Chapter 1

Pregnancy three months in, I was in a severe car accident.

I called my husband, Ethan, but he simply condemned me impatiently:

"Lily, will you ever quit with the theatrics? Inventing a car accident just to get me to come home? Seriously?"

Just as the call was about to disconnect, I heard him turn and say to another woman:

"Don't worry, darling, it's just a scratch. The doctor will be right here."

The searing pain ripped through my abdomen, and a sudden, warm gush drained the last bit of heat from me.

Our baby was gone.

I was too greedy.

I thought one life could make him turn back to me, but I was abandoned once again.

I suddenly smiled.

Maybe it was for the best. He finally didn't have to be annoyed by me anymore.

And I no longer had to pretend to love him.

Lily POV

When I woke up, the world was upside down. I was trapped in the twisted driver's seat, an agonizing pain in my abdomen threatening to tear me apart.

In that moment, I felt something incredibly important being ripped from my body.

It was the secret I'd kept for three months.

My hands trembled as I painstakingly fumbled for my phone amidst the shattered glass. The screen was cracked, but it still lit up.

The name at the top of my contacts: Ethan.

He was my husband, and my only family in this world.

The phone rang for a long time before he finally answered.

"What is it?" His voice was deep and cold, laced with impatience.

"Ethan... help me..." My voice was hoarse and broken, a sob catching in my throat, "I'm on the Coast Highway... I was in a car accident, there's so much blood..."

A flurry of footsteps sounded from his end, followed by a woman's delicate sniffle: "Ethan, it hurts so much, am I going to be disfigured?"

Ethan's tone instantly changed, becoming soft and anxious: "Don't worry, it's just a scratch. The doctor will be right here."

When he spoke to me again, his voice turned icy cold.

"Lily, will you ever quit with the theatrics? Inventing a car accident just to get me to come home? Seriously?"

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant hand: "I'm not... it's real, save the baby..."

"Baby?" Ethan gave a cold laugh. "What baby? Are you still dreaming? You used to cry over a paper cut. This car accident story is too fake. I'm busy. Stop being so unreasonable."

"Beep—beep—"

The call disconnected.

My phone slipped from my fingertips, falling into the growing pool of blood.

I closed my eyes in despair.

I'd forgotten. In Ethan's eyes, I, Lily, was a conniving woman, but Scarlett? She was the frail, helpless damsel in distress who needed his constant protection.

The cramping in my abdomen hit its peak, and a hot gush of blood stole the last bit of warmth from me.

In the last second before my consciousness faded, I thought: Ethan, this time, I won't cause any more trouble.

Truly, no more trouble.

The hospital hallway was blindingly white.

"Where's the family? Why haven't they come to sign yet? Look at the time!"

The nurse's anxious shouts echoed in my ears.

I painstakingly opened my eyes; the lights on the ceiling made me feel nauseous.

"Doctor, she's awake!"

The attending physician, Dr. Miller, was a middle-aged man. His brows were furrowed, and his gaze towards me was filled with sympathy and solemnity.

"Ms. Reed, have you reached your family? Although the emergency miscarriage surgery is complete, you've lost a lot of blood, and furthermore..." Dr. Miller paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "we found some abnormal indicators in your blood tests. It's confirmed to be acute myeloid leukemia. You need chemotherapy immediately."

The air was dead silent.

I lay on the hospital bed, my face even paler than the sheets. I reached down to touch my flat abdomen, empty now, even that faint connection was severed.

Emergency miscarriage. Leukemia.

Fate, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor, always picking on the most unfortunate.

"No family," I said, my voice as light as smoke. "I'll sign myself."

Dr. Miller was taken aback: "This is a serious matter. Where's your husband? The kind person who brought you to the hospital said they saw his number at the top of your phone."

"He's dead," I stated, my voice devoid of emotion.

Dr. Miller seemed choked. He looked at me, a woman so weak she looked as if she could die at any moment, sighed, and handed me the pen.

My hand trembled as I held the pen, every word I wrote was shaky and distorted.

After signing, I felt as if all my strength had drained away, and I collapsed onto the pillow.

My phone vibrated on the bedside table.

"Ethan" flashed across the screen.

Before, I would have answered ecstatically, even if all I heard were cold words.

But now, it just felt like noise.

I pressed the answer button. Before I could even speak, a barrage of questions was hurled at me.

"Lily, where the hell have you been? Scarlett got scared looking for your cat. If you don't come back and apologize, you can kiss your spot as my wife goodbye."

So it was for Scarlett.

Always Scarlett.

I looked at the IV drip, and suddenly chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Ethan seemed infuriated by my laughter. "I'm talking to you about something serious!"

"Ethan," I interrupted him, my tone frighteningly calm, "You don't need to kick me out. I've already cleared out the spot."

"What do you mean?"

"It means," I said, looking out at the dark night sky, "I want a divorce."