Amy Garcia’s husband came back from the dead.

He’d returned under his twin brother’s identity and was now with his sister-in-law.

The day Amy uncovered the truth, heavy with child, she went to confront him.

He wasn’t home—he’d taken his sister-in-law for a prenatal checkup.

At the hospital, she found Ethan Johnson tenderly studying a sonogram with the other woman, tracing their baby’s features.

His expression darkened when he saw Amy. He dragged her into a corner.

"My brother shielded me with his life.

His last wish was for me to fulfill a hundred promises he’d made to her."

"Amy, this is the only way.

You understand, don’t you?"

That night, he slipped into her room, pinned her against the wall, and kissed her until her legs gave out.

Necklaces, perfumes, designer bags—countless luxuries piled up at Amy’s doorstep.

He promised they’d reunite once the sister-in-law safely delivered the baby.

Amy relented.

Within weeks, crippling abdominal pain sent Amy staggering to the roadside for a taxi.

There stood Ethan, browsing a maternity store with his sister-in-law.

They beamed at a tiny onesie, his lips brushing her forehead.

Amy froze.

Her heart shattered.

That night, trembling, she texted him:

"Have you fallen for her?"

Ethan drove through torrential rain, returning before dawn. He pinned her to the bed, claiming her fiercely till morning.

"Amy, it’s all an act. Just three more promises."

But when his sister-in-law called, he left.

Ethan later sent letters—a meter-high stack overflowing with longing.

Amy believed him again.

The final promise arrived as a wedding invitation: Ethan and Ruth Flores.

"Amy, my brother regretted never giving her a grand wedding. I owe him this!

Once the baby comes, we’ll be together!"

The invitation’s bright red names burned her heart.

What was she to him?

She endured pregnancy alone while he invented endless excuses to stay with Ruth.

Could they truly return to how things were?

On the wedding day, Amy’s mother-in-law dragged her to the ceremony.

She watched them exchange vows, rings, and a kiss.

She witnessed their happiness.

Tears blurred her vision as Ruth offered a toast:

"Amy, tea instead of wine. Ethan and I salute you.

It’s been hard since he died, all alone!"

Amy searched Ethan’s eyes. He looked away.

"At least pretend to respect your sister-in-law!"

Amy’s fractured heart gave out.

She drained the glass in one gulp and turned to leave.

Two steps away, a shout pierced the air:

"Look out!"

Amy glanced up—a chandelier plunged downward.

But Ethan's first instinct was to push her away, frantically shielding Ruth behind him.

In that split second, Amy's mind went blank.

By the time she regained her senses, she'd been knocked to the ground by a falling chandelier.

Excruciating pain shot through her leg, nearly making her faint.

Amy instinctively cried out to Ethan: "Ethan, help me! And our..."

Hearing her plea, Ethan instinctively turned.

But before he could step forward, Ruth—who'd been standing fine moments ago—somehow got knocked down, clutching her baby bump and crying out.

"Darling, my stomach hurts terribly!"

Just those words made Ethan pivot, leaving Amy forgotten.

Watching his retreating back, Amy felt numb inside.

She'd witnessed him abandoning her countless times before,

yet she didn't know why it still hurt so much.

Fortunately, kind strangers eventually rushed her to the hospital.

In her haze at the hospital, Amy overheard Ethan's voice from across the hall.

"My wife's condition is critical! Summon every doctor here immediately! Why the delay?"

His wife!

!

Amy's tears dissolved into bitter laughter.

His wife? So Ruth was his wife—then what was she?

His sister-in-law?

A nurse suddenly exclaimed nearby: "The patient's hemorrhaging! Delayed treatment risks her life!

The one across the hall just has scratches! Why hoard all the doctors? Fetch them now!"

After hurried footsteps, an uneasy voice replied: "He insists no doctor leaves until his wife wakes! Threatened to ruin us otherwise!"

Amy heard no more.

In her final moments of consciousness, she remembered Ethan choosing Ruth over her—once again.

