Allison's firm words caught Nolan off guard and sent a sudden shock through him.

But soon after, a thought followed. Allison had loved him for eight years. She had spoken harshly to him before, yet she never truly walked away from him. She wouldn't be able to do something like that.

Besides, the divorce itself meant little. To him, it was nothing more than a formality. Their relationship would remain the same.

"Be reasonable," Nolan said in a softer tone. "I'm exhausted today. Just try to be a little bit more understanding."

His hand moved to her hair, lightly ruffling it. "Sign the agreement and get some sleep. I won't be coming back tonight."

The anger that had been burning inside Allison suddenly disappeared.

She brushed his hand away without hesitation, then picked up the pen Nolan had prepared for her. Silently, she signed the divorce papers.

Nolan preferred this version of her. When she stopped crying and arguing, everything felt easier. Relief escaped him in a long breath, though a faint sense of unease appeared in his chest.

He disliked that feeling. To brush it aside, he handed Allison a bank card. "Take this. The password is your birthday."

"A reward for me?" Allison replied with a cold laugh. She took the card and threw it straight into the trash. "Since there's no money on it, don't bother using it to insult me."

Nolan grabbed her wrist, his expression turning stern. "What are you talking about?"

Allison pulled her hand away with force. Pain shot through her wrist, but she ignored it.

"Go ask your mother," she said. "Whenever a card passes through her hands, the balance somehow turns to zero. Isn't that impressive?"

After saying that, she turned and walked toward the guest room without hesitation.

Her body had only just gone through surgery. It could not take any more strain. What she needed now was rest.

Nolan watched her as she walked away. After a moment of silence, he gestured toward the butler. "Check the balance on this card."

Allison thought she would not be able to fall asleep tonight. But after Nolan left, exhaustion took over, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Maybe people only suffered when they feared losing something. Once that thing was already gone, there was only peace left.

Even so, Allison still felt as if something had been torn away from her heart, leaving behind a dull ache that she could not ignore.

At half past five the following morning, a knock sounded on the door.

"Allison, get up and prepare coffee for the President."

This was always the first task assigned to Nolan's secretary each day.

The voice called out three times, yet no reply came from inside the room. Impatient, the female supervisor of the presidential residence pushed the door open and walked in. She then strode to the bed and yanked the blanket away.

The early summer morning still carried a chill, and the thermostat in this guest room had been broken for a long time.

The moment the blanket was removed, Allison shuddered and sat up.

Fever burned through her body. Weakness pressed down on her, and she wanted nothing more than to lie back down to rest again.

She reached toward the thin blanket that had fallen to the floor. But before she could grab it, a wooden baton struck the back of her hand.

The residence supervisor always carried that baton to discipline the staff under her authority.

Yet during the two years Allison had lived here with Nolan, the baton had only ever been used on her.

Because the supervisor was someone planted here by Hollie, even though she knew Allison's identity, she constantly targeted her.

Over the years, Allison's hands had swollen more times than she could count. And Nolan had always ignored it. For his sake, she had endured it again and again.

"What are you staring at?" the supervisor snapped as she lifted the baton once more. "Working here is a privilege, yet you still dare to be lazy!"

Before the baton could fall again, Allison caught the woman's wrist. In one swift motion, she snatched the baton and swung it hard across the supervisor's back.

"Ah!" the supervisor screamed and stumbled toward the door, trying to leave the room.

Allison caught her by the hair, yanked her back, and brought the baton down again.

Before, this woman had taken pleasure in hitting her. Now, she would make her feel that same pain.

Allison meant to return every strike she had endured, yet the baton snapped in two under the force.

Only then did she let go of the supervisor. "Get out!"

The supervisor stumbled toward the door and rushed out. Several servants standing outside had watched the entire scene, and humiliation burned through her.

She kept cursing Allison in her mind. She reminded herself that when Hollie arrived, she would make Allison pay for everything.

After that outburst, Allison's fever seemed to become worse. She drank a full glass of water, wrapped the blanket around herself, and lay down again.

