Chapter 2

After the ambulance arrived at the hospital, I lay on a cold gurney, but no doctor came to see me.

I clearly felt excruciating, knife-like pain in my abdomen, and my limbs gradually became cold and numb.

Out of survival instinct, I grabbed a passing nurse. "When will the doctor be here?"

"All the emergency doctors have been called by Mr. Vance to see Ms. Thompson. You'll probably have to wait a while."

The nurse, seeing my pathetic state, suggested, "Or do you have any relatives? You could ask them to arrange a transfer to another hospital."

I slid through my contacts with trembling fingers, my gaze lingering on "Caleb" for a moment before I finally dialed.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then I spoke first. "Caleb, can you find me a doctor?"

As expected, Caleb's tone was utterly cold. "Now you know to come to me?"

Then, his clear, distant voice spoke again. "Amber, I hope you understand that from the day you insisted on marrying Jason, I no longer considered you my sister."

The nurse couldn't bear to listen. She took the phone and tried to persuade him. "Sir, this lady is in critical condition and needs immediate surgery, otherwise her life is in danger."

But after hearing this, Caleb's tone remained unwavering. "This is all her own doing."

The call ended with a busy signal, and my heart completely gave up hope.

Back then, to repay the Harrison family for adopting me, I disregarded Caleb's objections and entered into an arranged marriage with the Vance family, consolidating our family interests.

But on my wedding day, Caleb had an accident on his way back from abroad and was saved by Sera.

To repay Sera, he gave her extremely high status and wealth.

However, after that accident, he completely ignored me, even hated me. He believed that if I hadn't insisted on the arranged marriage, he wouldn't have had that accident, so even if I died outside, it would be my own fault.

I don't know how much time passed. My consciousness was already fading. The blinding light of the operating lamp finally appeared, and then I slipped into darkness.

Dimly, I heard the doctor say, "Excessive blood loss. Previous uterine damage has re-ruptured. A total hysterectomy must be performed..."

The surgery finished by midnight. When the anesthesia wore off, a dull, hollow ache pulsed in my abdomen.

That night, I submitted an application to a mentor at the Royal Swiss Dance Academy, enclosing my final choreography.

Soon after, a reply arrived.

"I have reviewed your application. We are delighted you've chosen to join us."

During my recovery after the surgery, I became unusually quiet.

My body was healing, but something inside me had gone permanently empty.

My best friend, Chloe Davis, came to visit. After waiting a long time without seeing Jason, she pulled out her phone. "Amber, where did your busy husband run off to?"

I quickly stopped Chloe's hand before she could dial. "He's busy with work. This isn't a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Chloe looked at me, exasperated. "Amber, you can't have children anymore. Isn't that a big deal? And he still has time for work?"

"Chloe, I'm leaving the country."

In Chloe's astonished gaze, I calmly continued. "He and I are getting divorced soon."

"Divorce?!" Chloe seemed to have never imagined that word would be associated with me, as to outsiders, Jason had long seemed deeply in love with me.

Seeing I didn't want to say more, she didn't press, leaving to buy me lunch.

When she returned, her breathing was rapid, clearly very angry.

"Amber, do you know what I heard in the hallway?" She angrily put down the lunchbox. "The nurses said Jason had been with Sera in the next room for a whole week! He even booked the entire floor for her!"

I simply smiled, my eyes flickering slightly, a tacit admission.

Chloe hugged me tightly, sticking up for me. "Amber, if it's inconvenient for you, I'll go deal with that Sera! She's too much!"

I patted her shoulder, comforting her. "It's fine, Chloe. I no longer love Jason."

The words had barely left my lips when the hospital room door opened, and a deep male voice came from behind us.

"No longer love me?"

5

Amber POV

Chloe and I turned simultaneously, seeing Jason in a black trench coat, taking long strides towards us.

Chloe, still fuming, was about to rush up and confront him.

"How dare you show your face here?"

I subtly pulled Chloe back, shaking my head at her, effectively cutting off the conversation.

Jason subconsciously clenched his fingers, swallowed a few times, his gaze somewhat evasive. "An employee, also a friend, from the company is hospitalized. I just stopped by on my way."

