Chapter 2

I was dragged toward the break room.

My daughter's blood left a trail the whole way. I cried and pleaded.

"Please, my daughter needs a hospital. Please, call an ambulance."

The staff members had mixed expressions.

A young woman couldn't help but try to comfort me.

"Ma'am, we've already called the medical team. They'll be here soon."

"It'll be too late when they arrive."

I shouted in complete breakdown.

"She's lost too much blood. Please, just look at her!"

The next second, the break room door slammed shut.

"Watch them. No one leaves before Mr. Lucas returns."

Time crawled by, each second like torture.

Natalie's body temperature was dropping. Her little hands were ice cold.

I pounded on the break room door, my voice hoarse but still shouting.

"Go find an ambulance! If anything happens to this child, you're all accomplices! Lucas won't let you get away with this!"

Soon, the break room door opened.

Lucas Corporation's medical team entered.

"She's lost so much blood. She needs surgery. Please help her."

The medical team examined Natalie's injuries, their brows furrowed tightly.

"The situation really isn't good. She needs immediate surgery. We don't have the conditions for surgery here. We need to immediately—"

"Mr. Lucas is calling."

Assistant handed his phone to the doctor.

I couldn't hear what was said on the other end.

But the doctor's expression changed from grave to hesitant, and finally to calm as he hung up.

"Mr. Lucas instructed us to use the best medication to stabilize her condition and wait for him to return before making any decisions."

My whole body went cold. I looked at the white pill in the doctor's hand and shook my head frantically.

"No, you can't. What is that medication? My daughter can't take that. She needs to go to the hospital. She needs surgery."

The doctor remained expressionless, coldly pushing the pill closer.

I couldn't tell if my face was covered in my daughter's blood or my own tears. I turned to Assistant, who'd been giving all the orders.

"Assistant, look at Natalie! She's just a child! She's covered in blood! She'll die if we don't go to the hospital! If anything happens to her, Lucas won't forgive you. Neither will I."

A flicker of emotion crossed Assistant's cold face.

Suddenly, his phone rang again. After hearing just one sentence, the hesitation on his face vanished instantly.

"Yes, Mr. Lucas."

He hung up, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Mr. Lucas's orders: follow the medical team's conservative treatment plan."

As soon as he finished speaking, two security guards immediately came forward and pulled me away.

I struggled desperately, but my body was pinned down. I could only watch helplessly as they forced the white pill into my daughter's mouth.

"Natalie, my baby, you're killing her! You're killing her! I'll kill you all—I'll kill all of you!"

Assistant frowned and instructed the doctor.

"Mrs. Natalie is out of control. Give her a sedative so she doesn't hurt herself or Miss Natalie."

Cold liquid pierced my skin. I collapsed to the floor, finally achieving complete "calm."

Tears fell uncontrollably.

I'd once naively believed that this marriage arranged between families could be warmed if I just tried hard enough—that I could eventually melt Lucas's heart of ice.

I respected him, loved him, holding onto humble hope. I thought that by giving birth to our child, I could preserve at least a thread of affection between us.

I never imagined that in the face of Lucas's first love, I—his legally wedded wife—and the daughter I'd risked my life to bear were nothing more than pawns in his eyes. Pieces to be sacrificed at any moment to maintain his and Winona's dignity and safety, all in service of family duty.

I stared at that small figure in the distance, her clothes soaked through with blood, my heart sinking into an abyss.

"Lucas, if anything happens to Natalie, I will never forgive you."