After exploring the villa for the rest of the morning, Samantha told Owen and her friends that she wanted to treat them to lunch.

"No need," Owen said. "Please leave if you're done messing around."

Samantha pretended to be deaf to his words, grabbing his hand and dragging him out the door. Her friends dragged Gabriella along, worried that Owen would refuse to go if she were left behind.

The group's destination was a hot springs resort.

Gabriella rarely interacted with Samantha and her friends, so she found it difficult to join their conversations. She hadn't wanted to join them in the first place, so she sat by herself in a corner and watched them clink glasses and converse happily among themselves.

Noticing how Gabriella was having a hard time fitting in, Owen strode over to her after pouring a glass of fruit juice for her.

Gabriella was just about to accept the offered drink when Owen walked right past her, pushing himself into the crowd.

Owen snatched the glass of whiskey from Samantha's hand just before she touched the glass to her lips. His furious voice reverberated around the room when he said, "You're allergic to alcohol. Do you have a death wish?"

Samantha blinked in confusion, looking at him innocently. "I thought it was fruit juice. Why are you getting angry at me when I just picked up the wrong glass?"

She then plucked the glass of fruit juice from his right hand. "Thank you," she said, her eyes crinkling into crescents.

Owen subconsciously clenched his fist. But in the end, he didn't say anything. He turned around and returned to his original seat before offering the glass he was holding to Gabriella.

Gabriella looked between Owen, who was obviously restless, and the glass of amber liquid that he was holding. She didn't accept the glass from him. Instead, she grabbed her bag and rose to her feet, saying lightly, "I don't drink alcohol. I'm going to soak in the hot springs."

It was only then that Owen realized that he had offered the wrong glass to Gabriella. He had been so distracted with Samantha that he had accidentally offered the glass of whiskey to Gabrella instead. He wanted to explain himself, but Gabriella had already left by then, giving him no chance to speak.

…

Gabriella felt her exhaustion melt away as she soaked in the hot spring. She leaned against the edge of the spring as she watched the rising steam, getting progressively sleepier until she ended up falling asleep right there and then.

Perhaps she had already gotten used to the ruckus outside, but she didn't notice someone knocking on the door.

Meanwhile, Owen grew a little anxious when he didn't get a response, even after calling out to Gabriella several times.

His heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he pushed open the door and noticed her lying in the hot spring, looking half-unconscious. He immediately jumped into the spring and picked her up.

Gabriella blinked her eyes open. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made her reflexively wrap her arm around Owen's shoulders.

Steam filled the air around them. The atmosphere suddenly turned flirtatious when they realized how close they were to each other.

Owen couldn't help himself and leaned down.

Just as the distance between their faces closed enough for their breaths to mingle, a pair of footsteps burst into the room.

Samantha had tailed Owen when he left to check on Gabriella.

The smile on her face stiffened when she saw Owen and Gabriella pressed together. She bit down hard on her lip and didn't bother hiding the shock and disappointment in her eyes. She whipped around and bolted from the room while clutching her hand.

Owen stood rooted to the spot. He hastily set Gabriella down on her feet and chased after Samantha, hollering, "She must have misunderstood what's going on. I'll explain the situation to her."

A misunderstanding?

Gabriella and Owen were married. Why did he have to explain himself to Samantha, even if she did see them kissing?

It was obvious that Owen was still stuck in the past, still thinking of himself as Samantha's boyfriend. That was the reason why he subconsciously wanted to explain the situation to her.

It wasn't easy for someone who had once willingly allowed himself to be trained according to his lover's preferences to break old habits.

As Gabriella stared at Owen's retreating back, she barked out a laugh, her eyes reddening. She wrapped a towel around herself and opened the window to get some fresh air. Coincidentally, she saw Samantha running out of the resort.

Samantha had just wrenched open her car door when Owen grabbed her hand.

Gabriella could hear their heated argument with crystal clarity.

"Gabriella fell asleep in the hot spring. I was just worried about her catching a cold. Why are you causing such a fuss over such a trivial matter?"

"You're right. I don't have the right to get angry because she's your wife. You should go back and accompany her. There's no need for you to explain yourself to your ex-girlfriend."

"Do you have to bring this up, Samantha?"

"Bring what up? I'm just speaking the truth!"

The two of them parted unhappily the moment the words left Samantha's lips.

Samantha's eyes were bloodshot as she shook herself free of Owen's grasp. She then scrambled into her car and sped away.

Owen was only stunned for a few seconds before he got into his own car and chased after her.

Gabriella quietly turned around and headed to the changing room after the dust settled back on the road. She had just changed back into her clothes and exited the room when Samantha's friends grabbed her and exclaimed, "Bad news, Mrs. Wendell! Owen and Samantha got into a car accident!"

