The next time Tania woke up, it was because of some rough shaking.

She was in her bed, her mind slowly getting clearer, but her body was so limp she could not even open her eyes.

An unfamiliar perfume mixed with Samuel's usual cedar scent filled the air, making her feel nauseous.

Then she heard Samuel and Lucy's voices mixing together, "Samuel, be careful. She's still here..." Lucy whined playfully.

"Why worry? She took five times the normal amount of sleeping pills. She won't wake up," Samuel's voice was rough, "You get me way more than she ever did."

"So you'll only care about me from now on?"

"Of course. You're my Lulu..."

Tania could not make out the rest.

She lay there, feeling like a zombie, acutely aware of the bed shaking, the room filled with a mood she did not want to feel.

It hurt like needles piercing her heart.

So that was the "exciting thing" Samuel had in mind: being with another woman right in front of her.

Her eyes stayed shut, tears quietly rolling down her cheeks.

The last tiny flame of hope inside her heart went out.

Time passed, and as the drug's effects faded, Tania could finally move her fingers a bit.

She quietly opened her eyes and saw Lucy cuddled up in Samuel's arms, toying with his necklace.

"Samuel, can we check Tania's phone?”

"I just signed a deal that says I can't be caught up in any rumors with boys. If she snapped a photo and it gets out, I'll owe a fortune for breaking the deal."

"Do what you want."

Samuel's voice sounded like he did not care at all.

Tania's heart squeezed tight.

Her phone had super important info about the new medicine, and she could not let Lucy get her hands on it.

If that info got out, all of the hard work her team did for years would be for nothing.

She gritted her teeth and tried really hard to move her fingers, sneaking the phone under her pillow.

However, before she could hide it all the way, Lucy was already by the bed, grabbing for her arm.

"Give me the phone!"

Tania held on to the phone for dear life and would not let go.

Lucy did not think Tania, who had been drugged, would be so strong. She pulled hard, lost her balance, and stumbled toward the big window.

Tania could not let go in time and got pulled along, smashing into the glass.

"Crash —"

The loud sound of breaking glass filled the air, and Tania felt like she was floating as she fell backward.

As she fell, she covered her belly without thinking, but when she hit the bushes, her back hurt so bad, and something warm trickled down her legs.

Through blurry eyes, she saw Samuel by the window, holding onto Lucy's hand, looking all worried and sorry.

However, there she was, lying in the cold bushes, without even a glance from him.

Before everything went dark, Tania had just one thought: the baby was gone.

The baby she had not even told Samuel about was gone.

When she woke up, she was in the hospital.

Samuel sat next to her, his eyes red and puffy like he had been crying.

"Tania, you passed out right in the entryway the other day. I carried you to your room to rest, and somehow, you ended up falling out of the big window.”

"Good thing our house is only two stories high. The doctor says you're okay, just a few bumps and scratches. You'll be all better after resting for a few days."

Tania shut her eyes tight, not wanting to even look at him.

She knew he was lying, and was saying things that did not make sense because he thought she was too out of it yesterday to remember.

Falling from the second floor was not deadly, but the pain she felt was not just from a few "bumps and scratches."

She felt cold inside, knowing she could not wait any longer.

She had to get her lab work at the university sorted out fast and get herself away from this man.

Samuel would not agree to a divorce easily.

It would cause a fuss for the Ferguson family, and splitting up everything they owned would be a big headache.

However, Tania had a plan. She would stay away for a year, then ask for a divorce because they lived apart.

The Russells had top-notch lawyers, so she would not even have to show her face.

Samuel thought she was sleeping and quietly left the room.

From the hallway, Tania heard him on the phone.

"Mr. Harris, get that emerald jewelry set at the auction tonight, no matter the cost. It'll cheer Tania up," Samuel instructed the butler.

Tania let out an icy laugh.

He always thought gifts could fix everything.

However, he never understood that what she really wanted was not stuff like that at all.

When Samuel returned, Tania asked as if she did not really care, "Where's my phone? I need to check the lab's messages."

