I awoke to the sharp smell of antiseptic.

A tall figure sat at my bedside, casting a long shadow across the hospital sheets.


I smiled bitterly. I must still be dreaming.

Samuel hated me too much to be sitting vigil at my hospital bed.

"You're awake?"


Great, now I was hallucinating his voice too. I must be seriously ill.

"Lucy, why aren't you responding?"


Warm hands gripped my shoulders. I blinked in confusion—it really was Samuel.

A dark bruise shadowed his eye, and stubble covered his jaw. His voice held a gentleness I'd never heard before.

"How are you feeling? Do you need water?"

I glanced at the thick stack of medical reports on the nightstand and understood immediately.

"So you finally believe me?"

The cup trembled slightly in his hand, his expression strained.

"Yes. The hospital confirmed it. You are pregnant."

I cut him off: "I'm not talking about the pregnancy. I mean about your accident—your memory loss…"

If he'd ordered comprehensive tests, he must have discovered Rachel's deception.

He must have verified Rose's testimony and investigated the truth about his accident.

Samuel was quiet for a long moment before nodding slowly.

"I checked the hospital records from my accident. Someone had deliberately altered them, but I found the truth. The medication did cause memory loss and likely infertility. I've read Rose's statement too."

"I've had myself thoroughly examined. The doctors say there was always a small chance I could father a child."

He spoke slowly, eyes downcast, thumb nervously tracing the rim of the cup.

I had no strength to respond.

The silence between us was deafening.

Samuel finally looked up, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry. I've wronged you terribly."

I turned away as a single tear escaped.

Three years of marriage built on misunderstandings and lies.

I'd believed Samuel's cruelty stemmed from resentment—that I'd trapped him in marriage. I'd endured his treatment, desperately hoping my devotion would eventually win his heart.

I never suspected a third party's manipulation.

Samuel's jaw tightened with barely controlled rage.

"I'm investigating everything. I have my suspicions about who's responsible, and they won't escape justice."

"It's Rachel," I said flatly.

There was no emotion left in my voice.

"She joined your company three and a half years ago—right before our wedding. She knows everything about us and has the access to alter your medical records."

Rachel wasn't merely his lover—she was his secretary, his confidante, his right hand.

She was brilliant and had methodically built connections at every level of the Wilson Group.

No one else could have maintained such an elaborate deception for years.

Removing her would destabilize the entire Wilson Group.

Yet Samuel didn't hesitate for a second.

"Even if Rachel is behind this, I'll show her no mercy."

His gaze softened as it drifted to my stomach.

"Just focus on getting well, Lucy. For the baby's sake."

How ironic. I'd once dreamed of this tenderness countless nights.

Only to wake in the darkness, alone with my delusions.

Now, because of this child, I finally had his attention.

But a shattered mirror can never be made whole again.

The naive girl who once loved him unconditionally was long gone.

And I didn't need his pity because I carried his miracle child.

I took the cup and drained it in one gulp.

"I'll take care of myself. But first things first—where's the divorce agreement?"