By the time the delivery guy came back and chased the killer away, it was already too late for me. He rushed me to the hospital, to the very place where Daniel worked. The medical team was horrified at the sight of my butchered body. My pulse was faint, barely there, but still fighting. Dr. Harris, one of the senior doctors, glanced at my injuries and barked an order to the nurses.

"The injuries are too severe. I’m not confident I can save her. Find Dr. Carter immediately!"

That name—Daniel—ripped my soul from my body, pulling me into the corridors of the hospital, straight to where he was. The nurses and doctors were frantically searching for him. But he was too busy—too busy doting on Sophia.

"Sophia, don’t worry," Daniel soothed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I’ve used the best medicine. There won’t be any scars, I promise."

Sophia leaned into his embrace, her voice dripping with false sweetness, "Daniel, you’re too kind. I’m so envious of Amelia… she’s so lucky to have married someone like you. I wish I could have someone like you to take care of me."

Daniel didn’t miss a beat. Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered, "Don’t be silly. What we have is special, Sophia. Even though I’m married, that doesn’t change anything. I’ll always be here for you, protecting you."

Sophia looked up, her eyes gleaming with manipulation, "Really? So... if you had to choose, between me and Amelia—"

Daniel cut her off without hesitation, his voice firm, "You, Sophia. Always you."

I stood there, my soul suspended in disbelief. His words sliced through me sharper than any knife. The vows he had once made to me—the promises of love, protection, loyalty—they all crumbled into dust. Everything had shifted the moment Sophia came back into his life. The woman he had once called his sister was now the center of his world, while I had become nothing more than a nuisance.

I screamed in silence, my soul crying out, "Daniel, please! Hurry! I’m dying! At least... save our child!"

Just then, a young intern rushed into the room. It was Ryan Porter, one of Daniel’s juniors. I remembered him—an orphan who had spent holidays alone, eating cold dinners in the hospital ward. I had insisted Daniel invite him over one New Year’s Eve, trying to give him a semblance of family. Now, he was my last hope.