Seaforth Club was in complete chaos. An electrical fire raged out of control, filling the halls with thick smoke as Brandon frantically searched for Nina.

Meanwhile, Rosalie had just stepped out of the private room when the panicked crowd shoved her back inside. The door slammed shut behind her, locking her in. Desperate, she banged on the door. "Help! Let me out! Is anyone there?"

But everyone was too busy scrambling to escape the burning club. Her shouts were lost in the chaos.

Smoke slithered in through the door gap, sending Rosalie into a fit of violent coughs. She yanked off her coat, pressed it tightly over her nose and mouth, and bolted for the window.

Just as flames surged into the room, she clenched her teeth, rammed her shoulder into the glass, and leaped.

Seaforth Club loomed three stories above the ground. The landing sent a jolt of pain through her body, leaving her unable to drag herself forward. Her legs burned, and it felt as if they had been smashed to pieces.

Just then, she caught sight of the fleeing crowd. There was Nina, freshly rescued, hovering over Brandon's unconscious form on a gurney.

A knot of dread coiled in Rosalie's chest. Biting back the pain, she forced herself up just in time for the paramedics to grab her and bundle her into an ambulance.

When they finally reached the hospital, Rosalie ignored her own injuries and hurried straight to Brandon. He was being wheeled into the emergency room, his legs covered in bloody burns.

"Brandon!" Rosalie stumbled after the gurney, her eyes wild with fear.

But the first thing he said when he weakly opened his eyes was, "Nina... Where is she? Is she safe?"

Rosalie went still.

His voice was faint as he continued, "Let me see her. I need to know she's safe..."

The doctors rushed to wheel him into the emergency room, but he kept calling for Nina, insisting on seeing her before they treated him.

Rosalie's voice was desperate. "Brandon, please! You need help now. Your burns are bad. You can't wait!"

But Brandon didn't care about his injuries. There was only one thing on his mind. "Nina… I need to see Nina…"

Rosalie staggered back a few steps at his desperate calls, her eyes glistening with tears.

He had already thrown away his life once, leaving her behind in the flames to save Nina. And now, here he was, risking himself all over again just to ensure Nina's safety. Didn't he realize that the pain he was causing Rosalie now hurt more than dying ever would?

At that moment, Nina finally hurried over, grabbing Brandon's hand from beside the gurney. "Don't worry about me, Brandon! I'm fine! You need help now. I'll be right here when you're done!"

With just those words from Nina, Brandon finally relented and let them wheel him into the emergency room.

The doctor approached, holding the surgical consent form. "Who here is family to the patient?"

Rosalie instinctively rose to her feet, but Nina snatched the paper from the doctor. "I'm his legal mother. That means I'm the one who signs."

With that, she shot Rosalie a smug look.

And she was right. Rosalie and Brandon had married in secret. She didn't even have the right to call herself his family.

Meanwhile, Nina could stand proudly by Brandon's side without question. As his stepmother, she wielded that title like a weapon, stealing every role that should have been Rosalie's.

No one knew Rosalie was Brandon's wife. Sometimes, not even Brandon remembered.

She sat slumped on the bench with her eyes fixed on the floor, her heart heavy with pain.

Just then, Nina walked up. "You've seen it for yourself. No one can ever take my place in Brandon's heart. He'd die for me without a second thought. Marrying you was just a way to hide our relationship. I'm only showing you this because I want what's best for you so that you can finally move on. Don't waste another second waiting around for him."

Rosalie shut her eyes. Holding back tears, she asked bitterly, "Do you really enjoy watching him live and die for you?"

"I just need him to keep proving he loves me—the same way I love him with everything in me."

"If you love him that much, why did you leave him and marry his father in the first place?"

Nina laughed. "Because Declan was richer than Brandon back then. I'd do anything for money, and now that Brandon has come into his family's fortune, of course, I'm sticking with him.

"Do you even know how obsessed he was in those six years we were together? He has never wanted another woman the way he wants me. That's why none of your little seductions ever worked. He's been waiting for me. So, who exactly do you think you are to him?