Samuel looked panicked for just a second, then looked away and said quickly, "Maybe you left it at home. I didn't see it. I'll help you look for it when we go back."

Tania's voice suddenly got louder, and she sounded like she was warning him, "Did Lucy take it? The files on my phone are super important. If you don't want her to get in trouble, you better give it back to me!"

However, when Samuel heard "Lucy," any guilt he felt disappeared.

He looked at Tania with suspicion in his eyes, "Why do you look so worried? Did you really take a secret video of Lulu?”

"Did you find out she signed with a big company, so you’re trying to make up a scandal to ruin her? Tania, I always thought you were sweet and smart. I can't believe you'd plan something against someone who never did anything to you!"

Tania held back her pain and sat up in her hospital bed, staring hard at Samuel, "I didn't take any secret video. My phone has important lab data. If Lucy messes with it, I'll make sure she pays big time!"

Samuel laughed at her, "Tania, you're just a regular student at Kingston University. Lulu is a fancy professor the school paid a lot to get. She wouldn't care about your data. Stop trying to scare me."

"I've had enough! Get me out of here!" Tania could not take it anymore.

Samuel looked annoyed but nodded, "Alright, I'll take care of it."

Right after he left, the doctor walked in with some test results, sounding a bit sad.

"Mrs. Ferguson, I'm sorry to say you've lost the baby, it was seven weeks along. Also, you really need to rest in bed for at least a month and avoid any heavy work."

Tania's fingers felt like ice as she took the report.

She crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash, her voice steady, "I understand. Thank you, doctor."

‘Maybe it was better this way,’ she thought.

No child should come into a world without their father’s love.

Samuel had finished signing out of the hospital and came back with a gift box in his hand.

"Tania, I got you these vitamins. The doctor said you need to build your strength back up."

Tania did not take them, simply saying, "Let's head home."

When they got home, Tania stopped short in the living room. A bunch of strangers were huddled around her phone, trying to break into it.

Lucy was lounging on the couch with a coffee, looking like she did not have a care in the world. She even gave Tania a challenging look as she walked in.

"What's going on here?" Tania asked, her voice frosty.

Samuel came up behind her, dangling a necklace with a smile.

"Don't be upset, Tania. Lulu was worried you might have taken pictures of her, so she's just making sure. If there's nothing on your phone, they'll give it right back.”

"See, I even got you this necklace. It'll look great on you."

Tania avoided his motions to put the necklace on and fixed her eyes on Lucy. "Ms. Canfield, there are no pictures of you on my phone, just research data.”

"If you don't stop them now, I'll call the police to report you for stealing and leaking confidential information!"

Lucy set her coffee down and stood up, walking over amidst hushed voices.

"Call the police? Got any proof? Do you really think Samuel will take your word over mine?"

Samuel frowned and gently took Tania's hand. "Tania, please calm down. Lulu is just having it checked. If it's all good, you'll get it back."

Tania yanked her hand away and spun around to head for the door. "I'm going back to school.”

"You can't go!" Samuel caught her arm. "The doctor said you need to rest. Can't you just listen for once and not make things harder for me?"

"I’m making things harder?" Tania was so upset she started shaking. She was about to argue so she did not see Lucy sneak up behind her.

Lucy grabbed the vitamin bottle from the table and waved it about. "Samuel, it’s no wonder you two haven't had kids after three years. Tania's been popping birth control pills!"

Samuel's face went pale. He rushed over, grabbed the bottle, and when he looked at Tania again, his eyes were icy cold. "Tania, do you look down on me because of my genetic disease? You don't want to have a Ferguson baby, so you've been lying to me by using birth control?"

"That's not true!" Tania burst out. "Those are just vitamins. She's making it all up!"

"Making it up?" Lucy's eyes welled up with tears. "Samuel, why would I lie? I'm just looking out for you. I don't want her to fool you.”

"See? She's still denying it, not even sorry for what she's done!"

Samuel's anger flared up like wildfire.

