On the day Shane Jackson and I registered our marriage,

his infatuated secretary pushed me off a building.

I fractured two ribs, lost my baby instantly, and slipped into a coma.

Shane stayed by my side and told everyone I was his only wife, never leaving my bedside.

But when no one was watching, he pressed that secretary against the hospital bed and murmured,

"If it weren't for you, Lily and I would already have a three-year-old child.

You owe us a baby. This is what you must repay her."

Joanna Rogers trembled in his arms, eyes full of tears.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson. I loved you too much. I'll accept whatever punishment you give me."

A moment later, I heard their heavy breathing.

My eyes, which had been shut for three years, suddenly opened.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Shane."

Her voice, dripping with false sweetness, echoed in my ear.

Since regaining consciousness, I had lost count of the times Shane Jackson had 'punished' Joanna Rogers.

However, in a flash, Shane's anger erupted, and his hand cracked across her face.

"You have no right to call me that," he hissed.

Joanna clutched her swelling cheek, tears streaming down her face. "I know I'm to blame, but haven't I paid for my mistakes during the past three years? Isn't that enough?"

Shane towered over her, his eyes as icy as winter. "Not by a long shot. Lily's still out cold, and you're going to pay for the rest of your life!"

He dragged her over to me, and without a hint of warmth, he said, "Apologize to Lily!"

Joanna's sobs grew louder. She knelt by the bed, pleading with me. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Smith. It's all my fault.

"I'll make it right, I swear."

Though I was awake, my body refused to obey me.

I could only watch, tears streaming, as their breaths grew ragged.

Shane, lost in his own world, kept murmuring my name.

"Lily, my Lily..."

A sickening rage boiled inside me, but I was powerless to even shout at them to leave.

Time lost all meaning until, at last, the storm passed.

Shane, ruthless as ever, zipped up his pants and dismissed her with a frosty glare.

"Leave."

Joanna's lips trembled, her face a mask of defiance.

She locked eyes with Shane, then pulled out a pregnancy test.

"Mr. Jackson, I took this test this morning."

The moment Shane saw those two little lines, his face lit up with joy.

"Is it for real?"

Joanna's cheeks were a rosy red.

"I had the test this morning. It's been two weeks."

Shane's eyes brimmed with tears at the news.

He grabbed my hand and gently laid it on Joanna's stomach.

"Lily, we're going to be parents! Aren't you thrilled?"

However, as Shane's hand brushed mine, a wave of bitterness washed over me.

I had to fight the urge to smack him right then and there.

From a dark corner, Joanna shot me a venomous look before stepping forward.

"Ms. Smith, you have nothing to worry about. I'll take great care of your baby with Mr. Jackson."

Then, she turned toward Shane, and with a tremble in her voice, she said, "Now that I'm carrying your child, could you find it in your heart to forgive me after the birth?"

Shane gave her an icy, dismissive glance.

"Don't get your hopes up. You're not in a position to make demands.

"Leave us. I want to be alone with Lily."

Tears filled Joanna's eyes as she picked up her clothes from the floor and wrapped them around herself.

A crushing weight pressed on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I opened my mouth wide, desperate for air.

Suddenly, the heart monitor screeched an urgent warning.

……

Shane was jolted back to reality.

He shoved Joanna aside, his eyes filled with panic as he looked at me.

"Lily, what's happening to Lily...

"Someone get a doctor, now!"

The doctor rushed in and wheeled me into surgery.

When I came to, Shane was there by my bedside, looking worn out.

Seeing my eyes open, he was so overcome with relief and joy that he pulled me into an embrace, tears streaming down his face.

"Lily, you're awake at last. I've missed you so much..."

His tears dripped onto my neck, his body shaking as if I were a delicate treasure that could break at any moment.

The doctors in the room could not help but get misty-eyed at his display of emotion.

However, that overpowering perfume he wore brought visions of the shadows that had played across my hospital room time and again.

It made my stomach turn.

I tried to push him away, but he clung to me tighter. I had to fight the urge to gag as I told him, "I'm tired. Please let go."

Shane released me right away, stammering an apology. "Sorry, I got carried away."

His words had barely left his lips when Joanna entered, her smile the picture of decorum.

Shane's face fell, and he looked like he was about to shoo her out.

However, I was quicker.

Feigning ignorance, I asked Shane, "Do I know this woman? She looks so familiar."

A flicker of guilt passed through Shane's eyes as he cautiously replied, "She's the nurse I brought in to look after you."

A sharp pain pierced my heart, but I kept up the charade, smiling weakly as I said, "She must have been a great help."

Joanna approached, her voice sounding sincere when she said, "Congratulations, Ms. Smith."

However, her eyes danced with a challenge.

My hands balled into fists.

I wanted to call them out right there, demanding to know why they would sully my sickroom with their deceit.

'However, what good would it do to drag the truth out of them?' I wondered.

Shane mistook my silence for exhaustion and gently helped me back down, tucking the blanket around me. "You rest now," he said, before he and Joanna stepped out.

From the hallway, Joanna's voice carried back to me, laced with a cry.

"Mr. Jackson, I've made up my mind. Now that Ms. Smith is awake, my baby and I are just excess baggage. I'll be gone by tomorrow."