"At the auction last time, the emerald bracelet I wanted cost a fortune, but he didn't hesitate before buying it. When has he ever done anything like that for you?"

Her words cut into Rosalie's heart like a dull knife, slow and painful.

"Are you just trying to prove you can win at everything?" Rosalie shot back.

Nina grinned. "Winning Brandon back from you is victory enough for me. Let's wait until he's out of surgery. We'll see whose name he calls first."

Rosalie clung to a thin, desperate hope.

Maybe Brandon still had some decency left in him. Maybe he'd spare her a single thought. At the very least, he might wonder whether she had survived the fire.

She had loved him for 6 years. Even a pet cat or dog would've earned some affection by then.

An hour later, when they wheeled Brandon out of the emergency room, he was still groggy from the anesthesia. Even so, the first name he mumbled was, "Nina..."

Nina threw Rosalie a triumphant look. "Well? Guess this round's mine too."

Rosalie watched as Nina walked over to Brandon's side, and just like that, her last bit of hope vanished.

Over the next few days, Rosalie and Brandon remained in the hospital to recover. Day after day, Rosalie watched Nina hover around Brandon, never once stepping away. She didn't give Rosalie even a chance to get close to him.

…

On the evening Rosalie was discharged, Brandon stopped by her ward. He brought her a healthy meal and handed her an exquisite gift box.

"Your birthday is in three days. There's a key inside. I left your gift in the walk-in closet. Just use the key to open the wardrobe, and you'll find the gift."

Three days later would also be the day Rosalie was set to leave.

She took the key, murmuring, "Thank you."

As she grabbed her bag to finish the discharge paperwork, an immigration form slipped out and fluttered to the floor.

Brandon picked it up, his brows furrowing. "What's this? You're moving abroad?"

Rosalie snatched it back, lying smoothly, "A friend left it with me. I was just going to give it back."

Brandon eased up a little.

After a moment, his gaze lingered on Rosalie's haggard face before he said in a low and serious voice, "I'm getting discharged on your birthday. When that day comes, I'll celebrate with you, Rosalie. Just wait for me at home."

Rosalie's heart lurched. Before she could say a word, Nina's voice echoed down the hallway. "Brandon, I made you chicken noodle soup…"

The moment he heard her, Brandon walked out of Rosalie's ward without a second thought. Rosalie could hear the low murmur of their warm, familiar exchange.

She scoffed to herself. She finished packing her clothes and got ready to leave the hospital. But the moment she stepped out of the ward, someone grabbed her and dragged her into the restroom down the hall.

Rosalie looked up in panic to find Nina standing before her, her lips curled in a sneer. "Brandon just left your ward. Don't tell me you're trying to weasel out of our bet. You lost, so why are you still clinging to him?"

Rosalie met her gaze, eyes blazing. "I'm not. I promised I'd leave him, and I won't back out now."

Nina's expression hardened. "Then stay away from him. Quit showing up everywhere he goes."

Rosalie couldn't be bothered to argue with Nina. She tried to get back up but accidentally knocked her foot against Nina's leg.

Nina flew into a rage.

"Shove her head into the toilet!" she barked at the people holding Rosalie down.

They forced Rosalie's head down into the filthy water. Nina kept flushing over and over. Rosalie gritted her teeth, barely managing to keep from swallowing any of it. They would pull her up just long enough to grab a breath before shoving her under again.

Rosalie kept count in her head—19 times. Nina had made them force her under that disgusting water 19 times. It felt like Nina was taunting Rosalie, throwing those 19 failures with Brandon right back in her face.

Suddenly, the restroom door flew open. Brandon took in the scene with a scowl.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

Nina quickly helped the soaking-wet Rosalie to her feet and made a show of wiping off the filthy toilet water dripping from her.

With a smile, she turned to Brandon and said, "Rosalie dropped her earring in the toilet and decided to crawl in after it. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen. Right?"

The others, already bribed by Nina, nodded eagerly before seizing the chance to slip away.

Still gasping for air, Rosalie shoved Nina away and snapped, "That's a lie! You shoved my head under the water 19 times!"