The next time she opened her eyes, several maids were dragging her toward the living room.

They brought her before Nolan. He sat on the sofa with a cold expression.

Hollie sat beside him, quietly crying. "When we were in school, Allison never liked me. I always tolerated it. I never expected her to beat Phyllis just because I was the one who let Phyllis have a job here. She even broke the baton while hitting her. Phyllis must be hurting so much."

Phyllis Gilbert, the supervisor, stood nearby with tears running down her face. "Mr. President, Ms. Pearson, this is all my fault," she said. "I failed to manage the staff here properly."

Seeing Hollie and Phyllis both crying made Nolan pull Hollie closer. "Don't cry," he said gently. "It's not good for the baby."

At the mention of the baby, Hollie's crying grew louder.

"I can't even protect Phyllis," she said through her tears. "How could I protect my baby? Maybe I should just end it all!"

She suddenly stood and reached toward the fruit knife lying on the table.

Alarm crossed Nolan's face at once. He immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms. "Don't do anything rash. Calm down."

"Nolan, let go of me," Hollie said while holding him tightly around the waist. "Allison is watching. She'll get upset and cause trouble again."

While clinging to him, she lifted her tearful eyes toward Allison. A trace of triumph flashed within them.

A strained laugh escaped Allison. The sound carried no joy, and tears gathered in her eyes.

She was Nolan's lawful wife, still sick, and she had not even moved out of the presidential residence.

Yet her shameless husband had already brought his mistress straight into the house.

Hollie and Nolan looked composed and perfectly dressed. While she, on the other hand, stood on the marble floor wearing nothing but a thin nightgown.

When the maid had dragged her out of bed earlier, she had not even allowed her to put on her shoes.

Her body burned with fever. Her bare feet felt the cold of the floor. Heat and chill fought through her body at the same time.

While Allison endured that misery, Hollie clung to Nolan and continued to act innocent right in front of her. The scene was ridiculous.

"What exactly are you laughing at?" Nolan finally spoke. His gaze moved across Allison's flushed face, down to her bare feet, and then to the outline of her body beneath the thin fabric.

Sunlight passed through the tall windows and fell on her. Under that light, she looked like a fairy.

Nolan's throat tightened. He pushed Hollie aside and stood up, planning to place his suit jacket around Allison's shoulders.

"Ah!"

Hollie refused to let him leave her side. She pretended to lose her balance and collapsed onto the sofa.

"My foot..." she murmured. "I twisted it. It hurts..." Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked up at Nolan.

Her expression seemed fragile; she looked as if she could wither if he left her side.

Concern appeared on Nolan's face. He returned to her side and sat down. "Let me see it. Is it serious?"

Hollie did not hesitate. She lifted her foot and placed it on his lap. Phyllis hurried over with a tube of ointment and handed it to Nolan. "I am afraid to hurt Ms. Pearson. You can do it."

Nolan accepted it. He squeezed some ointment onto his palm and began rubbing Hollie's ankle.

Allison remained where she was. Her bare feet pressed against the cold floor. The air around her felt suffocating.

During Nolan's presidential campaign speech back then, an attack had nearly taken his life. At that moment, she had stepped in front of him without hesitation and used her own body to block the bullet.

The scar left by that graze still marked her arm.

But the man she had once risked her life for now felt like a stranger to her.

"Nolan, there's no need for you to do this," Hollie said, pretending to refuse. "I'll handle it myself. Look at Allison. She's about to cry."

She only behaved this boldly because Nolan indulged her.

Earlier that morning, Nolan had already submitted the divorce papers to Congress.

In only a few weeks, Allison would become a discarded ex-wife, and her every connection with the Reid family would disappear.

Hollie's words barely reached Allison. The fever burning through her body continued to rise, and her vision began to grow hazy.

Right now, she needed to return to the hospital.

"Who said you could leave?" Nolan's voice turned firm when Allison moved to go. "Apologize to Phyllis first."