When Amy awoke, she met Ethan's conflicted gaze:

"Amy, it was an emergency. Ruth is pregnant... I had to prioritize her. Name anything—I'll get it for you."

Amy offered a pale smile, silent.

The damage was done. What use were explanations now?

As Ethan tried to speak, Ruth called.

He left immediately without another glance.

Alone, Amy touched her flat abdomen, coughing weakly.

But the coughs soon choked her breath.

This child perhaps never should've existed.

Now... it's better this way.

As a nurse handed Amy the miscarriage certificate, laughter echoed from the opposite room.

Peering through the door crack, Amy saw Ethan nuzzling Ruth's baby bump.

"Darling, if the baby's this fussy now, how will we manage after birth?

Pity about your brother though—left so soon, didn't even give his wife a child!"

He had left one.

But Ethan personally destroyed his own child.

"Don't say such gloomy things. His wife is his wife—you have me..."

Amy heard no more. Turning away, she coldly dialed a number from her blocked list.

"I lost the bet. Take me away."

"Weren't you so defiant when marrying into that family? Regretting it already?"

Opposite gave a cold snort, then quieted upon hearing Amy's prolonged silence.

"Since you're leaving, shed your identity as Amy and cut all ties with the Johnsons."

"In ten days, stage an accident. I'll bring your Death Certificate back to get you."

After that day, Amy never saw Ethan again.

Not until she was discharged from the hospital and returned home.

The moment she stepped inside, she saw a fire basin blazing in the living room.

Ruth was burning things one by one.

Amy moved closer and finally recognized what was being consumed.

Photos of her and Ethan traveling the world—shots he'd specially commissioned from a renowned international photographer;

Countless matching outfits—his preferred black, her favorite red, and the comfortable green they both loved;

Piles of love letters he'd personally placed into a custom-made lockbox, calling them their most precious memories.

Now, all were carelessly tossed into the flames...

Amy's eyes grew inexplicably moist as she watched.

Yet Ethan stood silently, indulging Ruth's every move.

If he didn't care, why should she cling to the past?

Wiping her tears, Amy turned to leave.

Then she saw Ruth holding up a baby garment.

"Honey, what do you think of this for our little one?

Is the design too outdated?"

Amy's fingers clenched.

On their first anniversary, she'd been distraught over infertility.

Ethan took months of sick leave, accompanying her daily to buy medicines, enduring trial after error...

Her skin had been covered in rashes from their relentless efforts, yet conception never happened.

To comfort her, he'd specially designed this outfit—a symbol of hope for their future child.

Now that child had come... only to be lost.

Amy's nose stung, and she instinctively stepped forward.

Ruth startled, collapsing to the floor.

"Amy!

You scared me to death!"

When Amy remained silent, staring at the burning garment, Ruth explained,

"I'm still pregnant. Mom says these things bring bad luck, so I just..."

Without a word, Amy reached into the flames and pulled out the outfit.

Panicked, Ruth hid behind Ethan.

"Amy, I'm just protecting my baby. Please understand?

Ethan's already gone. Keeping these will only haunt you—they might even harm my unborn child!"

Amy locked eyes with Ethan.

"Is that what you think too?"

Ethan frowned slightly before replying,

"Sister-in-law, I know this hurts.

But Ethan's dead. How could his belongings matter more than Ruth and her child?

As a favor to me... let it burn."

Amy felt dazed.

Suddenly she remembered Ethan spinning her around the entire Johnson estate after she accepted his proposal—

Back when he'd boast to passing dogs that she belonged to him.

Now... it was truly time to let go.

"Fine..." She nodded numbly, tossing the garment back into the fire.

"I want neither the Johnson family... nor you."

Ethan's brow furrowed as if he hadn't heard clearly, but before he could question her—

Ruth collapsed into his arms.

"Ethan... Amy frightened me. My stomach seems to ache again..."

This was the scene Gerald Johnson walked in on.

He immediately launched into a torrent of curses at Amy, even slapping her across the face.

"Jinx! You've already cursed one grandson to death, and now you're after my great-grandson?"

"If you don't apologize to Ruth today, I won't let this go!"