When Gabriella and the others rushed to the hospital, they saw Owen waiting outside the operating room.

He was covered in blood, and there was sweat beading across his forehead. His eyes were filled with terror and helplessness.

It was Gabriella's first time seeing him in such a pathetic state.

When Samantha's friends approached him to ask what happened, he yanked at his own hair, explaining in a pained voice that was dripping with regret, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made her angry, and I shouldn't have let her leave by herself.

"She was only speeding because she was angry at me. I'm the reason why she got into the car accident…"

Gabriella's lashes trembled as she listened to Owen pin the blame solely on himself.

If Owen had intentionally said those words to anger Samantha, what were his true feelings at the time? Had he been waiting for her to return to the country all this time, so he could reunite with her?

It didn't sound out of the realm of possibility, but Gabriella wasn't willing to spend too much time thinking about it.

Just then, a nurse slipped out from the operating room, wearing a grim expression.

"The patient is suffering from excessive bleeding, but we don't have enough blood. Do any of you have Type O blood? Please help us save the patient."

Owen's friends looked at each other. None of them had Type O blood, so they stayed silent.

Only Owen had Type O blood among them. He immediately removed his jacket and changed into a patient gown. He then followed the nurse into the operating room.

The seconds ticked by.

Half an hour later, the nurse and Owen exited the operating room.

Owen looked extremely pale. He had to lean on the nurse to keep himself on his feet as his head spun.

Gabriella had no idea how much blood they had taken from him, but it seemed that he had been stripped of his strength as he collapsed into her arms.

However, the nurse didn't leave after delivering Owen to them. Instead, she asked again, "The patient's condition is improving, but she needs another 400mL of blood. Could you contact your other friends who have Type O blood?"

Everyone began contacting their friends, but none of them could get a hold of someone whose blood type matched Samantha's.

Panic gripped Owen's heart as the silence stretched on. He forced himself to stand on his own two feet and said, "You just need another 400mL? Let me do it."

The nurse turned around, staring at Owen in disbelief. She was shocked that he would disregard his own well-being like this.

"You've already donated 600mL of your blood. Are you sure you want to continue?"

Samantha's friends' faces twisted in concern as they stepped forward to talk him out of his decision.

"You shouldn't donate anymore blood, Owen. I'll tell my secretary to ask my employees to see if anyone shares the same blood type as Samantha."

However, Owen simply shook his head and stubbornly said, "Sam can't wait that long."

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the needle mark on his arm that was already turning into a bruise.

Seeing how stubborn he was being, Gabriella couldn't hold herself back anymore and said, "The doctors are doing their best to save Samantha's life. They can contact the other hospitals to transfer blood here. You don't have to do this."

Owen paused but only for a moment. Ultimately, he ignored her words, turning around to follow the nurse.

Silence descended over the group as they watched Owen walk back into the operating room without any hesitation.

Samantha's friends sighed heavily. Their words were colored with irritation as they aired out their frustrations.

"Owen always behaves as if he's lost his mind whenever Samantha is involved. He got into a fight because of her in the past. He ended up hurting his leg and had to be hospitalized for three months. He even wanted to continue the fight after he was discharged."

"You're right. Remember that time in high school when he tried to win a necklace she liked? He made a bet with someone and skydived from 16,000 feet above the ground. He almost lost his life when the equipment started malfunctioning halfway through.

"Now, he's disregarding his own life again to save her. I shouldn't have tried to help him get back together with Sam just because he still had feelings for her. I had no idea the situation would end up becoming such a huge mess."

They had completely forgotten that Gabriella was standing right next to them as they kept talking.

Meanwhile, Gabriella was stuck with a realization as she listened to them recount all the outrageous things Owen had done for Samantha.

Only then did she realize how foolish she had been to think that she would eventually move Owen's heart when she stood up during the wedding that day.

There were only two options—either Owen would fall in love with her, or he wouldn't.

Unfortunately, Gabriella had made the wrong call from the very beginning. It was why she was willing to admit that she had lost as she stared into the undeniable face of defeat.

…

A long time passed before the red light above the operating room went out.

As the doctor wheeled both Samantha and Owen out, everyone swiftly gathered around them, looking at them worriedly.

The doctor wiped the sweat from his brow. He looked at Owen, who had fallen unconscious, and asked, "I'm assuming that they're a couple? It's rare to come across such a foolish man, who's willing to risk his own life for the sake of love."

Gabriella was the only one who hung back. She tipped her head back to stare at the blinding lights above her, barking out a laugh.

Owen only regained consciousness the next afternoon. He wasn't fully lucid yet, but the first thing that came out of his mouth was related to Samantha.

"Was her surgery a success? How is she? Is she awake?"

