An explosion destroyed my home—completely and without warning.

My father, the project manager, was arrested and eventually died of a heart attack in prison.

The families of the victims, consumed by rage and grief, took it all out on us. They hurled vicious words, beat us and subjected us to unspeakable acts of brutality...

Overnight, my mother, my sister and I became pregnant—carrying children from men we didn’t even know.

My mother collapsed under the weight of it all and took her own life.

My sister ran into the street in hysterics and was hit by a car.

As for me... when my fiancé, James Florr, finally found me, I was curled up beside a trash bin. My lower body was festering, reeking of decay.

He looked down at me with utter contempt.

“Your father killed so many people,” he said coldly. “Your entire family deserves this.”

Then he turned around and married someone else.

Just when I thought I’d rot away in the darkness forever, Nick Regald appeared—like a miracle.

He lifted me from the filth, unbothered by the fact that I could no longer bear children, unshaken by the fact that I had been violated. He cherished me, doted on me and treated me as if I were priceless.

I became the most envied Mrs. Regald in the entire city.

Until one day...

I walked toward his study, holding his watch, planning to return it. But just as I reached the door, I heard voices—words that froze the blood in my veins.

“Tomorrow is Marissa Geyn’s birthday. She invited both of you,” James’s voice rang out clearly.

“You were ruthless back then,” he continued, “pushing the Douglas Family to take the fall and letting the Geyn Family walk away untouched. I remember that favor.”

My legs went weak and I had to brace myself against the wall.

“I can’t stand to see Marissa cries,” Nick’s voice replied gently. “Her father made mistakes and I’ll atone for them. She likes you and I’ll make sure nothing stands in her way.”

James let out a mocking laugh. “Mr. Regald, always so calculating. Aren’t you afraid Elise might one day learn the truth?”

Nick’s tone turned icy. “So what if she does? A woman like her—ruined, broken—should already be grateful she became Mrs. Regald. For Marissa, I’d walk through hell.”

I staggered away from the door.

So all his so-called love... was never for me. His gentleness, his care—they had all been lies, carefully crafted for another woman.

——

I rushed back to my room, heart pounding, only for Nick to enter moments later.

He pulled me into his arms, his fingers brushing gently across my cheek.

“Why do you look so pale? Has Meggy not been taking good care of you?”

Before I could respond, he continued,

“Tomorrow is James' wife's birthday banquet. Come with me?”

He pulled out a velvet box containing a dazzling diamond necklace.

“I was saving this for later,” he said softly as he clasped it around my neck, “but since you're feeling down, consider it an early surprise.”

“Meggy told me you were staring at someone else's child at the mall,” he murmured as he kissed my forehead. “Elise, I've told you—whether you have children or not, I love you.”

A cold chill ran down my spine.

If I hadn’t heard the truth with my own ears just moments ago, I might have believed him again.

***

The next day, I let the maids dress me like a lifeless doll. I wore the gown he picked, the necklace he gave and I walked into the banquet hall holding his hand.

Marissa stood at the center of it all, radiant and adored like a shining star.

This daughter of a chauffeur—once someone who relied entirely on my family’s generosity—had now transformed into a refined lady of high society. I turned and caught the unmistakable softness in Nick’s eyes as he looked at her.

“Miss Douglas has arrived,” Marissa greeted, gliding over to me. She reached up to touch the diamond necklace around her neck.

“Thank you for the gift from your Mr. Regald,” she added with a smirk.

Only then did I notice the necklace she wore—it was from the same collection as mine, but her design was even more extravagant.

A bitter ache twisted inside me.

“I’m no longer Miss Douglas,” I replied calmly. “The Douglas family is long gone.”

Whispers erupted in the crowd around us.

“They say she slept with a bunch of men… her lower body reeks…”

“She even had an abortion…”

“Is it true? Mr. Regald still married her? He must have a big heart.”

Every word was like a dagger, slicing straight through my chest.

I turned to look at Nick.

His gaze never once shifted from Marissa. His eyes were filled with a tenderness I had never seen—never received.

Marissa flashed a bright smile and asked sweetly, “Sister Douglas, what gift did you bring me?”

I forced myself to suppress the rising nausea and took out a delicate, translucent jeweled bracelet.

Just as I was about to hand it to her, she let out a sudden scream. The bracelet shattered as it hit the ground and she stumbled backward dramatically.

“Marissa!” Nick rushed to her side in a blur and shoved me aside.

My knees hit the marble floor with a sickening crack. Pain exploded up my legs, but no one helped me.

“Miss Douglas...” Marissa whimpered tearfully, her voice trembling. “I know you hate me for what happened back then. But... but your father really did kill so many people. I-I just couldn’t go against my conscience...”

Then, as if she had let something slip, she clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Or... are you still upset about James? But the Florr Family’s ancestral rules require marrying a pure woman… and you, Miss... you’ve already had several children…”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

I could feel dozens of camera lenses aimed at me, flashing like judgment. But not a single hand reached out to help me up.

I looked up and saw Nick gently supporting Marissa, his gaze full of concern and tenderness that pierced straight into my heart.

This man who had destroyed my family now stood by and allowed her to humiliate me in public.

“Apologize,” Nick ordered, coldly looking down at me. “Apologize to Marissa. Now.”

Marissa tugged softly on his sleeve, her voice pleading, “Nick, don’t be like this…”

Tears streamed silently down my face.

I swallowed my pride and the pain, my voice trembling as I whispered, “I’m sorry, Miss Geyn... for ruining your mood.”

