Chapter 1

Inside a hospital located at the city center of Bruniera, Estelle Stafford was seated in an examination room. Her clothes were stained with blood, and she stared blankly at the back of her hand as a nurse stuck a needle there to fix up a drip for her.

"Move! Out of the way!"

The air was filled with the stench of blood and the distinct smell of gasoline.

As several medical staff pushed a stretcher past where Estelle sat, she could see that a large shard of broken windshield glass was stuck inside a person's leg, which was twisted at an unnatural angle. That person's clothes were completely soaked in blood.

Estelle could hear the doctors' voices now and again as more and more casualties were brought to the hospital. The sound of people sobbing and wailing went on almost incessantly.

As she curled her fingers, Estelle noticed that the white powder released into the air when the airbag inflated was still stuck to her palm.

"Where are your family members? Are any of them here yet?"

Suddenly, it felt as though everyone around Estelle had quietened down as they waited for her answer. Unfortunately, what they got from her was total silence.

"Madam, your injuries might not be as severe as those of the other patients. Nevertheless, you were involved in a pretty serious accident. It would be best if you contact someone from your family and have them accompany you while you get a thorough check-up," the nurse kindly reminded Estelle.

Estelle nodded and thanked her before taking out her phone and dialing a number.

However, Estelle felt her heart sink the instant she heard the voice on the line.

"Ms. Stafford, Mr. Lockhart is having a meeting. So, he can't answer the phone right now. Is something the matter?"

It was Nathaniel Lockhart's assistant, Sam Lewitt.

Nathaniel had told Estelle they wouldn't announce their marriage to the public and that it should be kept secret. Even though they had been married for seven years, Sam had always addressed Estelle as "Ms. Stafford" instead of "Mrs. Lockhart".

Just as Estelle was about to say something, she heard a woman's soft voice speaking in the background.

"Mr. Lewitt, is Nathaniel ready? We should go now. Kathy is getting quite impatient waiting downstairs."

"Understood, Ms. Jefferson. I'll inform Mr. Lockhart right away."

Although Sam had tried to cover the phone's microphone, Estelle could still hear his voice pretty clearly.

Ms. Jefferson… As in Lynette Jefferson? It was Nathaniel's first love!

As the executive assistant working for Nathaniel, the way Sam treated Estelle and Lynette was distinct.

While he would relay one's message right away, Sam told the other person that Nathaniel couldn't speak on the phone because he was in a meeting.

Estelle's lips twisted into a cynical smile.

It seemed like those around Nathaniel would just naturally cover up for him at this point.

Nathaniel had Lynette by his side right now, yet Estelle naively thought she could get him to come to the hospital.

A familiar male voice asked just then, "Who's calling?"

"It's Ms. Stafford."

A few seconds later, a monotonous voice came down the line.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing."

For the first time, Estelle hung up before he did. She felt pretty sad and miserable as she watched the medical staff rush in and out of the room, transferring different patients.

If she happened to be one of those patients who needed first aid and immediate help, Estelle reckoned her family or friends would probably only find out much later if she had died this instant due to severe injuries.

Since Estelle was allergic to certain substances, she had always been more careful when getting injections. That was also the very reason why she would try her best to avoid falling sick.

The nurse was very kind. She noticed Estelle didn't have any family members with her, so, despite being swamped with work, she would still check on Estelle from time to time to make sure the latter wasn't having any allergic reactions.

Estelle could vaguely hear some of the nurses murmuring amongst themselves about how she was there all by herself.

Even a complete stranger was showing her a lot of concern and kindness. On the contrary, Nathaniel, who was Estelle's husband, was only ever cold to her.

Estelle suddenly had an urge to get herself even more badly injured. She wanted to see for herself if Nathaniel would still be unwilling to spare her a single glance even if she was dying.

She took her phone out and opened WhatsApp. The last time she contacted Nathaniel on it was when she sent him a voice message three years ago, telling him that she got injured and was rushed to the hospital.

Estelle felt even more bitter when she saw that she didn't get any replies afterward.

She already knew how it would turn out because of a similar incident from three years ago. But why couldn't she give up on him still?

Back then, an enormous piece of glass fell from a high place. While trying to protect her daughter, Kathleen Lockhart, Estelle suffered multiple cuts and bled profusely from those wounds caused by broken shards of glass.

Kathleen was scared stiff. She clung to Estelle's chest and cried loudly. However, the daughter who had once worried about Estelle's safety had posted an Instagram update bragging that the ice cream Lynette bought her was the most delicious thing in the world.

In the photo, Lynette was beaming broadly as Nathaniel gazed at her affectionately. Meanwhile, Kathleen was holding an ice cream as she stood between the two adults, smiling brightly.

Judging from the background, they seemed to be at an amusement park that had just opened and was located in their city.

Was this the place Lynette was talking about earlier when she said it was time for them to go?

Estelle couldn't exactly describe her feelings at that moment. Still, she felt oddly calm.

Eventually, Estelle was taken off her drip, and her wounds had been treated as well. However, she looked just like an empty, lifeless shell as she left the hospital, carrying the medication prescribed to her in her hands.

When she reached home, Jodie Wright, the housekeeper, came up to her.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Lockhart."

Estelle smiled faintly. Jodie was probably the only person who would address her that way.

Jodie's eyes widened when she noticed the medication Estelle was holding and how the latter was moving more slowly than usual.

"What happened, Mrs. Lockhart? Did you injure yourself?"

"Mhm. I got involved in a car accident. It's no big deal, though."

"How could it not be a big deal when you were involved in a car accident? Have you been to the hospital? W-What do we do…"

During the seven years she worked here, Jodie, who was kind and compassionate, had always been really nice to Estelle.

On second thought, Jodie was probably kinder and much more considerate to her than Nathaniel was.

After reassuring Jodie that she was alright, Estelle slowly walked up the stairs. As she reached the top of the stairs, Estelle picked up on the sound of Jodie speaking on the phone downstairs.

"Mr. Lockhart, please hurry home. Mrs. Lockhart was met with a car accident…"

Estelle came to a halt.

If she wanted to get in touch with Nathaniel, Estelle could only call his work number, and most of the time, it was Sam who answered.

Yet, Jodie was allowed to contact Nathaniel through his personal number.

Even when she was alone at the hospital, feeling quite shaken up, Estelle stuck to the rule. Besides, she didn't think that there was anything wrong with it.

Old habits could be really hard to shake off sometimes.

"Well, it's not so bad that she has to be confined to bed. However, I'm absolutely certain that she's sustained injuries…"

Estelle didn't listen to what Jodie said after that. She endured the pain coming from different parts of her body as she slowly treaded toward her room.

She was curious whether Nathaniel would come home after receiving the news.

Shortly afterward, Jodie brought Estelle a bowl of soup, still worried about Estelle's condition.

"Have some soup, Mrs. Lockhart. I prepared something light and easy on the stomach. I've called Mr. Lockhart. He'll be back very soon."

"Thank you, Jodie."

Even though Jodie said Nathaniel would be back very soon, he actually arrived home three hours later. By that time, it was already dark outside.

When she heard the sound of a car pulling up outside, Jodie breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to the door to greet her employer.

A tall man stepped in through the door, bringing a cute young girl with him.

As they entered the house, the little girl grumbled, "I don't get it, Daddy. Didn't Jodie say Mommy's alright? Why did we have to rush to come home? I didn't even get to see the 3D mapping show at the amusement park. Didn't you see how disappointed Lynette was just now?"

As she stood in the corridor, Estelle felt as though she had just been thrown into a cold, dark pit.