I spent the entire afternoon at the mall, picking out a third-anniversary gift for my husband, Derick.

Crossing the street, a Maserati slammed straight into me.

When I woke up, my husband walked into my hospital room, bringing the blond girl who ran me over.

"Daisy just graduated and isn't familiar with the roads in LA. You're not seriously hurt anyway, so just let it go."

When I returned home, I realized my dog, my companion for eight years, was missing.

"This dog tried to bite me, so I killed it. It's in a freezer in the kitchen now," the girl's cousin said.

My husband said, "It was just an animal. We can just get another one, can't we?"

I looked him straight in the eyes. "Derick, let's get a divorce."

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1

On my way home after picking out an anniversary gift for Derick, carrying the custom suit I’d bought for him, a Maserati lost control and sped straight toward me.

I was sent flying, bag and all. In the last second before I blacked out, I saw a blonde girl slowly get out of the car.

When I woke up, I had thirteen stitches on my forehead and a fractured right arm.

I was just about to demand the driver be held responsible when, the next second, she appeared before me, shielded behind Derick.

"Daisy didn't do it on purpose. She just graduated from the University of Michigan and isn't familiar with the traffic in Los Angeles yet. Besides, you're not seriously hurt. Let's just drop it."

Easy for him to say; I was the one who got hit.

Seeing my silence, Daisy started crying and ran out of the hospital room, calling out, "I'm sorry, Lidia!" as she left.

Derick panicked and chased after her.

"It's all your fault for playing the victim and making Daisy feel so guilty."

Staring at their disappearing backs, I was utterly speechless. Since they were being so blatant about it, fine, I'd give them what they wanted.

The pain in my arm hadn't subsided, and blood was starting to seep from the wound on my forehead.

Derick's call came through, filled with nothing but accusations.

"It's just a scratch, do you have to be so dramatic?"

"Daisy was so scared she lost sleep over it. She's just a young girl fresh out of college. She’s never met someone as aggressive as you."

Ever since I came out of the coma, I haven't said a single word, yet Derick and Daisy Hayes have been the ones blaming me.

"Derick, maybe you should get your facts straight. I'm the one who got hit. I am the victim here."

Derick's impatient voice cut me off. "Alright, alright, you're right."

"Anyway, no matter what you say, I've already gone to the police station as your family member and withdrawn the report."

"The police aren't involved anymore, so just stop giving Daisy a hard time."

The hand holding my phone began to tremble. The smell of hospital antiseptic mixed with the scent of blood washed over me, and the scene of the car crash flashed before my eyes.

"Derick, what gives you the right to make decisions for me?"

I was seething, my heart plummeting into an icy abyss.

On the other end of the line, I heard the rustle of fabric, as if someone had moved closer to the phone.

Daisy's voice, choked with tears, suddenly came on the line. "Lidia, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to."

"Derick said he would cover all the medical expenses, and I'm willing to give you five hundred dollars from my internship pay to help with your treatment."

Five hundred dollars?

The cast on my arm alone costs more than that. Besides, my brand-new thirty-thousand-dollar Hermès bag and Cartier watch were both ruined in the car crash.

The bag was covered in scratches, the watch strap had snapped, and the face was shattered into pieces.

"Five hundred? Are you trying to pay off a beggar?"

On the other end of the line, Daisy's sobbing grew louder. "Lidia, what will it take for you to just let me go?"

"Is it because of Derick that you're targeting me like this, Lidia? If so, I'm willing to leave Los Angeles and never see anyone again."

Daisy's tearful yet stubborn declaration made Derick's heart ache for her as he stood beside her.

Derick snatched the phone, his voice laced with ice. "Lidia, that's enough! Daisy is just an intern. Don't take it too far!"

"Since you're being so unreasonable, there's no need to discuss this any further."

"This matter ends here. I only asked for your input to put Daisy's mind at ease, but since you can't appreciate a kind gesture, there's no reason for us to grovel like this."

Derick furiously hung up the phone, leaving me trembling with rage. At that moment, the chill in my heart was far worse than any physical pain.

I didn't see Derick for the next three days, not until I saw his Instagram post. An exquisite diamond ring was nestled in the middle of a bouquet of baby's breath, the very Tiffany one I'd been wanting for so long but could never bring myself to buy.

Derick would never put thought into things like this, and he rarely ever gave me gifts.

But with that huge bouquet of baby's breath, combined with the dim, romantic lighting and atmosphere, I had to admit he'd put in some effort this time.

In the corner of the photo, two hands were clasped tightly, and a suspicion began to form in my mind.

"Brighter than the starlight is your smile."

Derick was never the romantic type. He could never come up with a caption like that.

Friends in the comments were all teasing:

"Derick and his wife are the envy of everyone!"

"Mr. Wellington is so romantic! Mrs. Wellington is a lucky woman!"

No one seemed to notice anything was wrong. Only I saw that one of the clasped hands in the photo was adorned with nude pink nail polish—Daisy's signature color.

I silently liked the post and tossed my phone aside.

To my surprise, Derick, who had been missing for three days, immediately surfaced. He called three times, and the phone was still ringing.

The moment I answered, Derick’s familiar yet exceptionally cold voice assaulted my ears.

"Do you think you're funny, Lidia?"

"I just gave Daisy a gift for her new job. The poor girl got a little excited and used my phone to post on Instagram. What exactly are you trying to say by liking it to mock her?"

This was utterly ridiculous.

I retorted, "You're the one who's unbelievable. How was I supposed to know she was the one who posted it?"

"You did it on purpose. When have I ever posted anything like that? You knew at a glance it wasn't from me."

"So what if I liked it? How is that mocking her?"

