No wonder they were siblings—both Tracie and Sean were masters at twisting the truth.

Their words might seem like they were defending someone, but in reality, they were just dumping all the blame onto the other person.

It was just like a month ago, at Mount Gravenwood, when Tracie had whispered in Lumina’s ear, “Your parents must’ve done something terrible to end up dying in this mountain, don’t you think?

“I heard their bodies were devoured by wild animals. It must’ve been a gruesome death. Who knows what wicked things they did?”

Before Lumina could even react, Tracie had already fallen. Her right leg was a mangled, bloody mess.

In that moment, Floyd slapped Lumina across the face with fury and left her behind in Mount Gravenwood. “You crazy woman! If anything happens to Trace, you’ll stay here for the rest of your life!”

Lumina cried out, begging him not to leave her like this.

The truth was, her parents had died on a wilderness expedition. Ever since then, she had been terrified of the outdoors, of animals and especially of dark, eerie forests like this one. Had it not been for the desire to always be near Floyd, she would have never come on this trip.

Now, Floyd was about to leave her here to fend for herself.

Lumina sobbed, her body trembling, her thumb pressing desperately against the side of her middle finger. Her voice cracked as she pleaded, “Please don’t do this to me! I swear, I won’t do it again, I’ll never dare again!

“I won’t follow you anymore, I’ll stay far away from you, just please don’t leave me here!”

It was unclear which of her words triggered him, but Floyd’s anger only intensified. “Alright, Lumina! You really are something!”

The rescue team abandoned Lumina. They left her with nothing but a small package of food.

As her thoughts gathered, Lumina realized she had bitten her lips so hard they were bleeding and the sharp pain spread throughout her body, like needles piercing her skin.

Floyd suddenly grabbed her hand. “Apologize to Trace now!”

His grip was so tight that it tore open the wound on her elbow again. Blood dripped down her arm, staining the white sheets like the open maw of a beast.

Memories of Mount Gravenwood rushed back and Lumina instinctively flinched, but Floyd pinned her down.

Following the trail of blood, he was shocked to discover a deep, ten-centimeter gash on her elbow, the flesh torn and spilling blood.

“You said you already checked her thoroughly,” Floyd snapped, his eyes glaring at Sean as if he were ready to tear him apart. “How on earth that huge wound appear on Lumina's hand?”

“I… I…” Sean stammered, unable to say a word.

In reality, he hadn’t done any kind of check-up on Lumina. Throughout the entire ordeal, he had simply locked her in the examination room and occasionally shot her a look of disgust.

“I had planned to give you a full body check-up,” he said, his words dripping with a slimy emphasis that made Lumina feel nauseous. “But looking at you now, not quite human, not quite a ghost, I couldn’t be bothered to touch you.”

Seeing the situation turning against her, Tracie quickly shifted the blame back to Lumina.

“Lumina, how did that wound suddenly appear on your hand? Did you do this on purpose to avoid the wedding delay?”

As Tracie spoke, she shot a subtle, knowing glance at Sean, who quickly understood.

“Yeah, during the check-up, there was no wound. You must’ve secretly grabbed my scalpel when I wasn’t looking and cut yourself!”

“Always lying! You’re beyond help!” Floyd's voice shook with rage.

"Lumina, I’m telling you, whether you want to postpone the wedding or not, it’s going to be postponed!"

Throughout the whole exchange, Lumina only made one brief attempt to defend herself at the beginning. "I didn’t."

But after being interrupted by Floyd’s reprimand, she fell silent and simply watched, as if she no longer cared. When she heard the final words, she even lowered her head and softly replied, "Okay."

After leaving the hospital room, Floyd was still fuming with anger. Tracie tried to calm him down while suggesting, "I think Lumina's temper is not something that will change overnight. If she’s willing to harm herself today, who knows what kind of tantrum she’ll throw tomorrow!"

Floyd clearly took the point to heart, his eyes turning as dark as a storm cloud.

Seeing this, Tracie upped the ante. "I think she wouldn’t even be afraid to use the wedding delay as leverage. So, why not just cancel the engagement with her?"

"Absolutely not!" Without a second thought, Floyd rejected the suggestion.

"But Why? With Lumina’s temperament, if she finds out I’m canceling the engagement—"

As if recalling Lumina's potential reaction, a faint, almost affectionate smile tugged at the corner of Floyd’s lips.

Without thinking, he twisted the engagement ring on his finger. "Wouldn’t she throw a fit?"

"She's definitely reckless and unruly, but our engagement was arranged a long time ago. There's no way it can be called off. Didn't you say yourself? The only way to fix her rebellious nature is by being tough on her."

"I want to teach her a lesson." The image of Lumina’s gaunt, pale face, her legs in a pitiful state and the bone-deep wounds on her arms made a wave of sympathy stir in Floyd’s heart. "But she’s already learned enough lessons."

"But..."

"Enough," Floyd interrupted Tracie sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I know what I’m doing."

As he spoke, the look in his eyes shifted, making Tracie quickly change her approach. "Floydie is right, I’ve been overthinking. Ouch—"

Before she could finish, a pained expression spread across her face.

"Is it your leg again?"