He quickly composed himself, walked over, and took my hand, asking with concern, "You were perfectly fine. Why are you in the gynecology ward?"

A bitter taste formed at the corner of my mouth. I desperately wanted to tell him that all these injuries were thanks to that night's "punishment." But I didn't want Chloe to worry, so I held back.

"My period is a bit irregular. The doctor suggested IV drip observation. I'll be discharged this afternoon."

Jason's tightly furrowed brow relaxed, his thin lips moving. "Then I'll pick you up and take you home tonight."

But that night, as the moon rose high in the sky, Jason was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, I found traces of him on Sera's Instagram.

There was a post showing splendid fireworks outside a floor-to-ceiling window. In the glass reflection, I could clearly see the silhouette of a man embracing her from behind.

The caption read: "Even though I've lost a lot, there's still someone who treasures me."

I knew this was probably an Instagram post visible only to me. But now, I just expressionlessly hit like.

I took an Uber home and started packing up the items I'd carefully collected over the past five years, the couple's mugs, the cheap gifts he'd given me, into cardboard boxes.

The custom-made couple's phone charms had long gathered dust. But when I flipped over Jason's old phone case, I found a movie ticket stub tucked behind it.

On the back, in his forceful handwriting, were the words: "Now, watching a movie with you is stolen happiness."

The date was precisely the day he had accompanied Sera to New York.

That morning, I contacted a used item recycling company to pick things up.

Just as I finished loading the last box onto the truck, the main door suddenly opened.

I looked up, my gaze directly meeting Jason's deep eyes.

He frowned, looking at the boxes on the truck. "Is there so much trash to throw away at home?"

I nodded, my voice flat. "They're all useless things, just taking up space."

The driver, seeing the situation, took an exquisite silver box from the truck and handed it to me. "Ms. Harrison, this looks quite valuable. Did you put it in by mistake?"

Before I could reply, Jason snatched the box.

He opened it, and his whole body stiffened. "Isn't this... the silver amulet you wished for by that fountain when we traveled abroad? It was for our future child."

I looked at the oxidized and blackened silver ornament. I thought for a long time, truly feeling nothing, but still politely said, "I'm sorry, I forgot."

Jason's face instantly darkened, his voice a little rushed. "You said then that this was the most effective charm, that I absolutely had to wear it. Later, you said we should put it away for the baby..."

I calmly forced out a regretful smile. "I was foolish before. I won't believe in such superstitious things anymore."

Jason probably thought I was still angry about his missing our appointment last night. He suppressed the emotions in his eyes and pulled a velvet jewelry box from his pocket.

"Amber, I was just too busy and lost track of time last night." He opened the box, took out the pink diamond necklace inside, and, without asking, put it around my neck. "This is the style you always wanted. Don't be angry anymore."

I glanced down at it. It was the same style Sera had posted on Instagram yesterday. Perhaps it was a free gift with purchase.

He didn't give me a chance to refuse. He then handed me a haute couture dress, his voice carrying a hint of appeasement as if giving charity. "Stop making a scene. Change your clothes. There's a celebration tonight for Sera's discharge from the hospital. You come too."

6

Amber POV

I didn't want to get entangled with him, nor did I want to explain, especially since in half a month, we would be legally unrelated.

At the banquet, guests in formal attire chatted and laughed, glasses clinked, creating a lively and luxurious scene.

I wore the dress he had chosen, adorned with the jewelry he had "given" me, like an exquisite puppet, standing by his side.

Until someone whispered behind me, just loud enough for me to hear. "Look at that pink diamond Amber is wearing. Isn't it exactly like Sera's? But I heard Sera's is the main piece, and hers... looks like a bundled accessory."

Before leaving this circle, I didn't want to cause trouble, but that didn't mean I had to endure this humiliation.

I raised my hand, tore off the necklace from my neck, and casually made to throw it into the champagne tower's waste bin nearby.

But my wrist was suddenly grabbed by Sera. Her eyes filled with tears, looking pathetic and vulnerable. "Amber, did I do something wrong to upset you? Jason specially picked this necklace for you."

Chloe was also there. She couldn't stand it and rushed over, shielding me behind her. "It's none of your business if she throws away trash! Are you deliberately picking a fight?"