"I don't care. I've already deleted Instagram, and Daisy is miserable because of you. You need to apologize to her."

I let out a cold laugh. "And why should I?"

For all these years, I had managed every aspect of Derick’s work and life, yet he was never satisfied.

And so, whenever the slightest thing went wrong, I was the one to admit fault, saying 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

But it wasn't until today that I finally understood: Derick's heart can't be warmed.

Derick hadn't expected me to say that. The line went quiet for a few seconds.

"Lidia, you've grown a spine. Well then, don't blame me for ignoring you." With that, he furiously hung up, but I felt no stir in my heart.

I used to love Derick, so I always gave in to him. I never imagined it would lead to this.

That very night, as if in a fit of pique, Derick hired a private helicopter to spell out Daisy's name over the city.

The headline was particularly eye-catching: Wellington Group CEO Spends a Fortune, Just to Win a Smile from His Beloved Wife. I couldn't help but chuckle humorlessly as I lay in my hospital bed, wondering where Derick and Daisy were, admiring the night sky.

Ding.

A text from an unknown number popped up on my phone. I opened it to find a video.

Derick and Daisy, kissing on Santa Monica Beach.

Derick's eyes held a tenderness I had never seen before.

"I wish you happiness."

I texted back those four words and then blocked the number.

The brilliant lights of Los Angeles lit up the night, but my heart plunged into darkness.

I lay awake all night, hot tears endlessly soaking my pillow.

The next day, the sun rose as usual, and I went through another session of physical therapy.

I was only a few minutes into my exercises when a figure appeared in the doorway of my room.

Daisy walked toward me, holding a Starbucks coffee, and timidly held it out to me.

"Lidia, no matter how you look at it, I was the one who hit you. It's my fault."

"So, I personally bought you your favorite Caramel Macchiato today. I hope you get well soon."

She seemed sincere enough today, so I started to reach for it, but the cup suddenly slipped from her hand.

The scalding coffee splashed onto my arm, and a searing pain shot through me instantly.

Before I could even react, she had already collapsed onto the floor. So when Derick rushed over, all he could see was a pitifully wronged Daisy.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

"It's fine if you don't like me, Lidia. I can leave. But why did you have to hurt me like this?"

"The coffee I stood in that long line to buy, and you deliberately knocked it all over me."

Almost the entire cup of hot coffee had poured directly onto my arm, while only a few drops had splashed onto her hand.

I gritted my teeth, fighting back the searing pain shooting up my arm as I watched Daisy's exaggerated performance.

She wailed and sobbed, all while secretly glancing at Derick to gauge his reaction.

Without a second thought, Derick rushed forward, pulling Daisy protectively behind him. He then turned to glare at me, his eyes filled with disgust.

"Lidia, you're disgusting! Daisy was kind enough to buy you coffee, and this is how you treat her?"

His voice was laced with ice, as if I were a hardened, unforgivable criminal.

"Derick, open your eyes and see what's really happening!"

I held up my red, swollen arm, my voice trembling from the pain.

"She's the one who knocked the coffee over on purpose! Why do you always believe her?"

He bent down to help Daisy up, carefully inspecting the few insignificant coffee stains on her hand, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Daisy's hand is so badly burned, and you're still trying to argue?"

Daisy leaned into Derick's arms, crying pitifully.

"Derick, I don't blame Lidia," she sobbed.

"It's all my fault for being so clumsy."Her voice was as frail as if it could be scattered by the wind, yet I could see the corner of her mouth curve into a defiant smirk.

"I'll take Daisy to get some ointment first. You'd better think long and hard about what you've done!"

Derick swept Daisy into his arms and left me under everyone's watchful eyes, like a clown for all to gawk at.

I don't know how much time had passed, but my arm was already numb by the time a doctor finally came to give my wound some emergency treatment.

The doctor they sent wasn't very skilled. He broke several of my blisters during the treatment, and a piercing pain shot through my entire body.

It was only after I made some careful inquiries that I found out all the doctors from the Wellington Group's private hospital had been summoned to Daisy's side.

For her three tiny blisters, Derick had called in countless people to attend to her.

I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, feeling how little I was valued.

But to my surprise, the next morning, Derick was like a completely different person, personally changing the dressing on my wound.

"Lidia, I took a look yesterday. It's true that you're the one who's more seriously injured."

"Daisy only has a few small blisters on her hand, while your arm is already festering and oozing pus."

I didn't know what he meant by that. I just watched numbly as he spread the ointment over my wound.

"To make it up to you, I got you a bracelet. Just stop giving Daisy a hard time."

So after all that, it was still all for Daisy Hayes.

I stared at the Pandora bracelet he pulled from his pocket. It didn't even have a box.

"I have never deliberately given her a hard time."

"On the contrary, she's the one who provokes me at every turn. Every single one of these injuries on my body—aren't they all thanks to her?"

Derick's hands, which had been dressing my wounds, paused for a moment, but the hand gripping my upper arm quietly tightened.

The blisters had festered into pus, sticking to my clothes, and the slightest touch sent a wave of pain through me that left me in a cold sweat.

"Derick, let me go!"

As beads of sweat dripped down, I couldn't help but snap at him.

But the force of his grip only increased, pinning me in place.

"Lidia, it seems I've been too indulgent with you in the past, allowing you to develop such an unreasonable and theatrical personality."

"And to think Daisy was just telling me that you didn't do it on purpose, asking me not to take my anger out on you. I actually believed her."

"It's only now that I see it clearly. Daisy is just too kind, to even speak up for you."

Looking at the man before me, his brow furrowed from the force he was exerting, I truly regretted why I had ever married him.

He surprised me, and he felt like a stranger. He didn't let go until the pain beaded his forehead with sweat.