Chapter 2

The drive to the hospital felt endless.

I stumbled into the hospital, dazed and numb. When I finally found my mom, she was lying on a gurney, surrounded by doctors and nurses who were rushing to examine her.

I stood off to the side, watching in horror, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.

After confirming I was the family member, the doctor in a white coat hurried over and explained, "Your mom has multiple internal injuries and a head injury. She needs emergency surgery. You need to pay the medical fees right away."

I nodded and rushed downstairs to the payment counter, frantically searching my wallet for a bank card.

In my panic, I pulled out a black card with no limit. People nearby stared wide-eyed.

Even the experienced staff couldn't help but gasp, "Oh my god, that's a black card. You need at least 2.5 million just to qualify. This is the first time I've ever seen one."

I quickly paid the bill. After all, part of Adrian's earnings belonged to me, one way or another.

But just then, Celeste, who was supposed to be at the airport, showed up in front of me, dragging her suitcase. She grabbed the card right before I could hand it to the staff.

Celeste's voice was full of disdain. "I was worried about my baby, so I came straight from the airport to the hospital. What are the odds? Didn't expect to bump into you here."

I frowned. "I've got urgent business. I don't want to waste time with you."

But she kept pushing. "That card has to be Adrian's, right? You've been mooching off him for years, and now you're divorced, but you're still spending his money?"

I reached out, trying to snatch the card back. "Whatever's between me and him is none of your concern. Give it back. My mom needs surgery."

Celeste clung to the card, refusing to give it back. "Adrian only showed up late at the airport today because of you, didn't he?"

I tried handing over other cards to the staff, but they all had spending limits. The one with the highest limit was sitting back at home, and I'd have to call the bank to raise the cap.

The people waiting in line behind me started getting restless, so I had no choice but to step outside with Celeste and find somewhere we could talk.

I gave Celeste a cold stare. "What exactly are you trying to do? My mom needs surgery right now. Don't make things worse for her."

Celeste smirked, "Adrian told me himself that once I'm back, we're getting married. We'll be the real couple, and his money? It'll all be mine soon."

She paused, giving me a smug, queen-of-the-world look. "Oh, your mom needs surgery right now? What does that have to do with me? Unless you literally beg me, this card's staying with me."

Celeste was about to keep taunting me, but the next second, she spotted a familiar figure not far away, and her smirk froze on her face.

I stepped forward to snatch the card back, and the moment I touched Celeste, she suddenly put on a pitiful, hurt expression.

She staggered back a few steps, clutching her belly, staring at me in utter disbelief, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

Adrian hurried over, just in time to catch me, completely frustrated and confused, snapping at Celeste, "Celeste, how can you be so manipulative even when you're pregnant?

"You come back and ruin my relationship with Adrian, and now you're getting in the way when I need help the most."

Adrian saw me reaching for the card and mistook it for me trying to hit Celeste, so he rushed over to shield her.

In the heat of the moment, Adrian swung his hand and landed a stinging slap right across my face.

My ears rang, and my left cheek immediately swelled and burned.

Then he shoved me away from Celeste with such force that I lost my balance and crashed to the ground.

My hands and knees scraped raw on the floor, the sharp pain making me suck in a breath.

When I looked up, Adrian was staring down at me, his eyes cold as ice.

Adrian's voice was deep and cold, brimming with rage. "Brielle, you had no right to hurt her."

I bit down hard on my lip, slowly pushing myself up from the floor, still unsteady on my feet.

Celeste started sniffling, her words shaky and pitiful. "Adrian, I just heard at the airport that Brielle's mom was in danger, so I came to help her, and maybe get a quick check-up. But then she suddenly turned on me."

I was burning with anger at Celeste, about to step forward, when someone grabbed my shoulder in a tight grip.

It was Adrian.

Adrian gripped my shoulder hard and shoved me back again, keeping me away from Celeste. His face was stormy. "Brielle, I can't believe you'd act like this."

I clenched my teeth, desperate to defend myself. "She started it. She was the one picking on me."

Adrian shot me a look of disbelief. "Still making excuses? I heard every word you said to her."

My eyes burned red with anger. "She comes back and you treat me like this? You know..."

I was just about to call out Celeste for her cruelty when Adrian's hand came down again, his slap landing even harder this time.

The slap rang out in the quiet hospital hallway, knocking me straight to the ground.

Adrian grabbed Celeste's hand and comforted her. "Don't worry. I won't let her hurt you."

"Got it, Adrian. Thanks for protecting me," Celeste pouted, holding onto his hand as she got ready to leave. "Don't pay attention to her.