The commotion attracted many onlookers, and the chatter grew louder.

Someone in the crowd quietly scoffed. "Her? I heard she was a wild child from an orphanage, only got a good life after being adopted by the Harrison family. She's still uncultured at heart."

Chloe trembled with anger, loudly retorting, "The Harrison family may have adopted her, but my Amber finished university on a full scholarship! All her excellence was earned through her own hard work! She's not some good-for-nothing dependent on men!"

Ten years ago, Caleb was being hunted by enemies. I saved him by hiding with him in a hidden underground passage. After that, he brought me out of the foster care system.

But in these years at the Harrison family, I never dared to relax, even practicing dance with a high fever, just to not disgrace the Harrison family.

Yet no matter how hard I tried, people only ever remembered me by the label "Harrison family's adopted daughter."

Caleb and Jason heard the commotion and walked over, frowning. "What's going on?!"

Sera lowered her head, looking pitiful like a frightened deer. "It's my incompetence that has made Ms. Harrison and her friends laugh at me."

"I came from an ordinary family, so of course I can't compare to Ms. Harrison' nobility." With that, she made to unfasten the necklace from her neck. "This necklace is more suitable for Ms. Harrison anyway."

Jason stepped forward and held her hand, his tone undeniable. "If it's for you, wear it; there's no need to take it off."

Caleb also gave me a cold glance, then turned to comfort Sera. "What nobility does she have? She's just an orphan our family sponsored. You saved my life. I won't allow you to be so humble in front of her."

A busybody girl nearby suggested, "I heard Ms. Harrison once won a gold medal in international ice ballet. None of us have seen it. Why don't we ask Ms. Harrison to perform a piece to liven things up?"

Hearing this, Sera shed a few more tears, further highlighting my "arrogance" and "unpopularity."

Caleb sneered, looking at me with icy eyes. "Since you're so pure and look down on this necklace, tonight, to celebrate Sera's discharge, you can perform some ice ballet for everyone, as an apology."

I looked at him in disbelief. This was an outdoor banquet. For aesthetic effect, an artificial ice rink had been laid in the garden, but it hadn't been professionally polished.

I wanted to refuse, wanted to turn and leave.

But Caleb's bodyguards immediately surrounded me. Caleb sternly threatened, "If you dare to leave now, I will immediately freeze all your funds in the Harrison family and make it impossible for you to move an inch in my industry."

To ensure my smooth departure from the country, and to avoid any visa issues, I endured it.

I was "escorted" onto that rough, cold ice surface.

Even through my dance shoes, the cold pierced my feet like needles. I was forced to dance. With every spin, every jump, the wound in my abdomen throbbed with a tearing, dull pain. The cold air choked my windpipe, carrying a metallic taste of blood.

I felt like a circus animal being watched, surrounded by mocking glances.

Chloe tried to rush up and pull me away, but she was firmly stopped by several bodyguards.

Mid-performance, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly shot through my right toes.

I staggered and looked down. Through the clear ice, I clearly saw several iron nails frozen beneath, their points facing upwards. That last step had pierced right through the ice.

I fell heavily onto the ice. Blood instantly stained my skirt and merged with the icy water.

Sera, at that moment, flashed a fleeting, malicious and triumphant smile at me.

So, all of this was planned by her!

"Ah... my stomach hurts so much..." Sera suddenly clutched her abdomen, her face contorted in pain as she collapsed into Jason's arms.

Everyone's attention instantly shifted to Sera. No one noticed my dance shoe, already stained red with blood.

The family doctor was urgently called. He nervously asked Sera, "What did you eat tonight?"

Sera pointed weakly at me, still kneeling on the ice. "I only drank the juice Amber handed me..."

Caleb's face instantly darkened. His gaze toward me was murderous. "Amber, you are incorrigible! Let her kneel there! Kneel until she understands her mistake!"

Jason didn't utter a word in my defense. He bent down, picked up Sera, and left with a cold reprimand. "Amber, you disappoint me too much."

Someone pressed down on my shoulders, forcing me to kneel upright.

My knees slammed heavily onto the ice. Then came the excruciating pain of more small nails piercing my flesh.

I bit my lip and said nothing, watching their backs as they clustered around Sera and walked away.