Floyd immediately put aside everything else, his concern growing as he carefully lifted her in his arms. "Where’s the doctor? Get the doctor here, quickly!"

Lumina had spent two days recovering in the hospital.

The nurse would apply medicine to her leg on time, but it was always some antiseptic powder.

The wound hadn’t even formed a scab yet and she was being smeared with these substances, often causing her pain so intense it felt like she was dying. As a result, the steady flow of medications and supplements fed into Lumina’s mouth, the nutrient solution dripping into her day and night, yet she only became thinner.

She was so fragile, she seemed like she might shatter if you pinched her.

When Floyd entered, he saw her drenched in sweat, her teeth clenched tightly on her lower lip, barely holding back a scream.

Clearly, however, the Lumina from before had been so delicate, even the slightest prick of a needle would make her cry out in distress, needing him to soothe her for a long time before she’d calm down.

How had she changed so much in just a month?

His heart tightened painfully.

“Do you even know how to apply medicine properly?”

Floyd snatched the medicine from the nurse’s hand, his tone chilling enough to send a shiver down her spine.

The nurse apologized profusely. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Stuart, I didn’t mean to…”

The medicine box fell to the ground with a loud clatter, startling Lumina. Seizing the opportunity, the nurse quickly fled the room.

Floyd held up the medicine bottle, his eyes swirling with complicated emotions, before finally letting out a sigh. “Don’t you know how to cry out when it hurts?”

"Wasn't it you who…”

Wasn't it you who loved to complain about everything in front of me?

The latter half of the sentence hung unspoken as he waited for Lumina to lower her head and show submission.

He had already extended an olive branch, offering her a way out. Even her deliberate act of harming Tracie was something he was willing to overlook. Surely, no matter how stubborn Lumina was, this was the moment for her to admit her mistake.

If she would just lower her head, apologize to him, act a little coquettish and plead with him, he might consider shortening the delay for their wedding. Perhaps a year-long delay could be reduced to six months, or even three months. Maybe even less…

“All you need to do is recognize your mistake, sincerely apologize to Tracie and I can forgive you,” he said, fully confident as he awaited Lumina’s response.

As he had expected, Lumina did apologize.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I apologize for the mistakes I’ve made in the past. As for the delay in the wedding, I will personally explain it to Grandma. If you wish, I can even take the initiative to propose breaking off the engagement.”

From beginning to end, her tone was calm and sincere.

However, Floyd’s reaction was as if his very voice trembled with anger. “What did you just say? Do you even realize what you’re saying?

“You’re saying this to provoke me just because I left you at Mount Gravenwood? Do you seriously think I’m so desperate that I have to marry you?”

The barrage of questions came at her like bullets, making Lumina’s head throb.

All of a sudden, Lumina felt a haze of amnesia wash over her. What had she ever seen in this arrogant, self-absorbed man?

The conversation ended with a resounding slam as Floyd stormed out, the door rattling in his wake.

News of Lumina’s hospitalization eventually reached Grandma Alice.

On the fourth day after she was rescued from Mount Gravenwood, the elderly woman arrived at the hospital in person.

The moment Lumina saw her grandmother, she rushed into her embrace with joy, but then, inexplicably, tears of grievance began streaming down her face.

During the first few days on Mount Gravenwood, Lumina’s thoughts were consumed by wondering when Floyd would come to save her. She told herself she’d be obedient when he arrived, promising she’d never cling to him so stubbornly again.

As time dragged on, hope faded into despair.

In the mist-shrouded forests of the mountain, the faces she saw most often weren’t Floyd’s—they were those of her long-deceased parents and this kind-hearted Grandma Alice.

She vividly remembered when her parents passed away. It was Grandma Alice who had cradled her in her arms, soothing her over and over again.

When her terror-induced fevers burned through sleepless nights, it was Grandma Alice who stayed by her bedside, feeding her medicine while calling her name, “Moony, my little Moony…”

The moment the elderly woman saw Lumina’s pained expression, a storm of anger rose within her.

“My Moony is already so sick and you’re still giving her this kind of medicine?

“You incompetent fools! Are you trying to kill my Moony on purpose?”

“Discharge her—right now! Immediately! I’m taking her to see the best doctors!”

Sean’s face turned pale and his knees nearly buckled. He gripped the doorframe tightly, struggling to keep a calm demeanor while motioning for someone to call Tracie.

“Madam, with all due respect, I’m the top surgeon in the city. My diagnosis is absolutely reliable,” he said, his voice shaking. “Lumina’s just overly dramatic. Let’s be honest—she’s putting on a show for your sympathy. There’s nothing seriously wrong with her, so why make such a fuss?”

Though Grandma Alice had never involved herself in the family’s corporate empire, her decades at the helm of the Stuart household had honed an air of unshakable authority that few could challenge.

She slammed her intricately carved cane down onto Sean with such force that he yelped in pain, retreating while clutching his head like a scolded child.

Without hesitation, Grandma Alice called in her staff, determined to have Lumina carried out of the hospital immediately.

Before they could leave, Tracie barged into the room.

“What’s got you so upset, Madam? Did Lumina say something to you?”

Though she kept her head bowed respectfully, the icy glare she shot at Lumina was venomous, filled with a dangerous intensity.