in all directions.

The first thing Archie did was to shield Cassie firmly behind him.

Jonathan's target was clearly Archie. He aimed his gun squarely at Archie's heart.

But no one noticed that Vivian had moved.

As Jonathan pulled the trigger, Vivian, driven by her instinct, lunged forward to shield both Archie and Cassie.

A gunshot rang out.

Warm blood gushed from the wound in her chest, staining her white uniform crimson.

A searing pain shot through her, and, with her body growing limp, she collapsed.

As she fell, she saw the shocked expression on Archie's face and a mix of emotions that flickered in his eyes.

But that flicker of emotion on his face quickly disappeared because of Cassie's sobs.

Amid the chaos, a stray bullet shattered a nearby champagne tower. Shards of glass flew in all directions, and one of them grazed Cassie's arm. She let out a sharp cry.

The moment he saw the blood on Cassie's arm, his face paled. He turned and pulled her tightly into his arms, then urgently said, "Are you okay, Cassie?! Don't be scared!"

Archie's bodyguards quickly regained control of the scene.

Holding Cassie in his arms, he strode past Vivian, who lay in a pool of blood, and shouted at his assistant, "Get a car here! To the hospital! Now!"

He never looked at Vivian again the entire time.

As if she were nothing but a stranger, thin air, or a speck of dust.

Lying in the cold pool of her own blood, Vivian watched his resolute and ruthless retreating figure and suddenly laughed.

So bitterly that tears streamed down her face.

Even if she died for him, he wouldn't even spare her a single glance.

She loved him so pathetically and laughably.

Her consciousness was fading. Just before she slipped into darkness, she seemed to hear some distant shouts. "Hurry! Someone's been shot! Call an ambulance!"

"She's bleeding a lot..."

...

In the hospital, Archie waited anxiously outside the emergency room where Cassie was being treated.

The doctor soon came out. "Miss Fuller only sustained superficial wounds, but the blood loss has left her quite weak. She has Rh-negative blood, and the blood bank is currently low on supply of this type of blood. A transfusion is necessary for her to recover quickly."

"Take mine," Archie said immediately. "I have the same blood type."

"You've consumed alcohol today, Mr. Palmer, so you can't donate," the doctor said with a troubled expression. "Besides, she needs at least 400cc."

Just then, Archie's assistant rushed over with an ashen face. "Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Palmer... I mean, Vivian has been brought to this hospital, too! She was shot. And she is in emergency surgery right now!"

Archie's previously dim eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed the doctor's arm, his tone commanding, leaving no room for argument. "Then take her blood, now! Take 400cc... No, 800cc! Make sure Cassie comes to no harm!"

The doctor was stunned. "But Mr. Palmer! That patient was shot in the chest, and she is fighting for her life. Drawing that much blood from her would kill her!"

"I said, take hers!" Archie's eyes were fierce, like a beast in wrath.

Outside the emergency room, the red status light that had been glowing all night finally went out.

The doctor removed their mask and said wearily to their colleague waiting at the door. "The bullet was out. It was just one millimeter from her heart. We managed to save her life."

The doctor's colleague asked, "What about the patient? I heard they forcibly drew blood from her..."

"She is temporarily out of danger, but..." The doctor sighed, their expression grave. "The patient was four weeks pregnant. But, because of the gunshot wound and the massive hemorrhage from the forced blood draw... we couldn't save the baby. And because of the severe blood loss and the bullet's impact, her uterus was badly damaged... It will be very difficult for her to have another baby in the future."