After I left, he begged me for forgiveness.

Daisy smiled sweetly and leaned into his arms, her voice soft and coy. “You know, every time I get close to you, I can feel Aurora’s blood flowing inside me… it’s such a strange feeling.”

Brian said nothing. He only held her tighter.

“Brian, you monster…”

I clenched my jaw until it hurt, my fingers digging into the wooden cabinet. Splinters pierced my skin, and drops of blood slowly seeped out.

Tears finally spilled down my face, blurring my vision.

I could hear their laughter, their gasps, their whispered moans outside the cabinet—

those same tones that once comforted me, now dripping with tenderness for another woman.

So this was what I had been all along—a cover-up, a convenient disguise for his shame.

His so-called “compassion,” “guilt,” “kindness”—all an act, a performance for the world to see.

This way, he could hold her near the hospital bed without guilt,

finding “redemption” in the arms of the woman who lived because of my blood.

They laughed together, breathed together, right there beside me.

The curtains were half drawn, the room dim, and my breath turned cold to the bone.

I didn’t know how long it lasted, but at last, silence returned.

The sound of a door closing made the air itself freeze.

I struggled to push open the cabinet door.

Cold air hit my face as I crawled out, leaning against the bed, gasping for breath.

Marks still circled my wrists and ankles, my skin bruised and raw.

“Brian… Daisy…”

My voice was hoarse, shaking. “I’ll make you both pay for this—every single debt.”

In the days before I was discharged, no one came to see me.

The doctor said my recovery was slow and I should stay a few more days, but the room was as silent as a tomb.

Brian never appeared again—not even a single word of concern.

I signed the discharge papers myself, my right hand swollen and bruised from too many IVs.

At the end of the corridor, the sunset cast a golden glow through the window.

Just then, I overheard two nurses whispering nearby.

“Look! Mr. Hudson posted new photos again—so romantic!”

“A hot-air-balloon proposal! Daisy’s so lucky!”

I lowered my head. On my phone screen, a notification flashed.

A collage of nine photos filled the feed.

Under the golden light, Brian was gently cupping Daisy’s face,

kissing her deeply on a hot-air balloon high above the city.

They were smiling so brightly, as if the whole world blessed their love.

The caption read:

“Forever my angel, forever my home.”

My fingers hovered over the comment box for a long moment before I typed one line.

【Wishing you a lifetime of love, and a healthy, safe child.】

Ten minutes later, my phone rang.

Brian’s familiar number flashed on the screen.

I stared at it, then swiped it away.

Half an hour later, I finished the discharge process.

Carrying my luggage, I walked alone toward the lobby.

As I passed the maternity ward, my steps faltered.

From the corner ahead, a familiar figure appeared—Brian.