Samuel had always felt like there was a sword of sickness hanging over his head, but he kept going, believing he could be cured. He thought Tania was the only one who got him, the only one who would want to start a family with him.

However, Lucy had spilled a secret: Tania had been lying.

She did not want to have kids with him at all.

With a loud smack, Samuel's hand struck Tania's cheek hard.

"You lied to me!"

He yanked her hair and dragged her to the basement, "I told you when we got married that we could beat my sickness and have kids. You said yes!”

"Tania, why did you break your promise? Why take birth control without telling me?”

"How long would you have kept this from me if Lulu hadn't found out?"

He shoved Tania into the basement and locked the door, not waiting for her to explain.

Tania sat against the cold metal door, holding her bleeding forehead, curled up tight.

Time passed, and then Lucy's voice sneaked through the door crack, "Feeling sorry for yourself? You knew what it meant to be a stand-in!”

"Samuel wouldn't look twice at someone as plain as you if you didn't look a bit like me.”

"I know you weren't taking birth control. That's just how strong a first love can be. I've been gone for five years, but I can still make Samuel do whatever I say!”

"Oh, and your phone? I've deleted almost everything and messed with some important stuff.”

"What do you think Samuel will do when he finds out his important medicine got messed up because of you? Do you think he'll hate you more?”

"And your baby? It's gone. However, it wasn't anything special anyway.”

"Do you really think having a baby will make you Mrs. Ferguson for real? That's just wishful thinking!"

Each word felt like a sharp jab to Tania's heart.

She slowly lifted her hand and pulled a voice recorder from her sleeve.

Recording important talks was something she started doing when she was doing science projects. She never thought it would be useful today.

Lucy's words from before were all saved on the recorder.

Tania had been stuck in the basement for three whole days.

In all that time, Samuel only came once to give her some bread and water. He did not even look at her, and just left the food and walked away.

On the fourth morning, the basement door finally opened.

Samuel stood there, looking at her. "Have you learned your lesson? If you have, come upstairs with me, act right, and maybe I'll forgive you."

Tania, leaning on the wall, slowly stood up and said firmly, "I did nothing wrong."

Samuel's face turned stormy. He lifted Tania up and carried her to the bedroom.

"It looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet."

He dropped Tania on the bed.

Tania smelled Lucy's perfume and saw the messy bed sheets and a torn lace undergarment on the floor.

It was not hers.

She could almost picture the awful things Samuel and Lucy must have done in that room while she was away.

She grabbed Samuel's arm tightly, trying to shove him away. "Don't you dare touch me!"

Samuel's eyes were red with anger, and he easily held her down. "You've been hiding and taking pills for three years so we wouldn't have a baby, and now I'm not allowed to touch you?”

"Stop acting like you're so pure. Didn't you have fun on the swing when we went camping?"

"I was pregnant, Samuel!" Tania cried, tears streaming down her pale face. "The baby's gone! It's all because of you and Lucy! Please, don't touch me..."

Samuel just laughed at her.

"Tania, you're always telling stories. You've been sneaking birth control pills for three years. How could you be pregnant? I must have been blind to think you were so precious!"

Without a second thought, he tore her nightgown open.

The sharp scent of blood filled the air.

Tania's belly ached sharply, and she was weak from not eating or drinking for three days. Coupled with her tailbone injury, she couldn’t even cry.

Right then, Lucy burst in, bubbling with excitement. "Samuel, Kingston University said yes to me joining the Rare Disease Research Institute!”

"It's for that project on the Ferguson family's genetic disease! I've got an interview tonight. Will you help me pick out an outfit?"

Seeing the blood beneath Tania, Samuel finally got scared.

He pointed at the stain, his voice shaking, "Lulu, call an ambulance!"

Lucy just glanced at it, made a face, and rolled her eyes. "It's just her period. Why call an ambulance? She can get up and clean herself.”

"I bet she's just pretending to be sad to make you feel sorry for her."

It was clear to anyone that this was no ordinary period.