Shane's gaze was a tangle of emotions as he looked at her.

"Lily waking up doesn't mean you've paid for your mistakes.

"That baby you're carrying is mine, after all. Once you've had the baby, Lily can raise the child. I'll make sure you're taken care of."

A spark of hope flickered in Joanna's eyes as she reached up to trace Shane's throat.

"We have a deal then. You better not back out."

Shane felt a surge in his gut and pulled her close, his kiss desperate.

"Lily's just come around. I can't bring myself to lay a finger on her.

"Help me out, will you..."

Joanna playfully hit his chest, a blush on her cheeks.

"Cut it out, the baby's listening..."

The sounds from the hospital room door were all too familiar.

A pain tore through my heart.

Tears streamed down my face unchecked.

I bit down on my lip until after the sounds ceased. Then, I let out a cry.

The next day, my parents came to visit after hearing the news.

Seeing me awake, my mother clung to me, crying her heart out, and even my usually stoic father's eyes were red.

My mother held my hand and said, "Lily, Shane hasn't slept a wink taking care of you since your accident. Now that you're awake, you two need to be together for real."

Shane, with that same loving look, said, "I love Lily. I'm just doing what I should.

"I've made up my mind. We'll have an engagement party the day after Lily is discharged from the hospital. I'll invite all the big names in business to show the world she's the luckiest bride ever."

……

After my parents left, Joanna breezed into the room, a warm smile on her face and a bowl of chicken soup cradled in her hands.

"Ms. Smith, I made this chicken soup just for you."

I glanced at the oily sheen on the surface of the soup and could not suppress a frown.

Joanna's smile faltered, and her eyes darted down, her voice tinged with panic as she spoke.

"I found a recipe online and followed it to the letter. If it's not to your liking, I can whip up another batch, no problem."

I did not object, and she took that as her cue.

As Joanna reached for the soup on the table, the sleeve of her blouse slid up, revealing the pink scars of a burn on her arm.

Shane's expression turned stern, and he quickly took the bowl from her, turning to me with a coaxing tone.

"Come on, chicken soup's good for you. It will help you heal."

I met his gaze, my voice flat as I said, "I can't have chicken soup, remember?"

Shane was momentarily at a loss for words.

Beside him, Joanna's eyes brimmed with tears. "Ms. Smith, I've been making you chicken soup every single day you've been out.

"If there's something you're not happy with, just tell me. Please don't take it out on Mr. Jackson."

The bodyguard added his two cents from behind, saying, "That's right. Ms. Rogers has been slaving over a hot stove for hours every day, using only the best ingredients.

"They say she even got sick a few times today handling the chicken."

I remained silent, just lifting my eyes to Shane.

"Must I drink it?"

Shane let out a resigned sigh, as if dealing with a petulant child. "Lily, don't make this difficult."

With that, he spooned up some of the shiny broth and guided it to my lips.

I swallowed down the tears, forcing myself to drink the entire bowl of revolting chicken soup.

At last, Shane looked pleased.

He adjusted the blanket around me with a gentle touch and murmured, "I'll be right outside. If you're not feeling well, just call out for me."

However, in the dead of night, a sharp pain ripped through my belly, jolting me awake.

Without thinking, I cried out for Shane.

At the sound, Shane snapped to alertness, ready to burst through the door.

However, before he could act, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from Joanna's room.

Her voice was faint and desperate.

"Mr. Jackson, my stomach hurts so much, and there's so much blood!

"Please, come save me. I'm afraid for the baby..."

Joanna crumpled to the floor, clutching her belly, her eyes wide with terror as she looked up at Shane.

Shane's panic spiked, and he moved to take Joanna away.

"Shane!"

The pain left me too weak to talk. I could only gasp out a plea.

"Save me..."

Shane's heart raced as he saw my agony.

He almost stayed, torn by the memory of the child in Joanna's womb and the intense, tangled love they had shared for three years.

However, as he wavered, Joanna's eyes brimmed with tears again.

"The doctor said Ms. Smith's stomach pain is just a normal reaction to taking too much medicine.

"Ms. Smith, I know you're scared of losing Mr. Jackson and want to draw his attention, but I'm truly in pain. Please, just let me have this moment. You can punish me any other time."

With those words, Shane's hesitation vanished.

He turned to me.

"Lily, cut it out. Your stomach pain is normal. I'll call the doctor."

Then, holding Joanna, he strode away without a backward glance.

The ward was eerily quiet, but the pain inside me was screaming loud enough to drown out the silence. I listened to the sound of his footsteps growing fainter, and despite my best efforts, tears betrayed me again, trickling down my cheeks.

I had been waiting for what felt like an eternity: half an hour, to be exact, and not a single doctor had shown up. With all the strength I could muster, I kept hitting the call button, over and over.

My vision started to blur when, finally, a flurry of doctors rushed in. As darkness edged in, their murmurs reached my ears: "Mr. Jackson is really overreacting, isn't he? All that fuss for a bit of fetal movement?"

When I came to, a nurse was by my bed, hanging a new IV bag with a frown. "You're up? What did you eat last night? You know you've got to watch it with certain foods when you're on meds."