A doctor from the next ambulance jumped down and saw me covered in blood, still crawling on the ground. Her voice cracked in alarm. "Are you all insane? There's a severely injured person right here. Why isn't anyone helping her?"

My whole body went limp. My limbs gave out, and I collapsed heavily on the ground.

Due to excessive blood loss, I could barely hear the sounds around me. My eyes were nearly closing.

Peyton strode over with complete confidence and told the female doctor, "Doctor, don't bother with her. She's perfectly fine. This is just another one of her little tricks to get my attention."

The doctor's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. She shrieked, "She's dying, and you're telling me not to bother? I'm a doctor. Don't you think I can't tell if someone's faking?"

Her outburst drew others closer. Everyone at the company knew I was Peyton's wife.

Peyton, the company's CEO, looked uncomfortable being watched like this. He landed a kick on me while I was still collapsed on the ground.

"Serena, enough already. You're overdoing it. Don't push your luck. Don't think being my wife means you can slander me in front of my company like this. Keep this act up and I'll have my lawyer sue you."

When I gave no response, Peyton crouched down, grabbed my face, and forced me to look up. He ordered, "Serena, speak. Tell them the truth. Or they'll think I'm bullying you."

Seeing that my eyes were half-closed and I still looked half-dead, Peyton lost his patience and slapped me across the face.

The slap yanked me back from the edge of unconsciousness. Through the burning pain, the first words I heard were, "Speak, Serena! Say you're faking it. Say you're just playing the victim like always."

I shook my head, unable to speak. My hand unconsciously moved to my stomach.

A mother's instinct made me want to protect my child first, even in danger.

Peyton followed my hand and saw me still touching my stomach. He let out a cold snort. "You're really committed to this act, aren't you? What, are you going to tell me you're pregnant?"

At those words, my tears finally broke free, rolling down from my bloodshot eyes.

Yes, we did have a child together, but the child had just left me.

Seeing me cry, Peyton rolled his eyes in contempt. "You can cry on command, huh? With acting skills like that, it's a waste you didn't pursue acting."

He looked up at the female doctor and the crowd. "See? I told you she's acting. She's so guilty now that she can't even speak. Alright, everyone. Nothing to see here."

The female doctor panicked and pushed Peyton aside. "You're insane! Can't you see she's hemorrhaging from a miscarriage? If she doesn't get to a hospital, she'll die."

Peyton stumbled backward and landed on his rear. His first reaction was not to look at me but to demand harshly, "Did Serena pay you to say that?"

This time, even my colleagues who were watching from the sidelines could not stand it anymore.

They shouted, "Mr. Shepherd, Serena is your wife! You've been married for ten years. How can you not believe her?"

Peyton scoffed. "If Serena's really pregnant, then good riddance to the baby."

His eyes darkened. "I haven't touched her in years. A woman carrying some bastard child has no right to be my wife."

Hearing this, I closed my eyes in despair.

That was true. Ever since Hannah appeared, forget sharing a bed, Peyton barely came home anymore. However, that night when he got drunk, he mistook me for Hannah and forced himself on me.

If Peyton knew the child I just lost was his, would he feel even a shred of regret?

At the same time, I made a silent vow. If I survived this, I would sever all ties with Peyton.

The kindhearted female doctor dragged me over and called the nearby nurse to help lift me onto a stretcher. I went into the ambulance for emergency treatment.

Just as I thought I had a chance at survival, Hannah ran over.

She pointed at me and shouted, "Doctor, don't save her. She deserves to die! She's the one who started the fire!"

Hannah held up her phone to show everyone the video.

The footage showed me carrying a cardboard box into the storage room. Not long after, a fire broke out in the storage room. Soon, the flames spread, and everyone in the company was trapped.

Hannah pointed at me and accused loudly, "It was her! She secretly started the fire in the storage room. She caused the company massive losses and got all of us caught up in this."

After hearing that, Peyton shoved aside the doctor and nurses trying to save me.

He grabbed my collar viciously. "Serena, I gave you a job out of kindness. Is this how you repay me? You know this company is my life's work, yet you set fire to it! What gives you the right to hop on an ambulance? You should go straight to prison!"

As he spoke, he dragged me by the collar, pulling me away.

While dragging me, he shouted, "Officer, I've found the arsonist! Arrest her and take her to jail! Legal team! Where's the company's legal team? Start drafting documents to sue her in court. I'm going to make this stupid woman pay for what she's done!"

Under Peyton's violent dragging, my collar tightened around my neck until I could barely breathe.

My subordinate, Sophia Carter, finally could not stand it anymore. She rushed over and pried Peyton's hands open, allowing me to catch my breath.

My face had turned purple from the suffocation. I coughed violently.

Sophia held me protectively, tears streaming down her face in distress. "Serena, why do you have to go through this..."

Peyton's expression darkened. "Sophia, you're my employee. Are you taking Serena's side now? If you dare say one word in her defense today, don't bother coming to work tomorrow."

Everyone fell silent at his words. Who would dare interfere in the CEO's family affairs and voluntarily lose their job?

I pushed Sophia, telling her to leave quickly. However, Sophia refused.

She turned to Peyton and shouted, "Mr. Shepherd, Hannah's video doesn't prove anything. You're the company's CEO. Can't you make a fair judgment?"

Peyton snorted dismissively. "Serena carried a cardboard box into the storage room for no reason. Isn't that suspicious? And after the fire started, she had a rescue rope and a protective mask. If she wasn't the arsonist, why would she have those things?"

Sophia felt indignant on my behalf. Her voice nearly broke as she said, "Serena is the administrative director. Normally, she wouldn't need to move things into the storage room herself.

"But with the company's declining performance these past two years, she's been moving inventory herself to save on labor costs.

"As for the fire safety equipment you mentioned, she prepared it long ago. Serena discovered fire hazards in the company ages ago and gave every single one of us an escape kit."

Peyton's expression changed. He said sharply, "You're lying! If everyone had one, why didn't Hannah and I get them?"

Sophia's eyes turned red as she pointed at Hannah. "Then you should ask her! Where did she put the things Serena distributed?"

Hannah's whole body trembled, and she waved her hands defensively. "Mr. Shepherd, I didn't. I didn't pocket them."

Hannah's inadvertent confession made Peyton's expression darken. Sophia looked at my stomach as tears poured down her face. She sobbed as she spoke to me. "Serena, the baby... Is the baby gone?"

Peyton flinched and demanded, "Baby? What baby?"

I shook my head, signaling Sophia to stop talking.

Peyton realized something. He moved toward me, desperate for answers, but just then, the police arrived.

"We heard you caught the arsonist. Who is it?"