Chapter 2

2. After rinsing my mouth, I heard the click of high heels behind me.

Sienna walked in with a beaming smile. "Elara, honey, are you feeling unwell?"

Thinking of Asher's warning, I just shook my head. "I'm fine."

She gave a faint smile and stopped talking, focusing on reapplying her lipstick.

As I turned to leave, Sienna suddenly spoke up. "Asher has been well-taken care of these past few years thanks to you. From now on... I'll take it from here."

I managed a bitter smile and walked out the door.

...

On the way back, the taxi driver noticed how pale I was and handed me a bottle of water.

"Thank you," I whispered.

It was rush hour. As we approached the bridge, the driver became more cautious.

I stared out the window, my mind drifting.

Suddenly, a sharp blast of a horn echoed, followed by a violent screech of tires. My body was thrown forward uncontrollably.

"Help! Is anyone there?"

"There's been a massive pile-up! Call an ambulance!"

I weakly opened my eyes. I saw a sedan crushed by a semi-truck, and several cars behind it had slammed into each other.

Blood from my forehead dripped down my cheek. Thinking of the baby in my womb, I instinctively tried to scream for help.

But my throat felt like dry, splintered wood. I couldn't make a sound.

Help me... Please save my baby...

In my panicked state, I caught sight of a familiar license plate.

Asher had a cut on his forehead, but he was already rushing to help Sienna out of their car.

He turned his head and saw me lying there in a pool of blood.

"Save me..." I breathed.

His eyes lingered on me for only a second. Without a hint of hesitation, he turned back to pull Sienna to safety.

"Save the baby..."

It turned out that my life and our child's life meant absolutely nothing to him.

My head spun, and I spiraled back into darkness.

...

When I opened my eyes again, I was staring at a sterile white ceiling.

The pungent scent of disinfectant filled my nose.

A nurse looked at me with pity. "Mrs. Vance, I'm so sorry. The little one didn't make it."

My eyes burned, and my fingertips began to shake uncontrollably.

"If you had arrived just a little sooner... but it was too late..."

I gripped the bedsheets tightly, but I couldn't stop my body from shivering.

The ER was chaotic. Through the door, I saw Asher holding Sienna's hand, smiling with relief.

"Asher, I'm fine. It's just a little scratch on my foot. It's nothing," she said.

Asher looked at her with pure devotion. "Even a scratch on you breaks my heart."

They looked like a perfect couple sitting there.

But I was the one who was actually his wife.

A moment later, they saw me.

Sienna walked over and asked, "Elara, are you okay?"

Asher looked annoyed. "What could be wrong with her? Why is she just lying there? Sienna has a hurt foot and she's not even making a scene."

"Oh, that's right. I saw Elara in the restroom earlier. She looked quite sturdy. I guess having a bit of extra weight helps during a fall. Not like me, I'm so fragile."

Sienna's face held a polite smile, but her words were like venom.

I looked directly at Asher and asked, "You saw me back there, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Are you really trying to say you're more important than Sienna? By the way, find some time so we can sign the divorce papers."

My heart felt like it was being shredded. I forced back the tears.

After losing my mother and now my baby, I felt like my soul was bleeding out.

I needed time to recover from the loss, so I checked into the hospital.

During that time, not a single family member came to help. Only a young nurse was kind enough to look after me.

The nurse, Macy, had a sweet smile and deep dimples whenever she laughed.

I took a small porcelain vase and placed the remains of my baby inside, planting a single flower seed in the soil on top.

I spent my days staring at that vase in a trance, never speaking.

Macy noticed something was wrong and kept trying to start conversations with me.

In a state of total despair, I told her everything. Her eyes turned red as she hugged me.

"Honey, you survived for a reason. Your loved ones are watching over you. Please don't give up on yourself."

With her comfort, I started to improve slightly. A small sprout began to peek out of the soil in the vase. It felt like a tiny ray of hope.