Gerald Johnson shoved Amy Garcia to the floor. She braced against the wall, struggling to rise.

"I've done nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?"

The disciplinary ruler struck before she finished speaking, sending her crashing down again.

"Fine! Such backbone you have!

Today, the Family Tribunal will beat an apology out of you!"

Strike after strike rained down until blood bloomed across Amy's back.

Ethan Johnson watched coldly, his brow furrowing deeper until he moved to intervene.

Ruth Flores spoke first, her voice frail, "Grandfather, Amy didn't mean harm. Perhaps... have her personally convert her bridal suite into a nursery. Let that be her apology."

Those softly spoken words drained the remaining color from Amy's face.

Her heart ached as if torn into pieces, a dull ache spreading through her chest.

Her child was gone, and now they demanded she turn her marriage bedchamber into Ruth's nursery.

A hollow laugh escaped her as she collapsed to the floor.

Seeing this, Ethan finally relented, stepping forward to help her up.

Amy pushed him away.

"Amy, I failed you. You've suffered unjustly."

"Ruth's cesarean is scheduled next week. Once the baby comes, I'll return to you."

So he knew she'd suffered. A bitter laugh choked Amy.

She'd been foolish before, believing his every word. No more trust remained.

After Ethan left, Amy hurled her clothes into the fire without a backward glance.

Back in the bridal suite, she tossed out Ruth's abandoned belongings.

The doll from their first argument, the rose wreath Ethan bought in their passion, the figurines they collected together after marrying...

Amy watched every shared memory burn to ash.

Only then did she turn to paint the walls.

Outside, Ethan jingled an infant rattle near Ruth's swollen belly, their laughter and joy drifting through the air.

Amy listened, her cold heart no longer stirred.

Amy tidied the walls and threw out all the trash.

When she returned, Gerald still spoke to her with hostility.

"Who are you wearing that mournful look for? I'll let it slide today."

"But if you dare embarrass the Johnsons at tomorrow's charity gala, it won't end like this!"

Amy listened silently, unusually offering no retort.

After years of marriage, tomorrow would bring closure.

The next day, when Amy arrived at the banquet, Ethan and Ruth were already holding hands at the center of a crowd.

Their intimate gestures spoke volumes.

Reporters repeatedly asked about their secret to lasting love.

Ethan remained silent,

only raising his hand to halt interviews when camera flashes made Ruth uncomfortable, shielding her protectively.

"My wife's due date is near. She mustn't overexert herself. Your understanding is appreciated."

His gentle tone couldn't mask the possessiveness in his eyes.

Ruth leaned into his embrace, radiating bliss.

"Oh, he's such a bother—wants to cling to me 24/7. When my sister-in-law was hospitalized last time, I practically begged him to visit."

"I have company, but she's all alone. Instead of bothering me, why not keep her company?"

Suddenly, reporters noticed Amy's presence and swarmed her,

asking about her late husband.

Onstage, Ethan showed no reaction, shielding Ruth without sparing Amy a glance.

Amy drew a deep breath and whispered, "The departed won't return. I've long accepted this truth."

"Thank you for your concern. I'll heal in time."

Her words finally cracked Ethan's composure.

Later, he cornered her in the restroom hallway.

"What 'departed won't return'? Amy, I told you I'd come back after Ruth delivers the baby."

"Can't you cut me some slack?"

Amy stared at him wordlessly,

her tears long exhausted, eyes parched as she pushed him away.

"Ethan, show some dignity!"

He froze momentarily before pinning her against the wall, emotions churning.

"Amy, I had no choice! Must you be so stubborn? Don't you know I—"

His phone rang before he could finish.

"Honey? Where are you? More reporters came... I'm scared!"

The call made him abandon her instantly.

As the event ended, Ruth approached with Ethan.

"Amy, we have plans, but we called you a car. You can head home alone, right?"

Before Ethan could speak, Amy agreed brightly,

"Sure!"

Her response startled him. He blurted,

"If you're lonely, we can drop you off. It's no trouble."

