My vision went dark, and I nearly collapsed where I stood.
I didn't even have time to change. I grabbed my car keys and rushed out.
I sped all the way to the media district.
From a distance, thick black smoke was already billowing into the night sky.
The entire block was cordoned off, fire engines flashing red and blue lights nonstop.
Jets of water slammed into the flames again and again, but the fire still raged wildly.
I slammed on the brakes. Before the car had even stopped, I was already out and running.
"Move!"
I pushed forward without thinking. There was only one thought in my mind.
Sophie was still inside. I had to go in and save her.
My subordinate caught up and grabbed me. "Ms. Parker, it's too dangerous inside. You can't go in!"
He stood firmly in front of me, not backing down even a step.
"Ms. Parker..." He lowered his head, unable to meet my eyes. "Please… accept our condolences."
In the glow of the flames not far away, several firefighters carried a stretcher out.
The person on it was burned beyond recognition, no longer even looking human.
I stood frozen, forgetting how to breathe.
Until a hand slipped from the edge of the stretcher, fingers curled slightly.
A gemstone ring on the ring finger caught the firelight. It was the birthday gift I had given Sophie last year.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.
Footsteps approached slowly at that moment.
Daniel stood not far away, his arm wrapped around Emily's waist.
Emily leaned against him, the corners of her lips curling upward.
Her smile was careless, triumphant, even a little provocative.
Something slammed against my chest, and realization struck me.
The so-called accidental fire… had been set by Daniel.
He was taking revenge on me for winning the case against Emily.
Daniel remained composed, as if discussing a trivial business deal. "I didn't plan to go this far, but you made Emily lose the case and spread it everywhere, humiliating her. I had to get her some compensation. We're even now. I did all of this. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
I lowered my eyes to my friend's body not far away and said nothing.
Daniel followed my gaze, hesitated briefly, then said, "I only meant to teach your friend a lesson. She shouldn't have gone against Emily or encouraged you to divorce me. I didn't mean for her to die. It was just bad luck."
My parents were always busy with work and rarely had time for me. I had grown up spending most of my time with my friends.
Whenever Daniel and I fought the hardest, she would stand between us, clumsy but sincere, trying again and again to pull us back together.
When I said I wanted a divorce, she didn't try to stop me. She stayed silent for a moment, then carefully revised every clause of the agreement and stood by me through the case.
There was one less person in this world who loved me.
It felt as though something had clenched tightly around my chest.
I suddenly couldn't breathe. The pain spread outward from my chest, inch by inch, as if something inside me was tearing apart.
Seeing that I didn't respond, Daniel cast me a casual glance.
The next second, his expression changed abruptly, and he rushed toward me in panic.
"Claire, are you okay?"
I looked at him blankly, my vision beginning to blur.
When I lowered my head, I realized my clothes had already been soaked through with blood.
A blinding, vivid red.
I couldn't hold on any longer. Everything went black.
When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose.
Daniel sat by my bedside, flipping through my medical reports with his head lowered.
He opened his mouth, as if something was stuck in his throat.
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice.
"Your old gunshot wound… it's flared up again. The bullet was removed back then, but it was close to the nerves near your chest. This time, the shock triggered severe internal bleeding. If you had been brought in any later, you might have…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
The only sound left in the room was the steady beeping of the machines.
I slowly turned my head and looked out the window.
The truth was, the gunshot wound in my chest had been because of Daniel.
We had attended a business event, and afterward, he suddenly decided we should walk home together.
The street was quiet and deserted.
That was where we were kidnapped.
The kidnappers demanded a huge ransom, but just the day before, Daniel had spent a fortune at an auction buying jewelry for Emily. On top of that, my leaked photos had shaken the company's stock. We couldn't come up with that kind of cash flow in time.
In the chaos, the kidnappers decided to eliminate him. One of them pulled out a gun and aimed straight at Daniel's heart.
The moment the shot was fired, I moved on instinct, throwing myself in front of him.
The bullet missed my heart by inches.
Shocked and guilty, Daniel had shielded me beneath him when the explosion went off.
Later, we were rescued. Somehow, we both survived.
Lying in the ICU, Daniel had said to me solemnly, "Claire, let's stop fighting. Let's live properly from now on."
I believed him.
I just hadn't expected his "from now on" to last only three years.
Daniel's voice trembled.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If I hadn't burned down your media company…"
I cut him off.
"What's the point of regret after the fact?"
His expression stiffened. He spoke quickly, almost flustered.
"I'll send Emily away. I promise, I won't have anything to do with her ever again."
At that moment, the door was pushed open, and a child rushed in, his voice urgent.
"Dad! Mom is sick, you need to come see her!"
Almost instinctively, Daniel replied, "I'm coming."
He took a step before suddenly realizing I was still lying in the hospital bed.
He paused for a few seconds before forcing himself to add, "I'll go end things with her and get them settled."
I lay there, staring at the empty doorway, and suddenly felt like laughing.
Even when apologizing to me, she was still his first choice.
I didn't want to stay any longer. I called my staff and had them arrange my discharge.
At the same time, I contacted a new legal team to prepare a fresh divorce agreement.
In the end, I compiled all the Carter Group's shady transactions and financial loopholes and sent them to his sworn enemy.
Old grudges, new debts. I would settle them all.
