Before heading to the hospital for my check-up, I waited at a café and agreed to meet the buyer. He glanced at the items, then transferred the payment without hesitation.
Seeing the 20,000 credited to my account, I immediately called my mother to help with household expenses.
After leaving the café, I checked the time—it was just about right for my hospital appointment. I was about to go, but then I realized I had forgotten the previous pregnancy reports. With no choice, I turned back home to get them.
Since Sienna moved in, the housekeepers and helpers had started treating her like the lady of the house. Whenever I was around, their eyes followed me strangely, silently questioning: “Why is the former mistress still here freeloading?”
Today was no different. As I stepped through the front gate, a janitor sweeping nearby gave me a puzzled look. There’s no point looking at me like that, I thought. I’ll be leaving soon anyway. I grabbed the reports and headed out again.
That’s when I bumped into Ethan. He was alone; Sienna wasn’t with him. The moment he saw the stack of test results in my hand, a flash of guilt crossed his face—but he quickly masked it.
“Since you’ve got everything with you, let’s go,” he said.
“Huh?” I stared at him in confusion.
“My mother wants to see you. She’s been desperate to hold her grandchild. Since you’ve already brought everything, come with me now,” he said, taking me straight to his car.
I sat in the familiar passenger seat. The space had changed—Sienna’s chibi-style stickers were plastered everywhere, along with a huge label reading “Nina’s Exclusive Seat.” I chuckled bitterly. I remembered that sticker—it used to have my name printed on the back.
I turned to the window, trying to distract myself with the passing view. With no choice, I messaged the hospital to reschedule. Just as I was about to send it, the car lurched with a sudden brake. I nearly slammed into the windshield.
Dizzy, I looked at Ethan in shock.
“We can’t go see my mother yet. Nina’s been kidnapped. I have to go save her,” he said urgently.
My head was spinning. Kidnapped? In broad daylight?
He stepped hard on the gas, eyes fixed on the road, muttering under his breath. He blew through a dozen red lights, driving like a man possessed.
Ten minutes later, we reached the outskirts. Using a tracking app, he located Sienna inside a white car ahead. Without hesitation, he narrowed his eyes and slammed the accelerator.
Then came a loud bang—the rear of our car sank as if something had been punctured.
Suddenly, a gray car lying in ambush roared to life. Before I could react, it rammed straight into the passenger side—my side. I didn’t even see it coming. My head slammed into the airbag with full force.
Blood trickled from my scalp, warm and thick. Pain radiated through my body like a thousand needles piercing my chest. It hurt so much, I couldn’t even cry out.
Despite the brutal impact on the passenger side, Ethan didn’t even glance at me. His eyes were locked in the white car—on Sienna.
After ramming it several times, he finally forced the car to stop. The people inside quickly bailed and fled into another vehicle, speeding away.
Ethan rushed out and threw open the car door. His voice trembled—not with fear for me, but with concern for her.
“Nina! Were you scared? Are you hurt?”
Sienna collapsed into his arms, trembling. Then she looked up, revealing her bruised, tear-streaked face. Her voice was hoarse and soft:
“It was a former business rival of my family. They didn’t hurt me… It’s nothing. I’m fine now. Thank you for coming, Brother Ethan.”
Sienna clung to Ethan, her frail posture making him visibly distressed. He lowered his voice, fighting back tears as he whispered:
“This is my fault. Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Carefully, Ethan helped her into the back seat. He stepped hard on the gas and sped to the largest hospital in New York, arriving in just five minutes. Without wasting a second, he jumped out, carried Sienna in his arms, and rushed into the emergency room.
He didn’t even glance at me, still seated in the front with blood trickling from my scalp and my eyes red with pain.
Enduring the ache, I slowly pushed the door open and forced myself toward the hospital entrance.
It was pouring. Rain drenched my body and streamed into the open wound on my forehead. A nurse near the door gasped when she saw me. She quickly treated my injury and brought me in for a full medical check-up.
I stayed in the hospital ward until late that night. Half-asleep, my mind drifted back to memories I hadn’t dared revisit.
When I was with Ethan, he often brought me along to business dinners to network with influential people. At one of them, two shareholders got into a heated argument. In the chaos, a flipped table sent shards of glass flying. One cut deep into my wrist, and I bled profusely.
Upon hearing what happened, Ethan rushed over, ordered his assistant to immediately sever business ties with the two companies, and carried me straight to the hospital for treatment.
But now, with a head wound and soaked in blood, he hadn’t even noticed. I smiled bitterly.
The next day, still weak but slightly better, I returned home with trembling steps. I planned to pack my things and leave for good. But as I entered the door, I saw Sienna sitting beside Ethan, her head bowed, looking as though she’d suffered a grave injustice.
When Ethan saw me, his face darkened. His anger, suppressed until now, exploded:
“Did you do this? You deliberately revealed Nina’s location to her family’s enemies. You really are conniving.”
I froze, staring at Sienna in disbelief. She tilted her head and gave me a sideways glance, the corners of her lips curling into a smug little smile.
I let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed my temples.
“I don’t know who her enemies are. And I had no idea where she was.”
But Ethan’s expression only grew more severe. He threw a pile of photos at my face.
“Then explain these!”
The edges of the photos scratched my cheek. I bent down and picked them up, my eyes widened as I recognized the scene—it was me at the café yesterday, selling gifts. No wonder the man had paid without question. No wonder he insisted on meeting in person.
I stood stunned, speechless. My silence only confirmed Ethan’s suspicions.
“Starting today,” he said coldly, “you’ll stay in your room and reflect. Unless Nina forgives you, don’t even think about stepping outside.”
“Brother Ethan, I’m okay,” Sienna said in a soft, broken voice. “Nina probably just envied how much time you spend with me. That’s why she acted out. I’m sure… she regrets it now.”
She pretended to plead for me, but her tone quickly faded into weakness. Ethan, looking heartbroken, wrapped his arms around her and led her gently back to their room.
Meanwhile, the housekeeper “escorted” me back to mine. The cold, damp space felt less like a punishment and more like a quiet corner where my bruised heart could shatter freely.
I took out the secret iron box and, fighting back my trembling hands, began to write down the injustice I’d just endured—betrayed by Ethan, framed by Sienna.
Tears spilled onto the paper, smearing the number 99 on my list. We had once promised to do 100 little things together as lovers, but we never made it that far.
Instead, the disappointments I recorded silently had reached 99—far surpassing the handful of sweet memories we ever shared.
I wiped away the tears, picked up my phone, and sent the message to the hospital that I had drafted earlier. It was time to seize the moment and escape.
