Vanessa thought, fortunately I had come up with a perfect excuse in advance.

By claiming my wheelchair had issues, I was essentially setting a trap for Sarah. If Sarah tries to accuse me of framing her, Eric would definitely think she’s the bad one, no matter what. She was not pleased, though.

In the past, Eric would never have questioned her because of another woman. But now? Vanessa realized that Eric had changed. In truth, Vanessa had taken a bit of a risk earlier. Otherwise, she would never have resorted to such a petty trick to frame Sarah.

If she had an adversary, she would usually have someone else deal with them. And when she thought about how Eric and Sarah had been together for two years, Vanessa dug her nails into her palms and her beautiful face contorted with anger. She would never let go of anyone who had slept with her man.

The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, but Eric looked at Sarah with a grim expression. “You’re pregnant?” he said, and then, without mercy, added, “Get rid of it.”

“No!” Sarah screamed, her eyes suddenly snapping open. She was drenched in cold sweat.

Everything around her was white. She was in a hospital, and it had all been just a dream.

Sarah forced herself to calm down. Just then, the door opened, and a man walked in. He was tall and handsome, with a pair of narrow gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, adding to his refined appearance.

Sarah never expected to see him here. She was a bit stunned and asked in confusion, “Daniel, what are you doing here?”

“I encountered Chloe in the parking garage. She had a bit of a scuffle with someone and couldn’t drive, so she asked me to come find you,” Daniel calmly explained. Sarah touched her belly; her biggest worry now was for her baby.

She wanted to ask Daniel about it, but hesitated. “My ...”

“Don’t worry, the doctor already checked. The baby’s fine,” Daniel answered gently.

Sarah sighed in relief. “Thank you, Daniel.”

“I didn’t expect you to be married so early,” Daniel’s eyes darkened slightly before he asked, “Do you want me to call your husband?”

“No need,” Sarah shook her head.

“Why not?” Daniel asked, puzzled.

Sarah was at a loss for words.

Could there be another woman? Daniel wondered. Seeing that she wasn’t responding, Daniel didn’t press further. Instead, he asked with concern, “How are you feeling now?” Daniel could tell that she had changed a lot, which worried him.

“I’m fine,” Sarah said with suppressed frustration, then looked up at Daniel. “Can I add you on WhatsApp?”

Daniel froze for a moment.

Sarah quickly explained, “So that I can contact you and transfer the medical fees.”

“You already have my contact information,” Daniel interrupted her.

“What?”

He took out his phone, and handed it to Sarah. “But it seems you have blocked me.”

Sarah was embarrassed. She looked at Daniel’s account, which was named “Daniel.” Now she remembered it.

Previously, someone had sent her a message wishing her a Happy New Year. She asked who it was, and the person replied with the name Daniel. She had been stunned; she thought it was a phishing scam, since Daniel was abroad at the time.

Moreover, Daniel was somewhat of a public figure. Why would someone like him want to add her as a friend?

So, she blocked him. She never expected that it was really Daniel. An awkward silence ensued. Then, Sarah, feeling guilty, said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you. I thought it was a scam.” But just then, Sarah’s phone died.

She was even more embarrassed.

“No worries, add me when you have time later,” Daniel said, his mood seemingly lifted, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening. “Now, get some rest. Chloe will be here soon.”

Daniel’s gentle smile was warm, like the feeling of spring. It reminded Sarah of their school days together. A smile bloomed on her face. “Daniel!” Sarah noticed Daniel was about to leave. After hesitating for a moment, she called out to him, “Could you help me keep this a secret?”

If Chloe found out she was pregnant, she might immediately go after Eric. Sarah didn’t want to be humiliated by Eric and Vanessa anymore.

Daniel didn’t ask any further questions and simply nodded. As he closed the hospital room door, Daniel took one last look at Sarah lying on the bed. On the bed, Sarah’s eyes showed a mix of innocence and kindness. Then he turned and left.

On the bedside table lay an ultrasound image of the baby. The blurry black spot on the image was a miracle to her. She had actually considered terminating the pregnancy before.

She doubted whether having this unexpected child was the right decision, but for some reason, when she realized she might lose the baby, she realized that the child had done nothing wrong. She wanted to protect it.

Moreover, the baby seemed strong, having survived the fall. This made her even more determined to keep the child. She had to bring this baby into the world and give it a safe environment to grow up in. Soon, Chloe arrived at the hospital, and since Sarah was fine except for a few cuts and bruises, Chloe took her home.

In the car, completely unaware of the situation, Chloe started cursing, “Eric is such a jerk! He should be with you right now. Where the hell is he? What kind of man is he?”

Before they got to Sarah’s place, Sarah picked up some chicken soup to take home. But after opening her apartment door, despite the darkness in the room, she immediately sensed someone was there. As she prepared to leave, her heart pounded; there must have been a burglar in her house.

She didn’t have time to retreat when she felt the shadow moving toward her, so she quickly threw the food in her hand at the shadow. The next thing she knew, her wrist was grabbed, and she couldn’t move. A loud smack echoed. Then the lights came on.

Before her stood Eric, the man Chloe had just called a “jerk.” Eric looked at her with cold, enticing eyes and casually said, “Are you trying to murder your husband?”

He was joking. However, Sarah found the remark somewhat sarcastic. Eric picked up the food she’d thrown, and tossed it into the trash. “Don’t eat that,” he said, “I ordered food for you; it’ll be here soon.”

Exhausted and hungry, Sarah looked hungrily at the soup in the trash can, too drained to speak.

For a moment, she felt as if she were the bowl of soup that Eric had tossed into the trash. “No need to trouble yourself. I’m tired. Please leave now, Mr. Taylor,” she said tersely, and without even glancing at him.

She headed for the bedroom, but as she passed by, Eric grabbed her arm.

“It was an emergency; I didn’t mean to push you,” he said softly, looking at her.

Sarah’s eyelashes trembled, and her heart fluttered at his gentleness, but she knew it was all an illusion.

Eric’s voice had always been cold yet gentle. Gentle enough for Sarah to easily fall in love with him, and cold enough to know that she hadn’t won him. They were standing close, and Sarah could smell the familiar scent of Eric, but she also detected a faint scent that was distinctly feminine.

It was the same scent Sarah had smelled on Vanessa that afternoon.

Then, an image of Vanessa and Eric entangled together flashed in Sarah’s mind which made her sick.

She ran to the bathroom. After vomiting, Sarah felt much better. She washed her face and was about to leave the bathroom, but Eric blocked her path.

He grabbed her hand and squinted his eyes, his voice cold, “What’s wrong with you?”