However, Samuel hesitated, then actually listened to Lucy. He walked out with her, leaving behind a cold remark, "Don't play dead. Get up and clean yourself off."

The instant the door clicked shut, Tania felt the last trickle of warmth ebbing from her body.

Her gaze fixed on the ceiling as the room spun into darkness. She could not fight it anymore and passed out.

Coming to, Tania found herself on her bedroom bed, changed into fresh clothes, with her forehead wound neatly bandaged.

About to leave the bed, she noticed Samuel with a bowl of oatmeal in hand.

"Up and about? The doctor said you're weak, so I made you some oatmeal. Have it while it's warm."

Tania did not accept it, just gave him a frosty stare. "Where's my phone?"

Samuel's eyes darted away, setting the oatmeal on the nightstand, he reached to stroke her hair, but she avoided his touch.

"Have your oatmeal first, you need to get stronger. We'll talk about the phone later."

Tania stayed silent, her cool gaze unsettling Samuel.

He cleared his throat and went on.

"I was at Kingston University's Rare Disease Institute with Lulu. They're close to finishing the new drug for our family's genetic illness — there’s just one last set of data to go.”

"If I keep up with the meds, I'll live as long as anyone else.”

"Tania," he edged closer, "You can stop worrying, right? Once the drug's released, let's start a family, shall we?"

His voice carried a hint of a sneer.

"I tried to personally thank the institute's dean, but her staff said she was out. Acting all high and mighty, not even up for a thank-you lunch."

Tania watched him, her mind racing through many nights gone by.

For years, she came home from the lab, tired to the bone, and found Samuel waiting at the dinner table.

She never bragged about being the Dean or how she had worked through three whole nights to get her experiments right. She just said that she was "a little busy at the lab."

She now realized that he thought all her secret hard work was just someone else showing off.

Her voice was dry as she asked again, colder now, "Where's my phone?"

Samuel swallowed hard and handed her a shiny new phone.

"Your old one must've been broken, so I got you this," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "It's all set up. I even got your favorite games on it."

Tania barely smiled as she took the phone. Without looking at Samuel, she stepped out to the balcony and called the police.

"Hello, is this 110? I need to report a theft.”

"I've got drug research data worth billions that Lucy stole. I need to file a report and protect the evidence."

She had just hung up when she heard footsteps.

Suddenly, Samuel's arms were around her, just like they had been so many times before.

"Tania," he said, his voice close to her ear, "I know Lulu showing up has been tough on you.”

"She's so bright, so amazing. It's okay to feel a little jealous.”

"However, remember, you're Mrs. Ferguson."

He shifted the conversation, his voice growing serious, "Remember to act properly. Let's pretend that the last few days were just a bad dream, okay? From now on, we'll live happily."

Tania closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were calm.

She whispered, "Okay."

She planned to forget everything about that place, including Samuel, once she left.

Samuel let out a sigh of relief, loosened his grip, and gave her shoulder a pat, "Go get dressed. I've had some new jewelry sent up for you.”

"There's a big party for Lulu tonight with lots of reporters. Don't make me look bad."

Tania went to her closet but ignored the fancy new jewelry and the dress Samuel had picked out.

Instead, she found a plain black dress and a simple silver necklace she had bought with her first paycheck before she married Samuel. It had nothing to do with him.

When she came out, Samuel was waiting on the couch.

He swallowed hard when he saw her, his eyes clouding over, his voice rougher than before.

"Tania, why aren't you wearing the new jewelry?"

"It's too flashy."

Her voice was cool as she glanced at him, "Tonight's about celebrating Lucy, right? I shouldn't outshine her."

Samuel missed the edge in her words and nodded to himself.

‘Lulu was right, spoiling women too much only made them start thinking they can do anything,’ he thought, ‘Tania's learned her lesson this time. She's much more agreeable now.’

The party was at the fanciest hotel in town, and as soon as Tania walked in, all the big names recognized her.

The brilliant young girl who had once dazzled Kingston University's Medical School, the Russell family's most exceptional heir in a hundred years.