Phyllis had been placed in charge by him. After Allison beat her like that, how could she continue working in the presidential residence without facing ridicule?

All he required was an apology from Allison. He intended to settle the matter with that.

"Are you sure?" Allison asked. Her breathing came out in hot bursts, yet her tone remained cold.

"Can you stop being unreasonable?" Nolan said with a sigh.

In his mind, he had already shown her enough leniency. But she wouldn't even pretend to comply?

"Alright." Allison forced herself forward despite the weakness in her body and stopped in front of Phyllis.

Phyllis looked at her with a satisfied expression, expecting her to lower her head and beg. Instead, Allison spoke calmly. "You claim that I hit you. Do you have proof for that?"

Phyllis stiffened at once. "You hit me inside the guest room. I don't know how I should prove that."

Allison gave a cold smile. "Then I will make sure to let everyone see it right now."

Before Phyllis even realized what she meant, Allison's hand struck her face twice with full force.

Both sides of Phyllis' face swelled instantly. Clear marks appeared on her cheeks.

"Take a good look," Allison said calmly. "That's the strength I usually use when I hit someone."

For two years, Phyllis had tormented her. The two slaps finally felt like getting even.

Since Phyllis insisted on pushing the matter further, Allison believed she didn't have to hold back.

"Phyllis!" Hollie hurried over and shielded the stunned Phyllis, while Nolan strode forward with anger on his face. "What are you doing, Allison?"

"Allison, how could you hit her in front of everyone like this?" Hollie turned to Allison.

Her words had barely left her mouth when Allison's hand struck her face. The slap echoed through the room.

"So you wanted attention, too?" Allison said coldly. "Then take a few slaps as well." She lifted her hand again, but Nolan grabbed her wrist before it could fall.

He stepped in front of Hollie at once, shielding her as if protecting something precious. The sight turned Allison's stomach.

"Allison, have you gone crazy?" Nolan asked, staring at her in disbelief. "Are you just going to attack anyone you see?"

Allison tried to pull her wrist free, but the fever had drained her strength. "Take your dirty hand off me!" she shouted.

After touching Hollie, he had no right to touch her. It disgusted her.

Nolan's expression hardened. "What did you just say? I'm your husband! How could you say something like that to me?"

"Not anymore." Allison met his gaze without hesitation. Her eyes held nothing but cold hatred. "From this moment on, everything I gave you is withdrawn."

She was not only speaking about her feelings for Nolan, but also the support she had once given him that had carried him to where he stood today.

And since she could help him rise, she could also bring him down.

Hollie dreamed of becoming the First Lady, right? She intended to make that dream turn into the biggest joke!

A sudden pain struck Nolan's chest. It came and went in an instant, yet the force of it unsettled him.

For a brief moment, a thought crossed his mind. Why did Allison sound so serious this time? Could it be that she truly stopped loving him?

The thought barely formed before Hollie, still in his arms, began crying. "This is all my fault," she said through sobs. "I never should have dragged you into this situation..."

Her voice trembled as she continued, "I shouldn't have listened to my mother and grandmother and moved into the presidential residence. If I had known Allison couldn't accept me and the baby I'm carrying, I would have left long ago with the child to..."

For a split second, she almost said that name in front of Allison, but she stopped herself and quickly changed her wording. "At least he would have taken good care of us."

Nolan released Allison without hesitation and turned his attention to Hollie. "What nonsense are you saying?" he said firmly. "I promised that I would protect you and the child for the rest of my life. Just trust me."

Seeing that she had pulled his attention back, Hollie touched her swollen cheek and cried even harder.

"Nolan, you should just let me go," she said weakly. "After all, Allison grew up in an orphanage. She has a strong and wild temper. She even dared to hit me right in front of you. I really don't know how I can protect my baby with her nearby..."

Being an orphan had always been Allison's vulnerable point.

Hollie, by contrast, came from a wealthy family, and she had no intention of ignoring that weakness.

"She wouldn't dare hurt you and the baby!" Nolan said with anger rising in his voice. "If she had any sense at all, she should be taking care of you until the baby is born safely."