Nina ducked behind Brandon, putting on her best innocent look. "Brandon, I didn't do it. You've got to believe me."

Rosalie turned to Brandon, her eyes begging him to be fair.

But he said expressionlessly, "Just get a new earring. That toilet water's gross. Stop fishing around in it."

Nina flashed Rosalie a triumphant smile, looping her arm through Brandon's as they walked out of the restroom together.

Rosalie stood frozen, disbelief rooting her in place. Just like that, Brandon had chosen to believe Nina. He acted like he didn't see the filthy water dripping from Rosalie's clothes.

They had dunked her head in that toilet 19 times. But none of it mattered, not next to Nina's lies.

Rosalie gave a bitter laugh. What a pathetic joke she was. She shut her eyes, her fists clenched in rage as tears of humiliation spilled down her cheeks.

After getting discharged from the hospital and coming home, Rosalie started sorting through her things. She needed to pack up before she left.

The cardboard boxes were filled with years of memories. She had written Brandon 101 love letters, pouring her heart out to him. In return, he'd only ever sent three replies, but she had cherished every single one.

And then there was the saint pendant he'd given her. She'd once mentioned how much she loved the one he wore, and though he wouldn't part with his own, he had a matching one made just for her. Sure, hers was smaller, but just wearing a pendant like his had made her happy back then.

Now, though, she knew the truth. He was only wearing his for Nina's sake. And Rosalie wanted no part of it.

"You're throwing out the saint pendant I gave you?"

Brandon's voice snapped Rosalie out of her thoughts.

She looked up, startled. She hadn't even heard him come in. Now, he stood there with furrowed brows, staring at the cardboard boxes she'd been filling with discarded things.

"I don't want it," Rosalie said flatly.

"Why?" A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he took a step closer. "What's wrong with you all of a sudden?"

Rosalie let out a hollow laugh. Of course, he had no idea why she was upset. His attention had always been fixed on Nina. As for Rosalie? She was just a useful smokescreen for what he really had with Nina.

"Rosalie, you're not a kid anymore. Stop getting worked up over nothing." Brandon sat down beside her. "You can't just throw these away. I gave them to you. You should take care of them. I'll get you new ones if you don't like them anymore. We can go pick out different ones right now."

This was just like him. Worried that his precious smokescreen might disappear, he'd throw her scraps of affection now and then, just enough to keep her hooked. And every time, Rosalie had taken them, savoring them. Even now, she hesitated.

Just then, Brandon's secretary, Trent Crowley, burst into the room, frantic. "Mr. Searle, something terrible has happened! It's about Ms. Monroe!"

Photos from Nina's private party had been leaked online. They showed her half-dressed and pressed up against a group of male escorts. She was even sitting on one's lap in some of the photos. Her behavior was shockingly inappropriate.

Brandon stared at the photos, shock and anger coursing through him until his phone rang.

It was Nina, her voice choked with tears. "Brandon, those photos aren't what they seem. Someone drugged me. This was all a setup by our rivals! I swear, I didn't do any of this!"

With just a few words, Brandon believed her.

She had been drugged. There was nothing she could've done. But now, he was left cleaning up her mess. The photos had already spread too far to be pulled back.

After a brief pause, Brandon turned to Rosalie. "I'll hold a press conference. You'll take the blame for Nina. We'll say it's you in the photos. That should clear her name."

Rosalie went still, and her voice cracked with disbelief. "Nina's reputation matters, but mine is disposable?"

Brandon frowned. "My dad hasn't even been gone that long. If this gets out, it won't just ruin her reputation. It'll damage the Searles' reputation too. But you're different. You don't have to worry about status. A quick statement from you is all it'd take to stop the bad press."

"But I'm a Lardner! Doing this will destroy my parents' reputation!"

Brandon barely let her finish. "Do this for me, and I'll make it up to you. Rosalie, trust me. We'll have a good life together."

Without another word, he shot Trent a sharp look.

Trent called the guards. They gripped Rosalie by the shoulders, escorting her to the press conference venue against her will.