Gabriella took in his anxious expression. She hadn't slept a wink the entire night, so her voice was a little hoarse when she nodded and answered, "The doctor said that she's fine. She'll make a full recovery after resting for a few months."

Owen felt as if a heavy weight had fallen off his shoulders when he heard her words. However, he was still feeling uneasy. He tossed his blanket aside and tried to get off the bed, telling Gabriella that he wanted to see Samantha with his own two eyes.

Gabriella advised him to stay put, but he refused to listen. In the end, he was stopped only by the nurse, who, coincidentally, showed up to change his IV.

Panic flickered in his eyes as he looked at the large bag of medicine that the nurse was carrying with her. His heart was filled with nothing but concern for Samantha's well-being. After getting lost in his thoughts for a few moments, he was struck with an idea when his eyes strayed to the fruit basket on the cabinet.

"I called Samantha's parents yesterday, Gabriella. They flew back to the country last night and should be in the hospital right now. Deliver that fruit basket to them and send them my regards. You can check on Samantha's condition while you're there, too."

Gabriella stared steadily at Owen for a long time before finally humming in agreement. She picked up the fruit basket and left the ward.

Samantha's ward was located one floor above Owen's.

Gabriella was just about to knock on the door when she realized that it was ajar. She peeked through the gap and saw Samantha curled up in an unfamiliar man's embrace as she spoke sweetly to him.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to introduce your parents to me, Nate? Why are you alone?"

"I do want to introduce you to my parents, but this isn't a good time since you haven't recovered yet. I'll take you to meet them once you're discharged from the hospital, okay?"

Gabriella clenched her fists tightly upon hearing their exchange.

Samantha was already dating someone else? And their relationship was stable enough for her to meet his parents?

Coincidentally, a doctor dropped by to check on Samantha, startling her and the man when he pushed the door open.

Samantha's face twisted in an instant when she looked up and saw Gabriella standing in the doorway. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Gabriella didn't answer her. Instead, she strode into the ward and placed the fruit basket on the floor before turning around and heading back downstairs.

Samantha dragged her still-injured body out of the ward and chased after Gabriella, grabbing the latter just as she was about to descend the staircase.

"You're going to snitch on me to Owen, aren't you?"

Gabriella turned to look at Samantha, taking in the panic that flickered across her face. Her voice was cold when she asked, "Why are you still clinging to Owen like a leech if you already have a boyfriend?"

Samantha arched her brow. She quickly regained her composure and answered, "I want to have two boyfriends. I want to toy with them in the palm of my hand and enjoy myself as they spoil me with their affections. Can't you tell?"

"Do you have to trample over their feelings like this?"

Samantha snickered at Gabriella's indignant expression. She sounded extremely proud of herself when she said, "I have what it takes to make them go crazy over me. Even a prestigious scion like Owen isn't immune to my charms.

"What's wrong? Are you jealous? If you admit that you are, I wouldn't mind teaching you some of my tricks if I'm in a good mood."

Gabriella was rendered speechless by her arrogance.

On the other hand, Samantha grew more smug as Gabriella remained silent. She scrutinized the latter, her eyes lingering on the wedding band around her ring finger.

"You're just someone who benefited from the situation that I orchestrated. You have no right to challenge me. In fact, I'll let you in on a secret. The truth is, I didn't actually move abroad. I just drank too much while fooling around with my friends the night before the wedding, so I couldn't get up in time.

"You would never have gotten the chance to be 'Mrs. Wendell' if Owen hadn't thrown a tantrum when I stood him up at the wedding."

The fury that Gabriella had been suppressing all this time finally exploded at that moment. Unable to control her anger any longer, she raised her hand and slapped Samantha across the face.

She hadn't actually slapped her that hard, but Samantha reacted as if Gabriella had channeled all her strength into her slap, toppling to the side and rolling down the stairs.

Gabriella was shoved aside by Owen, who had just stepped out of the elevator, before she could wrap her head around the situation.

Owen hurried down the stairs, looking utterly heartbroken as he picked up Samantha, whose entire body was covered in bruises. His eyes were burning with fury as he glared at Gabriella.

"Why did you hurt her when she didn't do anything to you?" he demanded.

Samantha intentionally turned her head to the side where Gabriella had left a bright red handprint on her cheek. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed in Owen's arms.

"Forget it, Owen. She must be angry at me because I'm your ex-girlfriend. I don't blame her. Let's just go."

Her words caused Gabriella's retort to get stuck in her throat.

Gabriella knew that explaining the situation to Owen would be a pointless endeavor at that moment as she watched his face darken.

Meanwhile, from Owen's perspective, Gabriella's silence meant that she was admitting to her transgression against Samantha. Disappointment spread through him as he averted his gaze and carried Samantha away, not even bothering to spare a single glance back at Gabriella.