As he spoke, his hand moved toward where Allison had been standing, but his fingers closed on nothing.

Confusion crossed his face. He turned, only to realize that Allison had already left.

All he caught was the sight of her back as she walked away without hesitation, disappearing soon.

Something inside his chest suddenly felt empty, and a strange panic rose in him.

He pushed Hollie aside and rushed forward. "Allison, come back!"

Before he could go further, someone stepped in front of him. "Mr. President, the Vice President has arrived," said Erick Hewitt, Nolan's assistant, who hurried over to stop him. "Mr. Flynn coming here at this hour may not mean anything good."

"Let him wait," Nolan said as he continued forward without slowing down.

Seeing that, Hollie hurried after him and caught his arm to stop him. "Nolan, you should focus on what's important right now."

Phyllis got Hollie's signal immediately. She rushed toward the door. "I'll bring Miss Fulton back."

Allison had not gone far.

The fever burned through her body, and she walked without shoes. Each step sent pain through her feet, and cold sweat soaked her back.

Still, she kept moving. She had already decided to leave, and she refused to turn back.

Her sight grew dim, and her body began to sway. At last, her strength gave out, and she collapsed toward the ground...

Just before the darkness took her completely, she felt two strong sets of hands catch her.

One pair belonged to Derek Flynn, the current Vice President and Nolan's political opponent. If Allison had not helped Nolan gather support before, Derek would have become the President.

The other pair belonged to the eldest prince of Flesdia, Simon Lawson, a royal who showed little interest in ruling the country and focused only on the arms trade.

Even as she fainted, Allison felt a wave of embarrassment. Nolan's rival had witnessed her collapse. A foreign guest had seen her in this state as well.

What she did not know was the identity of that foreign guest; he was actually her brother. And she was the missing princess of the Flesdia royal family.

"Wake up!" Simon called out urgently. "It's me. I'm your brother. Look at me."

He held Allison's burning body in his arms while pain filled his chest.

The Flesdia royal family rarely had daughters. When Allison was born, she had been treasured by everyone in the family for three years.

Then, a palace intrigue took her away. For twenty years, she remained lost.

Simon, along with his parents and two younger brothers, had spent those years searching for her. At last, they found her.

But he hadn't expected their first encounter to happen like this, while Allison was in such a pitiful state, clearly having been mistreated.

Rage surged through Simon. He was ready to confront Nolan on the spot and stand up for his sister without hesitation.

Even though the man was the President of this country, Simon would not allow him to harm his sister.

"Prince Simon!" Derek stepped forward quickly to stop him. "The princess has a high fever. She needs medical care right away."

Simon wanted to ignore him. Anger had taken over his thoughts. Seeing that, Derek spoke again with urgency. "If you delay her treatment, aren't you worried she could suffer brain damage or something worse?"

Only then did Simon stop to think clearly. Without a word, he tightened his hold on Allison and was about to take her to the hospital.

"Hold on." Derek suddenly noticed the thin clothing Allison was wearing. He removed his coat and placed it over her.

Phyllis arrived just in time to see the scene. Her eyes lit up as she pulled out her phone and secretly took several photos.

Originally, she had planned to have Allison beaten while she was sick and then thrown out of the presidential residence.

But now, she had something even better—Allison entangled with another man. And that man happened to be Nolan's sworn enemy.

To Phyllis, this looked like the perfect scandal. If Nolan saw these photos, Allison would be finished.

Satisfied with what she captured, Phyllis hurried back to report everything to Hollie. She did not notice what happened after she had taken those photos. Simon suddenly grabbed Derek's coat from Allison and threw it aside.

"Don't even think about taking advantage of her," Simon warned. He wrapped his own coat around his sister and carried her to his car.

Derek stood there, watching. The handsome man simply gave a small smirk and shrugged.

He bent down, picked up his coat, brushed the dust, and slipped it back on. Then, he inhaled slowly.

The fabric still carried the faint scent of the woman whom he was interested in.