"She's just acting crazy after the divorce and taking it out on me. I hope she didn't scare the baby."

Adrian quickly moved to take her for a check-up.

I just sat there on the floor, watching their backs as they left. I stayed like that for ages before I could force myself to get up and go pay the bill.

Paying took forever without Adrian's black card, since Celeste had snatched it away.

The old lady behind me in line saw my swollen face and sighed; she didn't dare rush me.

I licked the split corner of my mouth, the metallic taste of blood spreading between my lips and teeth.

Maybe the ache in my chest was so much worse that I didn't even feel the sting on my cheek anymore.

Everything Adrian and I had for six years was nothing but a joke now.

All his trust and all his love could never measure up to the woman standing by his side.

It looked like Adrian didn't even care if someone betrayed him.

I thought about the divorce papers in my bag and everything that had just happened.

Here I was, a woman who'd just split from her husband, whose mom was in a car accident, and now I was on the brink, with nowhere left to turn.

It was time I made a better choice for myself.

Six years ago, Adrian was diagnosed with a brainstem glioma with barely any chance of survival.

Once the golden boy of the Locke family, he was cast aside in an instant.

Celeste, his first crush, bailed as soon as she heard he was dying; she took off overseas to chase her own dreams.

After that, Adrian lost all will to live. He got wasted at a bar, got into trouble with some guys, and ended up getting dragged into an alley and beaten to a pulp.

I was working a part-time gig at that bar, and I rushed to call the cops and get him to the hospital.

At the hospital, he mistook me for Celeste. Even after he sobered up and realized I wasn't her, he still wouldn't let go, desperate for any comfort he could find.

When one was staring death in the face, one just wanted to hold onto whatever warmth one could find.

After that day, Adrian asked me to marry him, saying he wanted us to be together as husband and wife. He promised to leave everything to me when he passed.

I agreed, became his wife, and devoted myself to healing his wounded heart.

By some miracle, his critical illness turned out to be a misdiagnosis.

But Adrian swore he'd never go back to the Locke family, not after they tossed him aside. Depending on them was out of the question.

He was hell-bent on making it on his own, determined to build an empire from scratch.

When his company first started, Adrian was smooth as ever in social circles, thanks to years of being the golden boy, but in the business world, he was basically fresh meat, easy prey for anyone looking to take advantage.

He was born for the big moves, but when it came to the little stuff, he was totally lost.

From the tiniest stuff like network passwords to the biggest client deals, I was the one keeping the whole place together, making sure nothing fell apart.

Adrian was so careless, never paying attention to the details, that we nearly lost our very first big order. All he did was sulk over drinks at the bar, blaming bad luck for everything.

I rushed around calling in favors from other factory bosses, begging the old hands to pull all-nighters just to keep things afloat.

I spent a whole week running between the office and the factory, finally figuring out the best fix.

Then I waited outside the client's office with the new samples, refusing to budge until they gave us another shot and even got them to order again.

The most reliable people in the company now? I hunted them down myself and convinced them to join.

Everyone in the industry knew what I could do, and there was never a shortage of people trying to get me on their team.

Some even tried to headhunt me with sky-high offers, but I never gave them a second glance.

In the last couple of years, Adrian and the Locke family elders put on a good show of making peace, but really, they were just trading favors and resources behind the scenes.

I never tried to steal his spotlight. As his wife, I was always there, openly and quietly, helping him avoid risks and expand his network.

All the problems I smoothed over for Adrian, all the inside info I fed him; there were so many that even he'd lost count.

It was all because Adrian once held me close and said, "Brielle, I wouldn't be where I am today without you. When things get even better, I promise you the most spectacular wedding anyone's ever seen."

I came from a poor family in a small town, and the elders of the Locke family always looked down on my background. I'd been married to Adrian for years, but we never had children.

Even when the media caught me coming and going from the Locke residence, they just said Adrian, being young and reckless, felt ashamed to acknowledge me as his wife.

Of course, I'd dreamed of standing proudly by his side, finally being recognized as Adrian's wife.

But every time I brought it up, he'd just knit his brows and say, "Brielle, the company's still not stable enough.

"Don't upset the elders. Trust me, give it a few more years. I'll make your identity public, and I'll make them all eat their words and admit you're the only woman truly worthy of me."

Because of those promises, I stuck by Adrian for six years, never once looking back. I was there when everyone abandoned him, and I was still there when he was surrounded by admirers.

I helped him chase his dreams, but I never saw a dime of the rewards.