Hadden’s furrowed brows remained unsettled. “Louisa, do you have to force me like this?”

Louisa retorted, “No, you’re the one forcing me.”

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the hospital suddenly called Louisa. “Miss Hicks, the hospital has just received a new batch of a special medicine. Would you like to come and take a look?”

Louisa burst into tears of joy. Her father was finally saved. She rushed to the hospital, with Hadden accompanying her.

At the hospital, Harvey’s attending physician said that this was likely the last batch of the special medicine. If Harvey didn’t receive it this time, there would truly be no chance.

Louisa immediately paid for the medicine. She asked, “Doctor, can the surgery be arranged immediately?”

She had encountered such hope many times in the past year, but all of them had ultimately been dashed. She feared that things might change if she delayed.

The doctor said, “Miss Hicks, your father’s surgery is very difficult, especially considering he also suffered a severe stroke. In the entire capital city, only Dr. Cole can perform this type of comprehensive surgery.”

Before Louisa could speak, Hadden said, “Louisa, I’ll perform Dad’s surgery. This time, I definitely won’t let you down.”

Louisa didn’t believe him and was about to refuse when the attending physician added, “Miss Hicks, since Dr. Cole is willing, the chances of success are very high. Otherwise, it would be difficult for anyone else to perform such a complex surgery. Moreover, Dr. Cole performed a similar surgery a year ago. If he can lead the operation, it will be foolproof.”

Louisa knew Hadden’s skills were excellent, but his heart was with Janice. She was afraid.

Hadden hugged Louisa and said earnestly, “Louisa, he’s not only your father and my father-in-law, but also my friend of many years. This time, I will definitely cure him. Trust me.”

Louisa had no choice but to agree to let Hadden perform her father’s surgery. “Hadden, don’t disappoint me this time.”

“Louisa, don’t worry, I won’t let you go without a father.”

Because it was already too late and there were still many pre-operative examinations to be done. Finally, the surgery was scheduled for tomorrow morning.

To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Louisa asked Hadden to stay at the hospital to rest that night and to have the surgery immediately after the pre-operative examinations the next morning.

Midway through, Hadden went out to answer a phone call, while Louisa went to help her father with the paperwork.

Just as she returned, she saw that Janice had also arrived and Hadden was affectionately wiping away her tears.

Standing beside them were several of Hadden's close friends, who teased him with smiles. “Hadden, Janice couldn’t reach you and cried so hard. Only you could comfort her.”

Janice buried her head in the man’s chest, staring at him with teary eyes. “Hadden, I heard Miss Hicks and you had another fight. Will you get tired of me because of this and stop caring about me?”

Before Hadden could speak, his friends started teasing him. “How could that be? We all call you ‘little sister-in-law’ in private. Everyone knows how much Hadden favors you. Even if he divorces Louisa, he won’t abandon you.”

Janice smiled smugly, then lowered her head shyly, saying, “You all just talk nonsense. Miss Hicks will be unhappy if she hears this.”

The crowd laughed, while Louisa stood not far away, scoffing, “Knowing I’d be unhappy, you still dared to come to the hospital to seduce a married man. Are you shameless?”

Louisa’s sudden appearance startled those who had just talked behind her back. The group froze, quickly offering apologetic smiles. “Sister-in-law, we were just joking, don’t take it to heart.”

Louisa raised her eyes, coldly staring at him. “Tomorrow I’ll introduce your wife to a male model, let her experience the allure of freshness.”

The man's expression hardened, Louisa scoffed, “Why the sudden change of heart? I was just joking too. Is it funny?”

Louisa rarely interfered in their squabbles, but when she did speak up, it made everyone lose face. She walked straight over, grabbing Hadden to leave. “Come with me.”

Tomorrow was her father’s surgery, Hadden had to stay with her. But Janice refused to let go. “Hadden, today is my birthday, you promised me you’d celebrate it with me this year.”

