Two days later, Ethan’s fever finally subsided, and I brought him home.

Before leaving, I wanted to personally erase every trace of myself from this house.

I had carefully preserved everything Victor gave me—our souvenirs, memories of a time I once cherished. Now, they were easy to pack away.

I only kept my computer, a few sets of clothes, and Ethan’s baby essentials. Everything else, I boxed up and asked property management to collect.

Ethan played quietly on the sofa, his tiny hands probing the gaps between the cushions. With a proud giggle, he held up his “trophy.”

It was Victor’s ring.

Our wedding ring—the one that witnessed our vows and symbolized our promises.

Now, it lay forgotten in the crack of a sofa. Seeing it again, my mind flooded with memories of this shattered marriage.

When I first heard Victor was caught in the earthquake, I nearly miscarried from the shock.

At the time, with his life hanging in balance, I did everything I could to protect our baby.

Six months later, Victor came home. That very day, our child was lost.

I had simply reached out to pat Vanessa Bright’s head, to welcome her into our home as family.

But she suddenly snapped—violently slamming her arms into my belly and shoving me to the ground.

The child I had fought so hard to save was gone, just like that.

Victor said she had post-traumatic stress,and told me not to blame her—blame him instead.

But he had just escaped death. How could I bring myself to blame him?

So in the end, I swallowed the grief alone.

After that, Victor treated me better—twice as attentive, even.

But I still noticed the changes in him.

At first, he would wake in the night from nightmares—the earthquake haunting his sleep.

Later, once I was asleep, he’d quietly slip into Vanessa Bright’s room.

Only her scent in the darkness could bring him rest. He’d fall asleep beside her and return to me before dawn.

Eventually, he stopped hiding it. He stayed out all night. Even when I caught him coming out of her room in the morning, he’d greet me with a calm, “Good morning. Is breakfast ready?”

I pitied him for the trauma he endured. And since I knew—at first—they were really just sleeping, I tolerated it all.

Until one day, Victor came home with the scent of roses on him.

The scent lingered for three days. Even though he stayed in our bed those nights, it clung to him.

Vanessa Bright had grown up, and everything between them had changed.

He would take the wildflowers she picked from the roadside and turn them into everlasting bouquets—while tossing the lilies I’d bought for our home into the trash, just because they masked her rose scent.

He’d keep me tending the stove for ten hours to make tonic soup, only to dump it out because she didn’t like it, even though it was brewed for him.

He’d leave me alone on our anniversary just to stay by her side, worried she might feel lonely.

The dream was broken, and it was time to wake up.

The person who meant more to Victor than his life... was no longer me. It was his little rose.

I didn’t care anymore. In five days, I would vanish from his world without a trace.

A knock came at the door. I assumed it was the property staff, but when I opened it, it was Victor.

His face was dark, as if he had come to confront me about something.

But then his eyes fell on the items I had sorted on the floor, and he froze.

“You’re... throwing these away?” He picked up a cup. “Isn’t this your favorite? You use it every day.”

His confusion pierced me like a knife.

It had been a matching set of couple mugs, custom-made by the two of us. But because Vanessa Bright liked it, Victor had given her his.

The next day, her cup shattered. After that, I never used mine again.

It had been a full year. And he never even noticed.

“It’s useless now, so I’m tossing it,” I said calmly, then changed the subject. “Did Vanessa Bright find it?”

Victor’s voice turned icy. “You still have the nerve to bring up Vanessa?”

He looked at me—eyes full of loathing.

When Vanessa Bright walked in, I almost didn’t recognize her.

Just five days ago, she was as radiant as a blooming flower. Now, her cheeks were swollen, the corners of her mouth cracked, and bruises mottled her exposed wrists—so severe they were horrifying to look at.

“Claire!” She dropped to her knees the moment she saw me, the dull thud of bone against the floor echoing sharply. “Please let me go. I can’t take it anymore!”

Instinctively, I stepped back. “What are you talking about?”

“They make you train day and night. You’re not even allowed to eat!” She lifted her skirt, revealing dark scars on her waist. “I fainted from hunger and exhaustion. They whipped me awake with a leather strap!”

“That’s impossible!” I blurted out. Before agreeing to send her there, I had thoroughly vetted the company—they had no record of mistreating trainees.

Vanessa Bright’s tears splashed onto the floor. “It’s true! Please don’t make me go back. I can’t be a trainee anymore!”

A chill ran through me. “What do you mean I’m forcing you? You told me it was your dream. You begged me to help you!”

“I never had a dream. I just wanted to stay by Victor’s side.”

Then she turned to Victor with a heartbreaking expression. “Victor, training is too hard. I really can’t handle it. Can I stay with you instead? I promise I’ll be good.”

Victor reached out, gently patting her head and helping her up.

When he turned to me, his gaze was as cold as a blade of ice. “Why did you force her?”

“I didn’t!” I protested, my voice trembling. “She begged me to go! I investigated that company—they don’t treat people like that. There must be some kind of misunderstanding—”

“Look at her injuries,” Victor cut in, his brow furrowed. “What misunderstanding could explain this?”

“Since you refuse to admit it, then you should experience the same suffering Vanessa did. Think of it as penance.”

I tried to speak, but he was already dragging me to the storage room. His grip was so tight on my wrist that I felt the bruise forming instantly.

He called Vanessa Bright over and told her to bring Ethan.

Victor had always been gentle with our son. So when Ethan saw him, he giggled, stretched out his little arms, and nestled against him, seeking affection.

