Chapter 3

I ended up being rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

I was already four months pregnant, too far along for the abortion pills to work. After that intense confrontation with Philip, I started bleeding heavily.

The moment the paramedics wheeled me into the ER, I passed right by Philip, who was rushing in with Vivian in his arms.

His sleeves were rolled up, exposing the countless scars covering his arms.

For a moment, I couldn't help thinking about the past.

When my postpartum depression was at its worst, Philip had inflicted far more wounds on himself than I ever did, just to force me to stop hurting myself. Back then, his love had been even crazier than mine.

Later, he cheated on me seven times. I hurt myself, fell apart, and tried every way I could think of to make him stay. But every time, he'd find an even more extreme way to hurt himself just to make me back down.

We were both equally extreme, always willing to hurt ourselves just to force the other to give in.

We were two sides of the same coin. So why did this time feel different?

Before I could figure it out, Philip was already rushing toward the doctor, Andrew Russell. "Doctor! Help her! Her stomach hurts! Please check her now!"

Dr. Russell pushed him aside impatiently. "Move! She's just having some pregnancy cramps. Stop getting in the way! Can't you see Ms. Stewart is in critical condition?"

Philip followed the doctor's line of sight. The moment he saw me, he froze.

Then he suddenly grabbed my wrist, his eyes burning with fury.

"Janet, is this your newest trick to force my hand?" he snarled. "First, you leaked those photos of Vivian and drove her into this state. I had no choice but to bring her to the nearest hospital. And it happens to be one you own. Now you're pretending to be sick just to delay her treatment?"

He gritted his teeth and sneered, "You planned everything perfectly. Impressive."

I'd already lost too much blood, and when he yanked me like that, my vision kept fading in and out.

Dr. Russell panicked. "Ms. Stewart isn't pretending! She's bleeding heavily because she's—"

Philip suddenly dropped to his knees, cutting him off. "Is this enough? Can you treat Vivian now?"

I stared at him in shock.

The man kneeling before me felt like a total stranger. The Philip I knew would never lower himself like that for anyone.

When I remained silent, he paused for a moment before suddenly slamming his forehead against the floor.

The dull thud echoed through the hall. When he lifted his head, blood was trickling from his forehead.

"What about now?" he asked.

Staring into his eyes, which were brimming with hatred and disgust, I suddenly realized that he was testing me.

He was betting on my feelings for him, putting himself on the line just like always. He was playing the same destructive game we'd played countless times before. Except this time, it wasn't for us. It was for someone else.

My chest felt so tight that I could barely breathe. I couldn't tell whether it was from the blood loss or heartbreak.

"Fine, fine, fine…" His voice trembled.

Without warning, he pulled a folding knife from his pocket and plunged it into his chest.

Blood quickly spread across his shirt. He let out a muffled groan, his voice desperate. "Janet, I give up. You can do whatever you want to me. You can even take my life…"

It felt as though all the blood had drained from my body. I closed my eyes and said, "Philip, what if I'm not pretending? What if I'm actually dying?"

He stared at me for a moment, then answered, "I'd die with you."

I knew he meant it, and that made me feel even more helpless.

I forced a weak smile and said to Dr. Russell, "Save her first."

I was the sole owner of the hospital. If Philip hadn't been desperate, he would never have risked bringing Vivian here.

He froze for a moment, then finally breathed a sigh of relief. Tears slipped down his face as he rose to his feet. He looked at me and said hoarsely, "Thank you."

The words felt like they belonged to a stranger, and that was exactly what he was in my eyes now.

As my consciousness began to fade, I caught a glimpse of Vivian peeking out from over his shoulder, her lips curling into a faint smile.

It was the smug, confident smile of a winner.