Chapter 1
After her third miscarriage caused by a car accident, Emily Johnson lay bleeding, abandoned by her husband Philip Goodman, a celebrated figure in Landon's elite circles, who turned his back on her for the sake of his adopted niece, Claire Goodman.
Pushed past her limits, Emily called her father, Frank Johnson, who was overseas at the time.
"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm joining the company's new energy project," she said.
Rumor had it that among Landon's upper crust, Philip lived like a man untouched by temptation, someone above ordinary wants.
But only Emily knew that behind the door of his so-called private retreat was a secret that could shatter everything.
*****
Before marrying Philip, Emily had no idea he was already in love with someone else.
It wasn't until her third miscarriage from a car accident, lying in a pool of blood as Philip walked away for Claire, the niece he'd taken in, that she realized how wrong she'd been.
Philip forcefully pried Emily's blood-soaked fingers off him.
"Everyone suffers. You can call the police yourself. She can only wait for me to help her," he said coldly.
Pushed past her limits, Emily called her father, Frank Johnson, who was overseas.
"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm joining the company's new energy project," she said.
Frank paused, his voice low and heavy.
"Weren't you determined to pull Philip out of his little world and into reality? And now you're saying yes to going abroad?" he asked.
Emily tried to smile, but the tears wouldn't stop.
"I was young and foolish back then. Now I see things clearly," Emily said.
Frank let out a sigh.
"I've always said, with your talent, you could have built the smartest electric cars for our company, but you were dead set on marrying Philip," he said.
Emily nodded.
"I'll come over once I've sorted things out here. It'll probably take about a month," she said.
After she hung up, the nurse walked in with fresh medicine to change her bandages. Seeing Emily, she sighed.
"Ms. Johnson, this is already your third miscarriage this year. If things go on like this, your body won't be able to handle it. Please, try to love yourself a little more," the nurse said.
Without thinking, Emily's hand drifted to her stomach.
This was where three little lives had once been nurtured.
The first time Emily got pregnant, she was overjoyed, eagerly counting the days. But at three months, Claire deliberately dropped a banana peel by the door, and Emily slipped. By the time she reached the hospital, the baby was already gone.
Claire rolled her eyes and said, "She should have watched where she was going. Losing the baby? That's on her."
Philip stepped in front of Claire, his expression icy, shielding her without a hint of warmth.
"Claire didn't do it on purpose. Watch your step next time," he said.
The second time Emily got pregnant, she was walking on eggshells, doing everything she could to avoid another disaster. But after drinking the water Claire handed her, she started bleeding out and nearly lost her life.
Emily glared at Claire, her voice slicing through the tension. "Why did you try to hurt me, Claire?" she demanded.
Philip immediately moved to shield Claire, his expression hard as stone.
"Claire is a kid. She had no idea that water could cause a miscarriage. Can't you be a little more forgiving, since you're an adult here?" he said coldly.
Claire stood behind him, flashing Emily a smug grin.
"Exactly, I didn't mean anything by it. I was trying to take care of you," Claire said.
When Emily stayed silent, Claire stepped forward, putting on her best pitiful act.
"If you want to take it out on me, I can apologize," she said.
With that, Claire started to bend down, pretending to apologize.
But Philip pulled her close, gripping her hand tight in his palm.
"Why should you apologize when you've done nothing wrong? I've told you before that as long as I'm here, no one will ever lay a finger on you," he said.
Philip's words cut into Emily's heart like a knife.
From that moment, Emily knew Claire's place in Philip's heart was untouchable. No matter what she did, she could never change it.
By the time Emily was five months pregnant, Claire insisted they all go out together to see roses.
But on the way, a truck came out of nowhere and crashed into them.
Philip threw himself over Claire, shielding her. She escaped with nothing but a scratch on her hand.
Emily, though, was trapped in her seat by her pregnant belly, blood pouring out beneath her.
But Philip didn't spare her a glance. He rushed to scoop Claire up and carried her out without hesitation.
"Philip, am I going to die?" Claire whimpered.
Her face was pale with fear as she clung to her arm.
Philip pulled her close, his eyes full of pain for her.
"Claire, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. I'll always be here for you," he said.
As they were about to leave, Emily cried out weakly, her voice trembling.
"Please, help me. I'm still pregnant," she pleaded.
Philip glanced at her coldly.
"The ambulance will be here soon. The professionals will take care of you. Claire has always been scared of pain. She can't handle it," he said.
With that, he ignored Emily's pale, desperate face and rushed off, holding Claire close.
As she watched them walk away, it finally hit Emily.
It was so obvious who was loved and who wasn't.
Five years of pouring her heart out, even turning her back on her family, meant nothing to Philip.
Even after she'd accidentally uncovered Philip's secret, she still couldn't help but give him another chance.
She lost hard.
"I heard Philip went ballistic at the hospital for his adopted niece. He threatened that if Claire ended up with a scar on her hand, he'd make the whole hospital vanish from Landon," one nurse whispered.
"If you didn't know she was his niece, you'd swear she was his wife," another nurse chimed in.
The nurses' gossip jerked Emily out of her thoughts, and that was when she noticed the news on TV that Philip was raising hell at the hospital for Claire.
A nearly-healed scratch on Claire's arm was enough to send Philip into a frenzy, but when Emily was bleeding out and almost died in that car crash, he didn't pick up the phone to ask if she was alive.