I struggled to speak. "Scouttie…"

Scout's cold gaze swept toward me. "Nora, mind your place. You should address me as Mr. Scout!"

Maya gently patted his shoulder, soothing him. "Alright, don't bother arguing with Nora. After all, she's just a kid."

She then wrapped her arm around Scout before leaning against him. The icy expression on Scout's face instantly softened into warmth.

That gaze had once followed me so tenderly. But after that night, I never saw it again.

Scout left the study with Maya in his arms, but their intimate figures lingered painfully in my mind.

As we were heading downstairs, Maya suddenly stopped. "Nora, I have an appointment with the bridal shop in a bit. Get ready to join us, okay?"

I nodded blankly again. As an orphan, I had no right to refuse the future lady of the household's request.

I waited with the driver, Hank Smith, at the entrance while Scout and Maya arrived fashionably late. They were chatting and laughing, and the sight of it stung me all over again.

In the past, Scout would always drive me himself, letting me sit beside him. But now, the person sitting next to him was Maya.

Using the excuse of wanting privacy, Maya had Hank and me move to the back car.

As they opened the car door, I noticed that my favorite cushion was gone, along with the photo I had secretly stuck to the front drawer near the passenger seat. It had been replaced with a couple's picture of Scout and Maya.

Scout immediately noticed the photo.

"Scouttie, is this okay?" Maya asked.

He looked at her with gentle eyes. "You can do whatever you want."

When I placed that photo there or acted out in mischief before, he'd also always smile and say, "You can do whatever you want."

No matter how I fussed, he'd go along with it, and he'd always smile indulgently. Hearing him say it to another person now felt like my mouth was stuffed with bitter herbs—spicy, acrid, and unbearably bitter.

The car started moving, but I couldn't focus on the passing scenery. All of a sudden, the car collided with something. The impact threw me forward into the airbag, leaving me dizzy and disoriented.

I tried to crawl out for help, but I saw that Scout and Maya were already outside through the window. He was inspecting a scrape on her forehead, and his eyes were filled with worry and tenderness.

Blood blurred my vision, but I could still make out their figures preparing to leave while I was actively losing consciousness.

A passerby then shouted, "Someone's injured! Help them!"

That was when Scout seemed to remember I was there.

I called out weakly, "Help me… My head… hurts so much…"

I struggled while extending a trembling hand.

Before Scout could respond, Maya angrily questioned, "You know Scout and I are about to get married. Are you doing this on purpose to bring us bad luck?"

Scout frowned slightly as soon as he heard her say this. He opened his mouth, and the words he spoke cut like knives. "Nora, I'm sick and tired of your little tricks."

After saying that, he turned back to comfort Maya. I supposed things were truly no longer the same as they used to be.

When I was mischievous and accidentally scratched my forehead in the past, Scout would make a big fuss over it. He even invited multiple family doctors to the house. He even had the kitchen prepare nourishing soup for an entire month.

Now, even after I hit my head hard enough to leave a deep wound, he simply stood there. He looked at me coldly without moving an inch.

After that, he swiftly left with Maya. I could no longer hold myself together and passed out in the car. By the time the paramedics loaded me into the ambulance, Scout and Maya were nowhere to be seen.

The doctors examined my injuries at the hospital, focusing on the wound on my head. They then stitched it up carefully.

Before I fully lost consciousness again, I thought I saw Scout. But how could he have been there? It must have been my imagination.

Once the stitches were done, I fell into an exhausted sleep. When I woke up, the doctor's expression was serious as he spoke. "It's a good thing the airbag protected your belly."

I stared at him in confusion.

"You're pregnant—about a month along. Be extra careful from now on."

I froze, and a wave of bitterness washed over me. Why… Why did it have to be now?

I didn't stay at the hospital overnight and insisted on returning to the Saccone family mansion. But as soon as I stepped through the door, I was met with an irate Scout.

"Why'd you come back so late?"

Before I could answer, his impatient voice interrupted again. "Forget it. The kitchen made some mushroom soup—eat it while it's hot."

