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.”

I instinctively held the child tighter. “What are you trying to do?”

“How can I be at ease letting Ethan stay with you in your condition?”

“No!” I staggered back. “He’s my son! I won’t be separated from him!”

Victor’s gaze turned ice-cold as he forcefully pulled Ethan from my arms. The child wailed again, his cries piercing.

“Give him back to me!” I lunged forward, but he kicked me away. My waist slammed into the sharp corner of the cabinet, and a low cry of pain escaped my lips.

Victor hesitated for a moment, his back stiffening, but he never turned around. He helped Vanessa Bright up and left—carrying my son.

The door shut behind them. Before the last sliver of light vanished, I was consumed by darkness.

When I regained consciousness, everything was bathed in stark white.

It was the bedroom ceiling. I turned my head and saw Victor asleep beside the bed. He stirred the moment I moved, and his fingers lightly brushed my cheek. “You’re awake. Do you feel unwell?”

“I…” My throat was dry and raspy, barely able to form words.

Victor quickly held a cup to my lips. “You’ve been unconscious for a whole day and night. Why didn’t you tell me you had hypoglycemia? Do you know how scared I was when you collapsed?”

His worry and concern looked sincere—so much so that, for a fleeting second, I almost forgot he had locked me and our child in that storage room.

That gentleness nearly deceived me. Almost.

One day and one night. That meant in just four more days, I could finally leave him.

I struggled to sit up. “Where’s Ethan?”

He gently pushed me back down. “Don’t worry, Vanessa’s looking after him.”

“What?” My heart clenched. I instantly pushed him away and got out of bed.

The moment my feet hit the floor, Victor grabbed my wrist and threw me back down.

“What are you doing?” He shut his eyes, clearly trying to restrain his anger. “Claire, you need to rest now.”

Fear and fury surged through me. “You left my child with Vanessa Bright—how do you expect me to rest?”

“Claire!” Victor’s rage erupted. He paced beside the bed several times before finally snapping, “Why are you so hostile toward Vanessa? Didn’t you two used to get along?”

“Yes,” I laughed bitterly, “I once treated her like a sister. But what did she do? Have you ever asked? Have you bothered to find out?”

“You—”

A woman’s scream and a baby’s cry suddenly rang out from the next room.

I shoved Victor aside and rushed to the nursery. The sight before me turned my blood to ice.

Ethan was lying on his back in the crib, face flushed red, his tiny body convulsing with harsh coughs. Vomited milk stained his cheeks, his chest, and the sheets.

Vanessa Bright stood to the side, wiping her clothes with a baby wipe, her face twisted in frustration.

I hurriedly scooped up Ethan, patting his back anxiously. As I drew closer, I saw red rashes blooming across his forehead and chest.

Victor was the first to turn to Vanessa Bright. “How did this happen?”

I demanded, “Vanessa Bright, what did you give him?”

She shook her head. “Nothing, I just fed him milk formula.”

Victor wrapped her protectively in his arms. “Why are you blaming her? She’s still just a child!”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Yet you still trusted her to care for Ethan? Did you even check if he had allergies? Did you even look at him when you came in?”

“Enough!” Victor suddenly roared, “Vanessa did her best to care for him. And you? You’re always finding faults!”

“Claire, your jealousy and bitterness right now—it honestly disgusts me!”

I was stunned.

Disgusting?

"No," I shook my head with a bitter smile. "Victor, you are the one who makes me sick."

"Don't argue," Vanessa Bright cut in, her voice choked with sobs. "It's my fault. Sister has every right to blame me."

Victor immediately stood in front of her, shielding her, his eyes now filled with even deeper disappointment. "Look at Vanessa. Doesn’t that make you feel ashamed?"

Suddenly, I wanted to ask him something.

"Do you remember what you said to me when you proposed?"

Victor’s face went blank for a moment.

That moment made everything feel absurd. I shook my head and gave a small, self-mocking laugh. “You said I was more important than your life.”

He averted his gaze. “But you weren’t like this back then.”

“So, you changed your mind?”

“I didn’t!” His voice rose sharply, as if trying to convince himself. “Claire, of course I love you, but Vanessa’s parents saved my life, and I promised them…”

“Enough.” I turned around with Ethan in my arms. “It’s been six years. I’ve heard enough.”

At the hospital, the doctor’s expression turned grim.

"What were your parents thinking? Even if a child this young isn’t allergic to seafood, you can’t crush shrimp and mix it with milk! If you'd arrived a minute later, the child might not have made it!”

My head spun. “Shrimp?”

The doctor heard my tone and sighed. “Find a new nanny immediately. I doubt that woman has good intentions.”

Vanessa Bright.

My legs buckled as I sat down, gasping for breath.

I had almost lost Ethan.

I struggled to keep my voice steady. “Can you give me a copy of the test report?”

After getting home, I typed up the divorce agreement. In the living room, Victor hovered nervously around Vanessa Bright. “Your injury hasn’t healed yet, don’t push yourself.”

Vanessa Bright smiled as she waved a shovel. “I’m just loosening the soil around the tree. I’m fine.”

"That’s the intertwined tree you planted for me. I want it to grow strong. That way, even if I can’t stay by your side, I’ll still have it.”

Victor held her shoulders. “Don’t say that! I planted that tree for you—it means we’ll be together forever. Don’t you believe me?”

My mind went blank. A sharp ache gripped my chest.

There was a seedling growing in the best part of the garden.

Not long ago, a tree had stood there—Albizia Julibrissin—which we planted the day we got our marriage certificate. It symbolized “eternal love.”

After Ethan was born, Victor said he wanted to plant a tree for him in that spot, hoping he'd grow strong like it—so he moved the Albizia away.

It turns out that was a lie.

What he wanted wasn’t eternal love with me or a healthy future for our child.

He wanted to be with Vanessa Bright.

I drew in a deep breath, walked over, and flipped to the signature page of the divorce agreement. “I want to get an insurance policy for Ethan. Sign this.”

“Why are you here?” Victor cleared his throat awkwardly. “Don’t you already have insurance? Why get another?”

He reached for the document to read it.

Just as I moved to stop him, Vanessa Bright tugged at his sleeve. “Victor, you two go ahead—I’ll wait outside.”

“Wait, I’ll come with you.”

“No need!”

Victor shoved the agreement into my hands. “Leave it in the study. I’ll sign it after I’ve read it.”

I grabbed his wrist. “I’ve read it already. Just sign it.”

He frowned, glanced nervously at Vanessa Bright, who had already opened the door.

Then he quickly scribbled his signature and ran toward her without another word.

“That’s it.”

I stood there in a daze. Just like that, our six-year marriage came to an end—so casually, so disgracefully.

I walked into the baby’s room and kissed Ethan on the forehead.

“Baby, we’re free now.”