Nick frowned slightly as he stared at my pale face.

I turned to leave, my dignity in tatters, but a sudden scream behind me made me whirl around.

James was cradling Marissa in his arms, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

“Stop!” Nick shouted as he grabbed my wrist and yanked me back violently.

Among the guests were several doctors. One of them crouched to examine the shattered jewel and suddenly cried out,

“There’s poison on this bracelet!”

Nick seized me by the hair and slapped me so hard my vision went black. My ears rang from the impact.

“Why?” Marissa sobbed weakly in James’s arms. “Why did you want to poison me?”

At the hospital, a team of over fifty medical professionals scrambled to save her.

Meanwhile, I was forced to kneel on the cold floor by bodyguards. James pulled me hard in the chest and shouted,

“If anything happens to my wife, I’ll make sure you pay with your life!”

“Do whatever you want,” Nick’s voice rang out, sharp and cold as a blade.

Just then, a nurse rushed in, breathless.

“The patient is hemorrhaging and needs an immediate transfusion! RH-negative blood!”

Before I could react, Nick grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the blood collection room without a word.

The needle pierced my vein. I flinched, biting my lip to suppress the pain.

“There’s not enough blood. Keep drawing,” Nick barked, staring at the blood bag like it owed him something.

The nurse hesitated as she checked the monitor. “Mr. Regald, her blood pressure is dropping. Taking more could be dangerous…”

“I said keep going!” he roared, slamming the table. “This is the Regald Family’s hospital! Do as you’re told!”

After several more cc’s of blood were drained from me, my vision dimmed. My legs gave out and cold sweat soaked my back.

Nick finally gave the order to stop, but he didn’t spare me a single glance.

He turned and rushed to Marissa’s ward.

I leaned against the wall outside the room, weak and dizzy, watching through the glass as Nick and James stood on either side of her bed.

One gently fed her porridge, blowing on each spoonful to cool it down. The other handed her warm water, whispering softly in her ear.

Then, all of a sudden, I felt a warm, wet sensation sliding down my thigh.

I froze in place.

This wasn’t supposed to be my period.

Then it hit me—I hadn’t had my period in three months.

Ever since that incident, my body had been in terrible shape and irregular cycles had become the norm.

I looked up toward Nick, just as Marissa suddenly shrieked, “Elise! You’re bleeding down there!”

The world tilted, spinning around me.

I collapsed, hitting the ground hard.

When I regained consciousness, voices filtered through the fog of my mind. I could just make out the doctor speaking outside the door.

“Mr. Regald, the lady is pregnant. The blood loss was extreme... the fetus nearly didn’t survive.”

My hand moved instinctively to my lower abdomen.

This unexpected life—so small, so fragile—was like a ray of light piercing through the darkness.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt the flicker of hope.

Then his voice sliced through the haze like a knife.

“Prepare for an abortion,” Nick said coldly from outside the door.

“This child cannot be kept.”

I shut my eyes tightly. My fingers curled into fists beneath the bedsheets.

When the ward finally fell into silence, I summoned what strength I had left, threw off the covers and staggered out of bed.

The bright corridor lights stabbed my eyes.

I fell, got up and fell again—my knees scraped and bleeding, but I kept moving.

Just as I was about to reach the hospital gates, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck.

Everything went blurry.

I could feel the chill of the metal operating table against my skin.

I tried to move, but someone gripped my arm tightly and injected something into me.

The anesthetic took hold.

When I opened my eyes again, the sharp scent of disinfectant overwhelmed me. Nick was seated beside the bed, his expression tight with hesitation.

“Elise,” he finally said, his voice hoarse, “this child… has to go.”

I stared at him, unblinking.

“Marissa’s condition,” he paused, his tone growing softer, “she may need your blood. We can have another child later…”

I turned my face away, tears stinging my eyes.

So that was it.

They never wanted this child in the first place.

“No more...” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Never again…”

“What did you say?” He leaned in, trying to hear me.

Just then, his phone rang.

Marissa’s voice drifted through the speaker.

“Nick, James isn’t here… can you take me for a walk?”

“I’ll be right back,” he said and stood up, his coat sweeping around him as he turned and left.

I lay motionless on the bed as tears slid silently down my cheeks.

The day I was discharged, Nick told me he had a “surprise” waiting at home.

When I opened the door, upbeat music blasted through the room.

“Marissa doesn’t hold it against you for poisoning her,” Nick said gently, wrapping an arm around my waist. “She came to your place just to throw you a party.”

Marissa approached in her heels just as Nick was dragged away by a group of friends to drink.

I turned to face her.

“Marissa, I didn’t poison you,” I said calmly, locking eyes with her.

“What do you want?”

She smiled sweetly, her fingers brushing my cheek.

“Elise, do you honestly believe you’re really Mrs. Regald?”

Leaning in close to my ear, she whispered, “You don’t know, do you? The marriage certificate you have with Nick... it’s fake.”

My blood turned to ice.

I thought back to the day we got “married,” when Nick held me tightly and promised no one would ever hurt me again.

And yet—he hadn’t even given me a real marriage certificate.

“What? Still don’t understand your true place?” Marissa’s lips curled into a mocking smirk.

Suddenly, she seized my wrist and shrieked,

“Don’t push me!”

With one sudden jerk, she dragged me straight into the pool with her.

As the icy water closed in over me, I saw two men on the edge of the pool rushing toward her, completely ignoring me.

The chlorinated water filled my nose and mouth, burning my throat.

I couldn’t breathe.

I sank deeper and deeper into the cold silence.