Ruth immediately collapsed against him.

"Darling, you promised to take me to that new luxury club now."

Suppressing nausea, Amy shook her head. "No need."

Amy stood by the roadside for two hours in the cold wind, but her driver never came.

She pulled out her phone. The first notification was Ruth's social media update.

"Freezing out here, but hubby's pampering me with a foot soak."

The photo showed Ethan bending down, his hand resting on her calf.

Amy's fingers tightened unconsciously around her phone.

The drive that should've taken under an hour became a walk from nightfall to daybreak.

When she pushed open the door, disheveled, she saw Ethan at the dining table spoon-feeding Ruth oatmeal.

"Amy!" Ruth feigned surprise. "Where were you last night?

The driver went to pick you up but couldn't find you."

"Really?

I'd like to ask where exactly he went looking?" Amy shot back.

She tossed her heels aside and headed upstairs, only to be stopped by the butler.

"Mr. Gerald requests everyone at the ancestral estate's Family Chapel."

Amy had only entered the Johnson Family Chapel twice before.

The first time, Ethan took the Family Tribunal for refusing an arranged marriage to wed her.

He knelt for three full days until Gerald relented, letting Amy see him.

The second time was on their wedding night.

Before all Johnson elders, Ethan personally inscribed her name into the Family Tree.

His hand was still trembling when he took hers.

This third time, Amy spotted the crowd inside from afar, her gut twisting with dread.

Ethan passed by, eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her:

"You planted those reporters, didn't you?

Desperate to reel me back—how pathetic."

What reporters? Amy frowned, unease coiling tighter.

The moment she stepped in, photos slapped her face.

"See what you've done!" Gerald's face twisted with rage.

"You've shamed the Johnson name!"

Amy finally saw the images clearly:

Last night, Ethan cornering her outside the restroom.

She lifted her head to explain, but Ruth's palm struck her cheek hard.

"Amy! I treated you like a sister!" Ruth's chest heaved, tears welling.

"Yet you steal my husband! Have you no shame?"

The accusation hung thick in the air.

Amy instinctively raised her hand to retaliate—but froze at the sight of Ruth's pregnant belly.

In that split second, Ethan seized her wrist.

"Striking her now? Look at yourself!"

His voice dripped venom. "I never imagined you'd be this vile."

He threw her to the ground.

Bitterness and injustice surged through Amy.

What had she done wrong?

Why did everyone blame her?

"Tell them yourself!" She locked eyes with Ethan, gesturing around the room.

"Who are you? Who's your wife? What's the truth?"

Ethan's brow furrowed deeper with each question.

Finally, his lips parted: "I'm Ethan Johnson. Ruth is my only wife."

He pulled Ruth close. "No matter how you tempt me, I'll only ever love her."

Amy stood frozen in place, her heart sinking so hard she couldn't breathe, her hands and feet going numb.

The surroundings were chaotic, but she could only see Ethan gently comforting the sobbing Ruth in his arms.

Only when the disciplinary ruler struck her again and again did she slowly regain her senses.

"Amy, the Johnson family has already shown you the utmost leniency!"

Gerald issued his final ultimatum, "Get out now..."

"No!"

Ethan, who had been watching coldly until now, cut in.

"She hasn't apologized to Ruth yet!"

Amy turned to look at him and said softly, "Give it up. I will never apologize!"

"You won't say it?"

Ethan's gaze darkened, his teeth gritted, "Then you'll kneel at Ruth's door until you do!"

Amy struggled to push herself up, her throat too tight to speak.

She was already wounded beyond repair, just wanting to leave the Johnson family as soon as possible.

Soon, the deadline was almost up. That person would come back for her.

But the next second, Ruth wiped the tears from the corner of her eye and said understandingly:

"Although Amy has wronged us, she's long since cut ties with the Garcia family. If we kick her out now, she can't support herself.

Why not send her to a remote warehouse to be a guard? That would at least ensure she has food and clothing for the rest of her life."

Ethan was silent for two seconds. "You're always so kind. I agree!"

Amy's smile froze on her face.