Louisa finally couldn’t hold back and slapped her hard. “Janice, are all the men in the world dead? Why did you have to find a married man to celebrate your birthday with you?”

Janice’s face immediately showed five handprints, her eyes bloodshot. Hadden forcefully shook off Louisa’s hand, staring at Janice with heartache. “Louisa, you’ve gone too far! Apologize!”

Within a year, this was the 72nd time Hadden had made her apologize to Janice. No matter what happened, who was right and who was wrong, Hadden would only make her bow her head to Janice.

Before, for her father’s sake, for the sake of the divorce, she had endured it again and again. But now, she didn’t want to endure it anymore. “Hadden, it’s not my fault and I’m not the one who should apologize!”

Janice said, her eyes red, “Forget it, Hadden, it’s my fate to be beaten, I deserve it. Don’t argue with Miss Hicks anymore because of me.”

The more sensible Janice appeared, the deeper Hadden’s guilt towards her became. Hadden lowered his gaze, threateningly stating, “Louisa, if you don’t apologize today, I won’t perform the surgery tomorrow.”

Louisa stared at him blankly. So, his father’s life was so worthless in his eyes. For Janice, he could actually watch his father die.

That was right, he wouldn’t die anyway. This wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this. But when they first got together, Hadden had always treated her like royalty. So, new love could never compare to old flame.

Louisa’s back bent again. She stared at Hadden and asked, “If I apologize, will you definitely perform the surgery?”

The man replied decisively, “Yes! But this time, I want you to kneel before Janice yourself. Louisa, after so many times, it’s time you learned your lesson.”

Louisa’s eyes were filled with disbelief. The man who wouldn’t even let her kneel before her parents was now making her kneel before a mistress.

Louisa knew she had no choice. She admitted she’d been blind to have chosen the wrong person. She slowly knelt, the cold air biting at her, but not as painful as the chill in her heart.

“Miss Sharp, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit you. Please forgive me.”

Janice didn’t dare make a scene in front of Hadden, so she feigned generosity, saying, “Miss Hicks, please get up. We’re all sisters. let’s get along better from now on.”

Just as Janice was about to help Louisa up, Hadden stopped her. “No need to help her. Let her kneel here tonight to sober up, so she won’t cause trouble again in the future.”

Hadden said he needed her to have surgery tomorrow, so she couldn’t get up tonight. Finally, he took Janice away to celebrate her birthday.

Louisa, on the other hand, knelt in the corridor all night, with passersby pointing and whispering. But for her father’s surgery, she could endure it all.

When dawn broke, Louisa slowly got up, but her knees were throbbing with pain. On their wedding day, Hadden skipped the step where the bride and groom where supposed to kneel before their parents.

He said, “My woman doesn’t need to kneel before anyone.”

So, “anyone” didn’t include Janice. Louisa’s throat tightened, suppressing all her emotions and she limped to the hospital to take her father for a checkup.

But she found Hadden wasn’t there again. She had apologized last night and she had even knelt. she thought Hadden would keep his promise. She called Hadden many times, but he didn’t answer.

Two hours later, Hadden finally answered. He said he had taken Janice to Linkon.

Although Janice’s cancer was cured, there was still a risk of recurrence. Last night, a medical doctor in Linkon said he had developed a new experimental pod that could provide special treatment for recovered cancer patients, greatly reducing the probability of a second cancer attack.

“Louisa, I know about Dad’s condition. He can wait a little longer. I’ve rescheduled the surgery. I’ll definitely have it done next Wednesday.”

Perhaps afraid of upsetting Louisa, he hung up immediately after speaking, turning off his phone.

She repeatedly texted Hadden and even Janice, begging her to spare her family’s life.

But no one responded, until Harvey condition suddenly worsened and the doctor said immediate surgery was necessary.

Louisa pleaded in a trembling voice, “I don’t want Hadden to do the surgery anymore. Please, please operate on my father and save his life.”

