A sharp pain spread across my face, and blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. I turned my head to wipe the blood away, my mind reeling from the shock.

I found myself laughing through my tears. I never expected Lance would actually hit me for Ella.

Six years ago, when I threw myself in front of that knife for him, he promised no one would ever hurt me again. He swore he would protect me for the rest of my life. But now he was protecting someone else and hurting me instead.

He had changed after all. Or perhaps I had never really known him to begin with.

Ella clutched his arm tightly, her voice pitiful as she said, "Honey, she pushed me."

Lance glared at me, his voice sharp with accusation. "Lisa, do you think just because you've been by my side for years, you can bully her? Didn't I tell you not to show up in front of her?"

I pressed my lips together and said nothing. He stepped closer and gripped my chin forcefully, making me look up at him.

"From now on, stay away when you see her. If you dare bully her again, I'll break both your hands."

Tears fell uncontrollably from my eyes, dropping one by one onto the back of his hand. But he remained unmoved. The coldness in his eyes couldn't have been any colder.

I bit my lip hard, digging my nails into my palms as I tried to suppress the grief welling up inside me. Seeing the stubborn yet desolate look in my eyes, he finally released me.

I wiped away my useless tears and turned to leave. But after just a few steps, I heard Ella's wounded voice call out.

"Wait. Give me the ring on your finger."

I stopped in my tracks, my gaze involuntarily drawn to the ring on my finger. This was a Hartley family heirloom Lance gave me after I took that knife for him.

Back then, I lay in the ER, covered in blood. Even the doctors said there was no hope for me. Lance pushed past everyone into the ER, fell to his knees in front of me, and cried out my name.

Everyone told him there was no hope and to let me go, but he refused, shaking me again and again. He even promised to marry me and slipped his family's heirloom ring on my finger.

"You have to marry me. You're not allowed to die. Do you hear me? You're not allowed to die!"

At the sound of his desperate, anguished cries, my heart began to respond.

The doctors immediately launched another round of resuscitation efforts. After a few harrowing minutes, my heartbeat stabilized. I managed to survive once the surgery was over.

After that, I never took the ring off. It stayed on my finger all this time.

And now, Ella wanted it.

I instinctively looked at Lance, seeking his opinion. He hesitated for just a moment before saying, "Give it to her."

I froze for a second. The sorrow in my eyes gradually settled into calm. I quickly removed the ring and dropped it on the ground.

Seeing what I did, he grew furious. Through gritted teeth, he snarled, "Lisa, is this how you treat something I gave you? You just threw it away?"

I looked at him with cold, desolate eyes. "Didn't you tell me to give it to her?"

He snapped back angrily, "But you don't have to be so rude about it!"

I smiled coldly. "We're done. What right do you have to tell me what to do?"

He looked taken aback. Though he was clearly furious and ready to explode, he found himself at a loss for words when he saw the reckless expression on my face.

Just then, the sharp crack of gunfire echoed in the distance. A fierce gust of wind cut past my ear. The gunfire drew closer, and everyone present scattered in panic.

Lance looked worried and started to move toward me, but Ella's terrified cry stopped him.

"Lance, I'm scared! Save me!"

He immediately pulled her down and covered her body with his, shielding her from the incoming gunfire.

I didn't move. When the bullet pierced through my chest, the pain left me completely drained. All the love, hate, and resentment suddenly felt meaningless. I supposed when death was this close, nothing else mattered.

As I fell, I looked at Lance one last time. He held Ella tightly against him, his hands carefully cradling the back of her head, terrified she might get hurt.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital.

I wasn't dead. That was something, at least.

The door swung open, and Ella walked in, her face etched with displeasure. "You're still alive after all that? I guess cockroaches really are hard to kill."

Seeing her brought back images of Lance abandoning me and slapping me. The pain in my chest was unbearable.

Exhausted, I closed my eyes and ignored her, but she kept smugly showing off.

"By now, you should understand that I'm the one he cares about. You've seen with your own eyes that when it came down to life and death, he chose me."

She deliberately yanked off my blanket to provoke me. The cold air hit me, and I shivered, opening my eyes to glare at her.

Her expression shifted, and she warned me viciously, "If you dare to come back after you leave, I'll kill you. Next time, it won't just be a bullet through your chest."

Her words made me suspicious instantly. I asked directly, "You were behind the assassination attempt?"

She nodded, admitting it.

I was shocked by her audacity. I was already leaving, yet she still felt the need to go this far. Did she really hate me that much?

No, she was trying to destroy me completely.

She was afraid that I still had feelings for Lance and would come back for him. So, she orchestrated this whole thing to show me how heartless he was and make me give up on him for good. And I had seen it clearly.

I was speechless. I reached out to pull the blanket back, but she threw it on the floor, refusing to let me have it.

Furious, I got out of bed and shouted at her, "Ella Monroe, you're jealous and cruel. You're nothing but an evil demon hiding behind a pretty face. You'll get what's coming to you sooner or later."

I moved to pick up the blanket, but she grabbed it and wouldn't let go. We struggled over it together.

Furious, I reached out and shoved her. She used the momentum to stumble backward several steps and crashed into the wall.

At that exact moment, Lance walked in and saw her hit the wall. He rushed over to her with concern. "Are you okay?"

Ella shook her head and immediately started complaining. "I came to check on her, and she got angry and cursed at me. Then she threw the blanket on the floor. I was trying to help her pick it up when she pushed me."

She had already used that trick on me twice. Still, Lance glared at me furiously. "Lisa, why did you push her again? This is too much!"

His voice rose even more. "I know you're upset that I'm marrying her, but you can't take it out on her. You need to know your place and stop trying to cause trouble just to get my attention."

He paused, then added a stern warning. "If you dare bully her again, I'll make sure you regret it."

As I watched him defend her over and over, proving his love for her through his actions, my heart was torn to shreds. I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling as though it were being sliced by knives.

I forced down the pain, my voice coming out calm but heavy. "You don't need to remind me. I know we're done, and you're not worth any more of my time."

I turned and walked away with steady steps. Though I moved slowly, I couldn't stand to look at them anymore. The pain in my heart seemed to spread through my entire body.

My wound tore open from the movement, and blood seeped out, staining my hospital gown. My head spun so badly that I had to brace myself against the wall to keep from falling.

Lance looked conflicted and quickly came over to support me, holding my arm. "Stop being stubborn. Go back to your room and rest. You can leave once your wound has healed."

I wanted to push him away, but I didn't have the strength.

Seeing that I wasn't moving, his tone became commanding. "Listen to me. Go lie down right now."

I still didn't move, and the atmosphere grew awkward.

Unable to stand it any longer, Ella broke the silence. "Lance, I feel so dizzy. Come help me."

Lance looked at Ella clutching her head, his face torn with indecision. Just then, a pair of strong hands reached over and forcefully pushed him aside. I was swiftly swept up into someone's arms.

Seeing who it was, I relaxed and let him hold me. His familiar, handsome face finally put me at ease.

Lance and Ella stared at the newcomer, completely stunned and momentarily speechless.

Peter Hawthorne's cold gaze swept over Lance as he declared possessively, "She's mine—the future Mrs. Hawthorne. You don't need to concern yourself with her."