Her whole body felt as if it had plunged into an icy abyss.

Amy knelt at the doorway all night, her head heavy and foggy.

Somehow, Ruth's words had made her unexpectedly recall cutting ties with her father.

Her mother died during childbirth, never even getting to hold her.

And because she was a girl, Dylan had always treated her like an outsider.

Twenty years of abuse.

It ended only when he sent her to a high-ranking official's bed to pave the way for his worthless illegitimate son.

Just as she prepared to bite her tongue in despair, Ethan appeared and saved her.

That incident led to her first confrontation with her father, escalating until Dylan raised his hand to strike her—

Ethan pulled her behind him, taking the slap full force.

When she was thrown out and left homeless, crouched sobbing outside a convenience store, it was Ethan again.

He tenderly wiped her tears, drawing her into his embrace:

"Marry me, Amy!

I'll give you a home, shelter you from every storm."

"From now on, I'm your family. Your safe harbor."

Those words moved her so deeply she wept in his arms for two more hours.

The lingering sound of intimate kisses from inside snapped Amy back to the present.

Ethan emerged shirtless, crouching before her with his phone raised.

Amy glanced at the screen—flooded with insults branding her a homewrecker.

"Is this what you wanted, Amy? To be hated by everyone?

Just apologize, and I'll erase this scandal. We can go back to how things were."

Noticing the love bite on his neck, Amy turned away silently.

Her defiance ignited Ethan's temper. He stood, all patience gone:

"Your confinement's arranged. I'll personally take you there in three days."

Ruth appeared then, swaying Ethan's arm coquettishly:

"After all these years of friendship, I'll miss her!

The help at the ancestral estate just isn't cutting it. Let her serve me before leaving!"

Unable to resist Ruth's pleading, Ethan agreed.

To prevent escape, he confiscated her phone and bank cards, even clamping shackles around her wrists and ankles.

Amy's nose stung. How was she any different from a prisoner now?

"Amy, the baby and I are hungry. Fetch breakfast from the kitchen!"

Ruth commanded from the dining table.

But before Amy could set the tray down, Ruth pouted.

"Oatmeal again? Make me egg noodles instead."

Without responding, Amy silently returned to the kitchen.

She hadn't cooked in ages.

Since their wedding, Ethan had banned her from the kitchen, fearing she'd cut herself.

Her daily meals had always been prepared by his own hands.

Now all that care belonged to someone else.

Dragging her shackles, Amy placed the noodles before Ruth.

"No scallions. Make another bowl."

Amy drew a deep breath and turned back.

"Too salty. Again!"

"Too bland. Again!"

"Too greasy. Again!"

...

When Amy brought out the tenth bowl, her last shred of patience was completely gone.

She slammed the bowl onto the table with a frosty expression.

Ruth noticed Amy's displeasure and leaned back in her chair, taunting her:

"Our Amy's changed now—big online fame comes with quite the temper.

Just cooking for me and you throw such a fit!

What if I demand you remake it right now?"

Ruth picked up the noodle bowl and hurled it at Amy's feet.

Scalding broth splashed onto Amy's calf, making her shriek and leap back.

Hearing the commotion, the golden retriever trotted in from its doghouse.

It planted itself before Amy, baring teeth at Ruth with two sharp barks.

Those barks sent Ruth stumbling backward into her chair, bursting into tears.

"Ruth!"

Amy got shoved against the table edge by Ethan rushing in.

As pain shot through her, she saw Ethan cradling Ruth in his arms.

"Amy!

I clearly underestimated you!"

"You'd target an unborn child? Deranged enough to sic a dog on her!"

Ruth nestled against Ethan's chest, sobbing out an exaggerated tale that left Amy no room to explain.

Ethan's face darkened instantly after hearing it.

"Guards! Teach that beast a proper lesson!"

"What are you doing?"

Amy frantically shielded the golden retriever but got dragged away by force.

She watched helplessly as bodyguards took turns beating it with iron rods.

"It's all my fault.

Please stop—I've got nothing left but him, I'm begging you..."

