Chapter 2

I stared at Oliver in disbelief, my eyes wide. With great effort, I managed to force out a few words from deep in my throat. "It wasn't me.

"I was pregnant, but I lost the baby."

Oliver frowned and bluntly interrupted me, "What baby?

"Stop trying to play the sympathy card. I went with you for your full physical. I saw the results myself. You were fine. Where's this baby supposed to come from?"

Douglas couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward. "Mr. Gardner, when Mrs. Gardner was brought in, there really was—"

"My wife isn't well mentally. This is none of your business," Oliver said sharply.

Douglas went quiet, shook his head, and walked out of the ward.

Eloise stood by the bed and let out a well-timed sigh.

"Vanessa, stop making up stories," Eloise said, her eyes red as she bit her lips. "Even though the surveillance footage was destroyed, Mr. Gardner won't turn his back on you. Lying will only make things harder for him."

I stared at her innocent, vulnerable face, remembering how Oliver held her in his arms.

Oliver pulled a bank card from his pocket. "This should cover your medical bills. I'll investigate the fire. If it turns out you did it, I'll have a lawyer handle the rest."

After saying that, he turned and placed his hand on Eloise's back. "Come on, we still have a meeting back at the office."

I lay in the bed, my eyes fixed on the ceiling.

From outside, Eloise said in a sweet tone, "Mr. Gardner, you were really tough on Vanessa just now. She's been hurt so badly."

Oliver's voice came through the door, icy and indifferent. "If she was really wronged, she wouldn't be out here staging all this drama."

*****

In the middle of the night, the door to my ward opened quietly. Someone came in.

Eloise pulled off her mask. The pitiful facade was gone, replaced by unmasked contempt.

She said, "Vanessa, there were too many eyes around earlier. Now we're alone. Let's talk."

The ward was dark, lit only by the soft glow of the monitors. I couldn't move, so I stared at her.

Eloise leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It was me. I set the fire.

"Don't waste your time trying to rat me out. I tampered with the surveillance in the wiring room beforehand. Even if the firefighters search the hotel, they won't find any evidence against me."

"Do you know why I did it?" She stared at my bandaged face, her voice dripping with contempt. "You've held the position of Oliver's legitimate wife for seven years. I've had enough. I wanted you to see who he would choose when it really mattered.

"He chose me. You're out."

Waves of tearing pain shot through my burned skin. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

"Let me show you something else." Eloise pulled out her phone and swiped through photos.

In the pictures, Oliver was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, and Eloise was straddling him. Behind them was our bedroom.

Eloise laughed. "Your sheet choice is really tacky, but it makes my skin look beautiful. When you were at the hospital doing your hormone shots, Oliver was having sex with me."

My stomach lurched, churning with raw nausea.

I raised my heavily bandaged right hand and, using every ounce of energy, rolled off the hospital bed, crashing onto Eloise.

Eloise shrieked, flailing her hands wildly, nails raking across me.

Frantic footsteps pounded down the hallway.

The door burst open, and Oliver rushed in.

He saw me on top of Eloise like a lunatic, and Eloise cowering, shaking all over.

Without hesitation, Oliver strode forward and swung his hand at me.

A sharp slap echoed through the ward. It hit the worst burned part of my right face hard.

I was thrown back, hitting the metal rail hard.

The scabs on my right cheek tore open, blood dripping down my chin and soaking the collar of my hospital gown.

Blinding pain blurred my vision, yet I braced myself on the floor with both hands, half my body leaning forward. I jabbed a finger at Eloise, who was hiding behind Oliver.

"She... started the fire." I choked out, my mouth full of blood. "She just admitted it to me herself."

Oliver looked at me, his gaze utterly cold. "You're out of your mind. Eloise has no grudge against you. Why would she set a fire to harm you?

"Do you really think blaming someone else will clear you?"

Oliver pulled out his phone and called his assistant, Philip. "Freeze all of Vanessa's bank accounts and credit cards right now. And freeze all her shares and dividends of the Gardner Group."

After hanging up, Oliver crouched down, his eyes fixed on my bloodied right cheek. He spoke slowly, each word sharp and deliberate. "Vanessa, stop it.

"If you touch Eloise again, I'll have you forcibly evaluated and locked up in a mental hospital."

After saying that, he stood up and carefully helped Eloise to her feet. "Come on, let the doctor check your face."

A few minutes later, two nurses entered, expressionless. Without so much as a glance at me on the floor, they headed straight to the bedside and wheeled away the expensive medical equipment.

"Mr. Gardner's orders," the lead nurse said in a flat tone. "From today, your treatment will be at the standard ward level. Your exclusive care is revoked."

The door slammed shut behind me.

The spacious ward was left with only a bed, a basic IV stand, and the heart monitor.

*****

On the fifth day after being downgraded to general care, my wounds began to fester.

With no nurses to turn me and no special anti-infection medicine, pus oozed from the burns on my right face, sticking to the gauze.

My fever kept coming and going, leaving me caught between lucidity and delirium, never sure if I was awake or lost in a haze.