Chapter 3

I thought I was going to die that day, yet somehow, I was dragged back from the brink of death.

The ICU room was dim and cold beneath the harsh hospital lights. Even the overpowering smell of disinfectant couldn’t cover the thick scent of blood clinging to my body. Every breath sent unbearable pain tearing through my shattered limbs, as if my entire body was being crushed apart piece by piece. Yet, even in that state, I could hear the hushed conversation coming from the executives gathered at the foot of my hospital bed.

“Ms. Cartwright’s leaked photos and videos are all over the internet now. The public’s saying she abandoned the company’s biggest annual bidding conference just to go party and get herself into trouble.”

“But she was kidnapped. It’s obvious those videos were taken by the criminals to frame her!”

“What use is the truth? Nobody believes it anymore. The company’s supposed to go public by the end of the year. After this scandal, investors are already pulling back. Our next financing round is practically dead.”

“Whether we admit it or not, her reputation is ruined. The company’s image is collapsing with it. At this rate, forget the IPO. We’ll be lucky if the company survives the year.”

Then, Dean’s cold voice cut through the whispers like ice. “Get to the point. What’s the solution?”

One of the executives stepped forward cautiously, though every word that came out of his mouth was ruthless.

“Mr. Parker, the only option now is for you and Ms. Cartwright to divorce publicly. You need to separate your reputation from hers. If you announce that your marriage has broken down and claim you knew nothing about her private affairs, we can preserve the company’s image and reassure the investors.”

Silence filled the hospital room. Only the steady beeping of the medical machines sounded as Dean stood there motionless. The shadow cast by the overhead light stretched across my ruined body.

After a long while, he finally said, “I need time to think.”

The executives immediately nodded and hurried out of the room, clearly afraid that staying any longer would drag them down with me.

The door closed softly behind them. Then, Claire walked in, one hand resting against her waist. There were tears on her face, but not a trace of genuine sadness in her eyes.

“Dean, I heard everything they said outside.” Her voice trembled softly. “I feel terrible for Sophia. She’s suffered so much, and now people are slandering her like this. I feel so guilty. Honestly, I wish I had been the one kidnapped instead. I’d rather suffer in her place.”

She stopped beside the bed, speaking gently, but every word stabbed straight into my chest.

“But Dean, when I think about our child, I can’t help being scared. Sophia’s reputation is ruined now, and everyone’s calling her a whore. If the baby grows up around her, people will point fingers and call the child illegitimate, too. They’ll say the baby was raised by a slut. That’ll be too unfair to the child. Our baby doesn’t deserve that.”

Those words hit Dean’s deepest wound. He himself had been born from an affair. Even though his father’s wife never had children of her own and raised him as her son, the whispers, the judgment, and the contemptuous looks had followed him throughout his entire life. It was the humiliation he hated most, and he would never allow his own child to suffer the same fate.

I heard Dean’s breathing grow uneven. When he looked at me again, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes had disappeared. He pulled the divorce papers from his briefcase and placed them beside the bed. Then, he grabbed my numb hand—a hand so heavily medicated I couldn’t even move my fingers—pressed my thumb hard into the ink pad, and forcefully stamped my fingerprint onto the signature line. The red fingerprint looked like blood pouring straight out of my heart.

Dean’s voice was emotionless.

“I’ll release a statement saying Sophia was fooling around outside and got involved with the mob herself. That’s why this happened to her. As for the charges connected to the Bennett family, I’ll shift all of them onto the Cartwright family. Sophia’s parents are already dead anyway, and with my protection, she’ll be safe enough. No one will come after her. From now on, Claire, you won’t have to hide in the shadows anymore.”

Claire finally smiled in satisfaction and leaned gently into his arms.

“Dean, you’re so good to me.”