Amy's voice cracked into uncontrollable sobs by the end.

Ethan had gifted her the dog before her pregnancy.

They'd both raised it like their own child.

Ethan froze briefly before signaling his men to halt with a glance.

"Amy, I'll spare this animal because you begged.

But next time won't end so simply."

Amy rushed over and cradled the barely breathing dog, sobbing uncontrollably.

The golden retriever licked her tears, whimpered twice, then slowly closed its eyes.

She'd lost the baby, and now the dog was gone too.

Amy carried the dog to the most secluded spot, buried him there, and kept vigil through the rainy night.

Drenched from the downpour, Amy burned with fever by morning.

She opened her door to find Ruth waiting in the living room.

"Ames, we're visiting the Postpartum Care Facility today. You're coming."

Amy shook her head. "I'm not feeling well."

Ruth's expression soured as she glanced at Ethan descending the stairs.

"Genuinely ill or making excuses?

Come willingly, or I'll have you escorted."

Hearing the undisguised threat, Amy knew refusal wasn't an option.

She grimaced. "Fine! Let's go!"

Trailing behind the couple, Amy listened as Ethan interrogated staff:

"Is this facility properly accredited?

Are your physicians board-certified?

What's the procedure's risk profile?"

When Ruth complained about his thoroughness, he simply kissed her forehead.

Strangely, scenes that once stabbed Amy's heart now left her numb.

Their intimacy shattered when Ethan took a business call.

Once he stepped outside, Ruth turned to Amy with a polished smile:

"Your brother personally selected this place!"

"You almost became a mother too, Ames. Would this suit your baby?"

Amy saw the smile mirror Ruth's hollow soul.

"Tiring to keep up the act?"

As Ruth feigned confusion, Amy continued bluntly:

"You knew he was Ethan all along."

"You used to shield me—now you rub salt in my wounds.

You stopped calling him 'Ethan' after the accident. Can't bear to say his name?"

Ruth froze momentarily before curling her lips.

"Caught me.

Ethan promised to be my husband from the start.

You were the only fool in the Johnson family."

Amy stood frozen, lashes trembling as Ruth's words echoed:

Only you were kept in the dark.

Her pale lips quivered, speech failing her.

Even after abandoning hope for Ethan, needles of pain still pierced her heart.

Ruth stepped closer, feigning concern:

"Does it hurt?

I know you still wait for him, but everyone's selfish."

"Who holds more weight in Ethan's heart now—you or me?"

You, obviously, Amy mocked herself silently.

Before she could answer, Ruth shoved her aside and tumbled down the stairs.

Amy lunged forward but froze at Ethan's sprinting footsteps.

Ruth clutched her abdomen, whimpering:

"If you want Ethan, Ames... I'll step aside."

"But why did you harm my child?"

Ethan looked at Amy in disbelief, his eyes filled with loathing and hatred.

Amy followed to the operating room. When the door closed, she met Ethan's fierce gaze again:

"It wasn't me! She suddenly rolled down by herself!"

Ethan's blood-stained hands trembled uncontrollably as he walked toward Amy without a word.

But when he got close, he grabbed her by the neck.

"I said I'd come back to you. Why did you still do this?

Do you know how disappointed I am in you?"

"You'd better pray they're both safe, or I won't let you off!"

Amy's feet gradually left the ground. Breathing grew harder, and the person before her turned unfamiliar.

The operating room door opened. A nurse ran out anxiously:

"The pregnant woman's hemorrhaging! Anyone here with RH-negative blood?"

Ethan glanced at Amy and casually threw her down: "She is. Take hers!"

Amy sat coughing until her eyes reddened.

The young nurse hesitated: "This lady's condition isn't suitable for blood donation..."

"Life hangs in the balance! No time for hesitation!"

Ethan showed zero hesitation, dragging Amy personally for the blood draw.

Throughout Ruth's six-hour labor, Amy had 500cc of blood drawn intermittently.

She slumped over the table, breathing shallowly. This time, she truly couldn't hold on.

The operating light finally went out. The doctor emerged:

"Congratulations!

