Chapter 1

[Alex Shaw has lied to you eighty-two times in the past six months. He was with me during those eighty-two times.] That was the message that Tracy Lombard sent to Giselle Diaz. Not only that, she also sent a lot of photos of her and Alex as much as two gigabytes. Giselle scrolled every single one of those.

Then she wrote another message. [Do you still want to marry Alex, Giselle?]

Giselle and Alex had been in love for ten years. He had chased after her throughout her entire youth, and today marked seven days until their upcoming wedding.

——

"Giselle, Tracy is not well. She will be staying here to recuperate for a while. Take care of her, okay?" Alex who had taken Tracy to stay at the villa without thinking, said.

Giselle stood there as she watched Tracy lean weakly in Alex's arms.

Her eyes sparkled, and Tracy spoke with a gentle voice, "Alex, does Giselle not like me staying here?"

Alex comforted her with a low voice, "Of course not. Giselle is an excellent cook and she'll take good care of you. Besides, I promised your parents that I’d always protect you."

Alex had never asked her whether she was willing to do so, he decided that Giselle would attend to Tracy's needs. He even took her to the second floor.

"Alex, I like rooms with lots of sunlight," Tracy cooed. Her delicate fingers pointed whimsically towards a room. She was pointing at the bridal suite of Alex and Giselle's and it was also the sunniest room in the house.

Although Alex knew that, he still brought Tracy into their room.

Then, he turned to Giselle to say, "Giselle, tidy up the room and move your things downstairs for now. Tracy needs to stay here while she recovers."

Giselle said calmly, "I had already put my things downstairs."

Alex was taken aback. On the other hand, Tracy said with a feigned innocence, "I'm sorry, Giselle. Alex was just afraid that since I stay alone, no one will take care of me and my mother and father are also worried about me, so that's why I troubled Alex."

Giselle just looked at Tracy's innocent look. In her phone, the messages and photos that Tracy sent half an hour ago were still there.

Her phone buzzed. A new message came from Tracy. So, she clicked the message to see it. When she opened it, she saw an image of lingerie, and from the receipt, it was clear Alex was the one who paid for it. Giselle recognized his account immediately.

"Giselle, go downstairs and make some cream soup for Tracy. She needs to eat light food." Alex instructed.

Giselle left the room. Just as she walked away, she heard Tracy sobbing in Alex's arm. "Alex, does Giselle hate me? Maybe I should leave ..."

"Tracy don’t cry. Giselle will take care of you," Alex coaxed her.

Downstairs, Giselle’s phone vibrated again. It was from Tracy's again.

[Look for yourself. Alex blatantly let me come in to live in your bridal suite, so who do you think is more important in his mind, is it me or you?]

Did Alex love her? Of course, he did. This was the man who had pursued her tirelessly for years, and the man who had nearly died saving her. However, for the past ten years, whenever it came to Tracy, he never stood by Giselle’s side.

Back when Tracy was younger, he used to say, "She’s Uncle Harry Lombard's daughter and also the girl I promise to protect."

Giselle had once tried to be kind to Tracy, but all she got in return was being framed by Tracy again and again, and Alex never believed her.

Then, Tracy went abroad to study. So Alex flew overseas every month just to visit her.

On her phone, Giselle received another photo from Tracy. It was another photo of Tracy and Alex. They were on the bed. Tracy even sent her a high-definition one.

[Giselle, Alex spent last night with me. He said I looked stunning in that lingerie. He also said you’re dull and boring in bed.]

At that moment, the door swung open. Giselle quickly locked her phone screen. Alex stepped inside. He raised his hand to hug her.

Chapter 2

Giselle moved further away and put distance between herself and Alex.

Alex's voice was gentle as he said, "Giselle, Tracy twisted her ankle last night. I had no choice but to bring her back. Her parents are abroad, so I'm the only one she has in Rosewood."

He pulled her into his arms and made her stay in his arms. "Don't be upset. We’re getting married soon. Besides, Tracy even said she wanted to be your bridesmaid, she’s really happy for us."

Giselle’s lips curled into a cold smile. "So, I should cook for Tracy, right?"

The corner of Alex's lips hooked into a smile, “Giselle, I've already asked Lea to do it, it'll be ready later.”

Giselle observed Alex's face as he wondered.

When did the man before her become so calculating? In front of Tracy, he played the role of a caring brother, and yet he shared a bed with her, he played the role of a devoted fiancé. He made it seem like everything he did was for her, while also he was balancing his so-called responsibility to Tracy.

For a long time, she had foolishly believed that Alex was just being overly considerate. However, the photos and videos Tracy occasionally sent her … had torn her heart apart.

These two gigabytes of high-definition photos and video were ironclad proofs of Alex's betrayal over the past ten years.

Alex's voice remained soft. "Please take care of Tracy, will you Giselle? As you know … You know… Gerald Lombard died because of me. The least I can do is look after Tracy for the rest of my life. It's the only way I can make it up to him."

He then reached into his pocket and took out a bracelet. Giselle immediately recognized. It was the same bracelet in those photos that Tracy sent last night, that had been wrapped around her ankle, and today Alex gave it as a gift for her.

With practiced ease, he fastened it around her wrist and kissed her forehead gently as he murmured, "Giselle, I can finally marry you."