But Victor didn’t respond. With a cold expression, he peeled the child from his neck and shoved him into my arms.

“Vanessa was beaten. I won’t lay a hand on you—but your son will suffer with you instead.”

“Victor!” I clung to his arm. “I swear, I didn’t do anything! We can check the cameras—call the police!”

“So now you’re saying Vanessa is lying?” Victor’s voice dropped, trying to stay calm. “Who would do this to themselves just to frame someone?”

“I’ve raised Vanessa for six years. I know her—she’s gentle, kind, pure.”

“But you...” His eyes turned colder than ever. I felt like a stranger under his gaze. “Claire, when did you become so cruel? You would even harm a little girl?”

It felt like my soul was being dragged into a frozen abyss.

We had known each other for sixteen years. We shared a bed for six.

Yet all it took was Vanessa Bright’s tears to erase everything.

The storage room door slammed shut, plunging us into darkness. Ethan’s cries filled the air, loud and desperate.

The hot, dusty air choked us. My baby, still recovering from illness, thrashed restlessly in my arms. His cries turned from sharp wails to broken, hoarse sobs.

“Victor! Open the door! He’s burning up again!” I pounded the door with all my strength, my palms going numb. “He was just released from the hospital! His wounds haven’t healed! He’ll die in here!”

“Victor, punish me—hit me if you want! But save Ethan!”

“He’s your son, too! I’m begging you!”

Silence.

Only silence.

I slid down to the floor, my body trembling. It felt as if my heart had been carved out of my chest while I was still alive.

Ethan’s cries began to fade. His breath grew shallow.

“Ethan! Don’t fall asleep!” I slapped his cheek gently. “Baby, look at Mommy!”

His lips parted slightly, making a faint sound, but his eyes never opened.

“Ethan!”

Vanessa Bright suddenly pushed the door open.

I froze, then rushed to her. “Vanessa Bright, please! Call Doctor Ethan! He needs fever medicine!”

She was my only hope. For Ethan’s sake, I could beg—even if she was the reason we were locked in here.

A faint, unreadable smile curled on Vanessa Bright’s lips. She opened her hand. “You mean this?”

“Yes! That’s it! Thank you!” I reached out, but just as I was about to take it, she flipped her hand—and the pill fell to the floor.

I scrambled to pick it up, but she pressed her foot down and ground it onto the floor.

“I thought he’d die in the desert. He’s really lucky.”

I stared blankly at the crushed white powder.

Vanessa Bright pinched my chin and leaned close. “Claire, listen to me. Victor and I are bound by life and death. We’re fated.”

“Do you know what he said when he held me? He said he couldn’t sleep next to you. Only my scent gives him peace.”

I bit my lip hard, trying to contain the wave of pain in my chest. I remembered clearly—after our first night together, Victor held me close and whispered, ‘I can’t sleep without your scent anymore.’

“He doesn’t love you, Claire.” Vanessa Bright’s voice was soft, but every word cut deep.

“Why couldn’t you just let go? Why give birth to a child just to trap Victor?”

My entire body got cold. I hugged Ethan tighter and asked slowly, “Did you do all this on purpose—just to take Victor from me?”

“Not entirely,” Vanessa Bright tilted her head, smiling sweetly as she spoke with venom. “I also wanted to watch you suffer.”

“You and I are both orphans. So why did you get adopted by the Boone family and marry Victor, while I had to trail behind without a name or title?”

I said, “Victor mentioned adopting you. It was you who—”

“Who wants to be his adopted daughter?!” She screamed, cutting me off. “I’m his destined one! His wife!”

Her fingers slid across my belly and jabbed at Ethan’s flushed cheek. “When your baby died back then, I was thrilled.”

My pupils contracted.

She continued calmly, “Victor protected me. Even though I killed his child, he still protected me.”

“That’s when I knew—he belonged to me.”

Her nails dug into Ethan’s cheek, making him cry out in pain.

I grabbed her wrist. “Don’t touch my child!”

Suddenly, Vanessa Bright stumbled back with a gasp of fear.

“Ah—!” Her forehead slammed into the door handle, and blood poured down her face.

“Vanessa!” Victor rushed in and immediately wrapped her in his arms, trying to stop the bleeding. “Housekeeper, call a doctor!”

Vanessa Bright leaned limply into his chest. “Victor, I’m okay. Ethan has a fever—let the doctor check him first.”

Then she looked at me with watery eyes. “I just wanted to give him medicine… Why did you push me?”

Tears mixed with blood slid down her face.

Victor’s gaze filled with anguish. He turned to me, voice low and cold. “Claire, why can’t you be more tolerant?”

“She fell on her own!” I pointed to the crushed powder. “She even destroyed Ethan’s medicine!”

His eyes dropped to the floor, and for a moment, I saw hesitation flicker across his face.

He knew how much I longed for Ethan. I had waited six years to become a mother—he knew I would never risk my son’s life.

A sliver of hope rose in me. “Victor, Ethan’s fever—”

Before I could finish, Vanessa Bright burst into tears. “It’s my sister! She said Ethan would rather die than take my medicine! Victor, please help him—he’s really sick!”

Victor gently caressed her face. “Even like this, you’re still thinking of him.”

Then he stood and approached me.

I will never forget the way he looked at me in that moment.

“Claire,” he said, his voice soft but sharp, “I never imagined your jealousy would blind you to your own child’s suffering.”

He held out his hand. There was no anger in his tone—only calm finality.

“Give me Ethan.”