His tone wasn't harsh, and his words felt warmer than the soup itself. I stared at him, overwhelmed with emotion.

However, just as I was about to tell him about the pregnancy, my heart plummeted.

"After you finish, go and apologize to her," Scout said.

By the time I snapped out of it, he was already walking away. Of course, he wanted me to apologize to Maya. My heart felt as good as dead at that point.

I then lowered my gaze to my stomach. It couldn't have come at a worse time. If all that awaited this child was suffering, it would've been better if it had never come into this world.

Swallowing my bitterness, I forced down half a bowl of mushroom soup—something that hadn't appeared on the table in eight years.

The soup was as cold as my body, but it didn't stop its effects from taking hold. My face was covered in a rash half an hour later.

I guess Scout had long forgotten that I couldn't drink mushroom soup.

Still, I had promised to apologize to Maya. So I dragged my battered, rash-covered body upstairs, step by step.

Scout froze when he saw me, and then his icy gaze locked onto mine. "Did you make yourself look like this on purpose to cause trouble? Are you trying to ruin my big day and make me the laughingstock of all of Hare City?"

Before I could respond, he ordered the staff to throw me back downstairs.

I stumbled down the stairs, nearly missing a step and falling. Thankfully, Evelyn caught me just in time. She helped me back to the storage room where I stayed.

Evelyn sighed and said, "Ms. Graham, you should stop provoking Mr. Scout. After all these years, you should know his temper by now."

I gave Evelyn a grateful look. She was probably the only one in the entire Saccone family who dared to stand up for me.

Years ago, it was Evelyn who had gone with Scout to the Graham family and witnessed how my relatives had bullied me.

After offering me a few comforting words, Evelyn left the room. I lay on the small, cramped bed, readying myself to pack and leave.

When I thought about it carefully, I realized there wasn't much I could take with me. After all, everything I used at the Saccone family had been provided by him.

The only thing I could take was the photo of me with my parents, and it was the only memory they had left me.

After bringing me into his home back then, Scout had even ordered a custom necklace to encase the photo inside. But after Maya arrived, that necklace, along with my belongings, had been tossed into the storage room.

The necklace was now broken—just like my heart. It was beyond repair.

I clenched the pendant tightly in my palm. As I reflected on the past eight years, on all the favoritism Scout had shown me, I couldn't deny that everything I had came from him.

His kindness to me was immeasurable, so I couldn't be an ungrateful person. If my existence made his life harder, then it was better for me to leave sooner rather than later.

Even after all that, I couldn't resist the greed of wanting to see Scout one last time, even though I knew the person marrying him would never be me.

I wanted to put an end to the eight years of feelings and the intimacy we shared that night.

The next day, Maya suddenly came to see me. She said that Scout was hosting a banquet.

"Nora, I know you have a lot of misunderstandings about me, but it's alright. Soon, I'll officially be Scouttie's wife. I'll take care of you together with him from now on.

"Wear this dress and head to the front hall. Don't make Scouttie angry," she said.

I glanced at the dress—it wasn't anything special, just an ordinary evening gown.

It was nothing like the meticulous outfits Scout used to personally prepare for me for every important event. This dress fell far short of those.

But at this point, I knew better than to expect too much. Not wanting to be late and risk upsetting Scout, I hurried to the front hall. I arrived just as the guests began to fill the room.

In the past, Scout and I were always the only ones wearing matching colors at such events. Now, there was Maya. After hearing others chatting, I finally realized this banquet was their engagement party.

In that instant, an overwhelming sense of awkwardness washed over me. I was the extra person here.

Before I could process the inquisitive stares from the guests, Scout approached me before saying in a cold and sharp voice, "Maya personally invited you to today's engagement banquet. What's with this outfit of yours?"

I tried to explain. "No, Ms. Walker said…"

But before I could finish, Maya stepped forward with a gentle smile, feigning generosity. "Scout, Nora is still young. It's alright."

As soon as she said this, the guests erupted in criticism.