Close call, but both mother and child are safe."

Ethan's eyes welled up as he stumbled toward Ruth's room.

Amy stared blankly at his retreating figure, only one thought in her mind.

She had to get away immediately!

She'd apologize, she'd kneel, she'd do anything to leave.

It took Amy a while before she could barely stand.

Dragging her heavy body to beg Ethan, she overheard Ruth's voice at the hospital door.

"It's just normal bleeding, I worried you.

But now that Amy knows, she'll hate me even more."

"That's what she owes you anyway."

Amy's hand tightened on the doorknob. She took a deep breath and pushed in.

Ruth looked terrified at the sight of her, shielding the baby protectively.

Amy hated her act but swallowed her disgust:

"I apologize for what happened before.

But we both know exactly what occurred this time."

Before Ruth spoke, Amy turned to Ethan: "So will you let me go now?"

Ethan stayed silent, just flung a document at her feet.

Amy crouched to pick it up. The first page screamed: CONFESSION.

The charge? Attempted murder!

"Amy, I warned you—next time won't be simple."

"Relax, once Ruth cools off, I'll get you out of prison."

Ethan said casually, handing Amy the pen to sign.

Amy stood frozen, face ghostly pale. Two tears streaked down unannounced.

"Are you trying to ruin my entire life?"

"How could I bear that?"

Ethan wiped her tears. "I don't like who you've become.

If locking you up brings back my obedient Amy, it's worth it.

Agreed?"

Amy slapped him hard, her whole frame shaking visibly.

Ethan probed his stinging cheek with his tongue, wiping blood off his lip.

"Not signing?

Then I'll help."

He yanked Amy over, shoved the pen into her hand.

Ignoring her death-defying struggle, he forced her hand to scrawl a signature.

Ethan held the confession, smiling in triumph:

"Amy, you're mine for life. Only I decide if you live or die!"

He strode out to call his top lawyer, hellbent on jailing Amy.

Amy collapsed on the floor, heart extinguished, too numb for tears.

Ruth watched her devastation, propping herself up in bed:

"Pity moves me. I'll confess everything."

"Truth is, Ethan always loved me. You were just my stand-in."

"You never got pregnant because those vitamins were birth control."

"And this baby? It's Ethan's."

Each word detonated like thunder in Amy's mind.

No wonder when they first met, Ethan said she felt familiar.

No wonder after every time with Ethan, he would ask if she'd taken her vitamins on time.

No wonder nine months ago when his elder brother was away on business, he stayed out all night and came back reeking of Ruth's perfume the next day.

All the signs had been there all along.

A coppery sweetness surged in her throat, and Amy spat out a mouthful of bloody fluid into the trash can.

Shock, rage, terror, and sorrow churned inside her, cold sweat pouring down her forehead like water.

Yet her expression remained abnormally calm.

Ethan walked in, looming over her.

Amy reached out to tug gently at his pant leg, pleading in a whisper:

"Before I lose my freedom... could you let me visit Mother's grave one last time?"

Ethan lowered his gaze but remained silent.

Ruth softly coaxed, "Just let her go!

Seeing her like this breaks my heart."

Ethan took her hand and kissed it gently: "As you wish."

Amy finally left the Postpartum Care Facility.

Passing a florist, she signaled the driver to stop:

"I'm handcuffed and penniless. Could you buy two bouquets of Funeral Flowers?"

Once the driver stepped out, Amy scrambled into the driver's seat and slammed the accelerator, racing toward the cliff.

Through the rearview mirror, she saw the driver frantically calling someone—undoubtedly Ethan.

The next instant, the car smashed through the guardrail and plunged toward the sea.

Weightlessness engulfed Amy as she smiled with liberated relief.

The violent impact upon hitting the water stole her consciousness.

Onshore, the driver stood roadside, finally reaching Ethan on his fifth attempt.

"Mr. Johnson, there's been an accident."

"What?"

"Miss Jiang... she drove off the cliff—"

Before he could finish, an explosion ripped through the sea where the car had vanished.