It wasn’t that the doctor didn’t want to help, but he was powerless. He sighed and said, “Miss Hicks, the special medicine from last night was kept by Dr. Cole. We can’t contact him now. Without this medicine, the surgery won’t be effective.”

Louisa reviewed all the hospital’s surveillance footage and discovered that Janice had taken the special medicine. Janice, it was her again!

Louisa was driven to despair and cried bitterly. He’d gone, the medicine was gone, who could save her father now?

She sought help from everyone she could, but they all said there was nothing they could do, nothing could be done.

At four o’clock in the afternoon, her father’s condition worsened, but Louisa, preoccupied with pleading for help, didn’t even get to see him one last time. When she rushed back to the hospital, the doctor left her her father’s will.

“Louisa, your father is old. The torment of illness these past years has long since made me lose hope for life, but you are still young. Your future shouldn't be like this. Your father can see you are unhappy.”

“Get a divorce, child. When you were very young, I left you a fund with $1,400 million dollars in it, enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Louisa, live well and above all, love yourself.”

Louisa was heartbroken and finally fainted from crying. In her dreams, she repeatedly dreamt of her father’s constant interference with her relationship with Hadden.

For Hadden, she had severed ties with her father, run away from home and even rebelliously moved out of the Hicks Family home, not contacting her father for nearly six months.

But now she regretted it. She was wrong. She shouldn’t have disobeyed her father. She was the one who caused her father’s death. Louisa was unconscious for three days and three nights, in a daze.

When she woke up, she still had a low-grade fever, but her father’s funeral could not be delayed any longer. She held the funeral for her father alone.

She invited her father’s friends, but when they heard that Hadden wasn’t there, they all made excuses not to come.

The wealthy women in her social circle were also placing bets, calculating when Louisa, this orphan, would be kicked out of her home.

On her phone, she saw a message from Hadden: [Louisa, Janice and I are getting off the plane soon. I’ll have Dad’s surgery next week. There won’t be any more accidents this time.]

They had half an hour before landing. Louisa got up and went to the convenience store next door to buy a fruit knife. A life for a life. Janice needed to pay with her life.

As soon as Hadden and Janice left the airport, Louisa rushed at them with the fruit knife, her eyes bloodshot. “Janice, you’ll pay for my father’s life!”

Before the fruit knife could even hurt Janice, Hadden kicked her away, injuring her instead.

A gash several centimeters long was cut on her arm and blood gushed out, staining the ground red. Hadden’s eyes showed no pity, his voice sharp as he rebuked her, “Louisa, why do you still refuse to learn your lesson? Now you even dare to commit murder!”

Louisa’s face contorted like a madwoman. “Janice took my father’s special medicine! She killed my father! She deserves to die! Hadden, my father was once your close friend! For Janice, have you lost all conscience?!”

Hadden had just gotten off the plane and was unaware of Harvey situation. He frowned and said, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Janice, understanding Louisa’s motives, fearing she would reveal the truth, quickly said, “Hadden, please stop. Miss Hicks seems to be experiencing mental problems. We’re all friends, I won’t hold it against her, but Miss Hicks’s mental state seems problematic. I think it’s best to send her to a mental hospital for treatment for a while.”

Seeing Louisa’s crazed state, Hadden, fearing she might do something drastic, had his assistant take her to a mental hospital. “Louisa, go get treatment first. Once you’re better, I’ll take you home.”

Louisa’s mouth was gagged with a strip of cloth and she was forcibly dragged away. She shook her head in despair. No, she had no home anymore.

On her first day imprisoned, Louisa was tied to the bed and repeatedly electrocuted until she lost control of her bladder and bowels.

On the second day, she was force-fed various kinds of medicine. When she refused to take them, they were poured into her nose through a tube. Each time she was close to death, the doctor would stop at the perfect moment.

Louisa stared at the ceiling in despair, unable to distinguish between day and night. For a fleeting moment, she even vaguely saw her deceased father. Was she about to die? Her father had come to take her away.