"So this is that shameless little tramp! Ms. Walker is too kind. If it were me, I'd have broken her legs and thrown her out!"

"When you keep strays around for too long they really start to think they're the host of the place!"

The same people who used to flatter me for Scout's favor now hurled cruel words with twice the intensity.

I looked at Maya in humiliation, only to find her smiling triumphantly. I wanted to leave quickly, but instead, I stumbled and fell heavily in front of Maya.

Drowning in ridicule and accusations, I tried to get up multiple times, only to fail miserably. Just when I had given up resisting in despair, Scout walked toward me.

I thought, for a fleeting moment, that he might pick me up like he had years ago. Or that he might comfort me with the words, "It's alright, I'll take you back to your room."

But instead, he simply looked down at me. I was sprawled pathetically on the floor. "Change your clothes and get back to your room immediately."

I tried to stand again, but the pain in my stomach was unbearable, and I couldn't manage it.

"Nora, don't make me force you," he said coldly.

To my surprise, it was Maya who helped me up in the end. With an air of magnanimity, she even allowed me to return the dress later.

I looked at Scout's indifferent expression and his utter lack of compassion. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to explain anything.

Lying on the battered bed in my room, I could hear the sound of the piano drifting in from the front hall. The same piano Scout had learned to play for me was now being used to entertain Maya.

Amid the music, I could faintly hear the voices of the guests showering them with praise.

"What a perfect match indeed. One's talented and one's beautiful. They're truly made for each other."

As I listened to Scout play the piano, I didn't feel the heartbreak I usually did. Instead, I felt a sense of relief.

Hearing it one last time was enough, even if it wasn't played for me. Now, neither the music nor the person playing it could stir my heart anymore.

When the guests finally left, my stomach started hurting again. Even so, I still went to return the dress.

While I was waiting, I overheard a few maids speaking cautiously.

"Mr. Scout just carried Ms. Walker into the room. I guess they're about to…"

Their conversation was followed by a burst of suggestive laughter. At that moment, I understood exactly what they meant. It made me think of that wild night we shared.

I dropped the dress onto the floor and stumbled back to my small room, feeling utterly defeated.

Once there, the pain in my stomach grew worse. It seemed the baby sensed it too. I had Hank take me to the hospital that same night.

The doctor examined me and checked my pulse. His expression turned grave as he said, "The fetus is not in good condition. You might need to be hospitalized to protect it."

I paused briefly before responding calmly, "That won't be necessary. Just prescribe me some medication. I'm not keeping the baby."

This baby couldn't have come at the worst time. Since I had decided to cut ties with Scout, there was no reason to keep anything connected to him.

The affection I felt for him over eight years had now turned into nothing but gratitude. I owed him nothing anymore.

When I returned to the Saccone family mansion, I didn't disturb Scout or Maya. But in the middle of the night, a sharp pain twisted through my stomach, and I could feel the child slipping away from me.

The nursing pad beneath me was soaked red. It was like my lifeless heart that was drained of all warmth.

Knowing I was unwelcome and fearing gossip, I stayed quietly in the storage room, weak from the miscarriage. Even when the maids brought me cold, unappetizing food, I swallowed it without flinching.

On the day Scout and Maya got married, Hare City was bustling with celebration from dawn until nightfall. Even when he was caught up in endless formalities, Scout still remembered to instruct the family butler, Segun Green, to lock the storage room.

"Mr. Scout said it's for your own good. This is the only way Ms. Walker can tolerate you."

In the entire Saccone family, only the hunting dogs and I were excluded from the wedding.

The storage room lapsed into silence again, but they didn't know I had long hidden a spare key. I wasn't going to wait any longer.

Still, I managed to sneak a final glance at Scout before leaving. Dressed in white formalwear, he looked even more handsome and refined. But he wasn't the man I had once imagined him to be.

I whispered from a distance, "Scout, I wish you and Maya a lifetime of happiness."

I then left without looking back with the help of Aunt Cindy's people, who had come to fetch me. I felt completely untethered.