Ten years ago, her parents had betrayed and schemed against each other, and those experiences had shattered any faith she had in love. However, at that time, Alex stayed by her side and comforted her, and after her parents divorced and remarried, she became the victim of their marriage. She became the unwanted child, that no one wanted to support with love or care, let alone with money.

Through that, it was only Alex took her in. He hugged her and said, "Even if they don't want you, I do. Giselle, you're mine and my most precious treasure."

He had kept his promise. When the Shaw family disapproved of their relationship, he chose to attend a different university with her. Over the past ten years, he had worked tirelessly, becoming outstanding, brilliant, and wealthy.

For the past ten years, she was practically supported by Alex. In their relationship, Alex had given his all, and it had warmed her heart.

She had fallen in love with him in their third year together. It was the night he got into a car accident while rushing to pick her up. She had witnessed it with her own eyes.

At that moment the gut-wrenching pain that she felt had been unbearable. That was when she knew that she loved him.

Yet, the moment she arrived at the hospital; Alex did not care about his own bleeding injuries on his arm. All he cared about was the tears on her face.

His trembling hand had reached for her face, and his voice filled with tenderness. "Giselle, don’t cry. I’m okay. Really, I’m okay."

Back to the present, Giselle carried a bowl of cream soup into the room, while Alex was in the study room.

Seeing it was her, Tracy who was lying in bed, ceased all her pretense. She deliberately pulled down the neckline of her shirt, and Giselle immediately saw the hickey that covered her collarbone.

"Giselle, thank you so much. Since Alex dotes on me the most, I became a hassle for you," she said. Her voice dripped with false sweetness.

Giselle said indifferently, "You are right. You could have done all this yourself, couldn’t you?"

Tracy smirked, "Alex insisted that I be your bridesmaid. Do you agree about that, Giselle?"

She got up from the bed. Her ankle was perfectly fine. Giselle had expected that Tracy had been faking the whole thing so she was not surprised.

Suddenly, Tracy collapsed onto the floor and burst into tears as she wailed, "Giselle, I know you don’t like me, but it was Alex who took me here. How could you treat me like this?"

Chapter 3

Giselle was Tracy's impressive performance.

Before long, the door burst open with a bang. Alex stormed in, his angry eyes sweeping over Giselle before he scooped Tracy into his arms. He growled, "Giselle …."

Giselle saw the worry in Alex’s expression. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

"Giselle, Tracy injured her leg. Can’t you be more considerate?”

She looked at the two people before her and calmly said, “I didn’t push her.”

Tracy sobbed in Alex’s arms. “Alex, I fell on my own. It’s not Giselle’s fault.”

Without another word, Giselle walked out. As she stood outside the door, she could hear the comforting words that Alex said to Tracy, "Does it hurt?"

"Alex, I would never ruin your wedding with Giselle. I know she’s the one you love most. I just want a little bit of your love.”

Alex lowered his voice, "I'm sorry, Tracy but Giselle is my wife."

Since the door was not fully closed and Alex had his back to her, Tracy looked at her through the gap, her eyes filled with provocation. Then she leaned in and kissed Alex.

Giselle didn’t see Alex push Tracy away. Instead, he cupped the back of her head to deepen their kiss.

Tears fell silently down Giselle’s face. Her trembling fingers moved to her abdomen. She could not keep this child.

She went downstairs to her room and sent a message on her phone.

[Doctor Sutherland, please help me arrange a termination of pregnancy.]

[Are you sure about it?]

[Yes. You told me before that my body isn’t suited for pregnancy.]

[That’s right. You still have a chance to recover with chemotherapy, but you can’t keep the baby.]

[Okay.]

[Come to the hospital today for a check-up.]

When she first learned she had cancer, her biggest fear was that Alex wouldn’t be able to accept it. She was afraid he would leave her. At that time, she also found out that she was pregnant and she said with conviction that she would keep the baby.

The doctor said that her cancer was in the middle stage and that chemotherapy had a chance of curing it. However, she did not want to take that risk because she had longed to have this child for so many years. She and Alex had wanted a child for years. Her health had always made it difficult, and they had never succeeded.

She had barely stepped out when her phone rang.

"Giselle, where are you?" Alex's angry voice sounded. It was clear he was trying to suppress his anger.

Giselle replied flatly, “I went to buy some food for Tracy. I’ll make her some soup.”

As expected, Alex’s attitude softened immediately. He spoke gently. “Come back soon. Tracy and I are waiting for you.”

Giselle hung up as a mocking smile appeared on her face.

Then a message popped up on her phone.

[Mrs. Shaw, Mr. Shaw ordered a limited-edition handbag for you. He said you could use it for the wedding.]

The attached image shows an extremely festive red handbag.

[Mr. Shaw also said that this bag should be a unique one. What was the convenient time for you so I can send this bag to you?"

Something suddenly clicked in her mind that every time Alex went to meet Tracy, Alex would send her a bag. So. did this mean that these bags represent the time he met Tracy and cheated on her?

A bitter smile spread across her face. So, this was the real meaning of his gift.

As soon as Giselle arrived at the hospital. Doctor Sutherland immediately conducted an examination of her body. Then she waited for the result.

Chapter 4

"Giselle, if you still want to terminate the pregnancy, there's still time."

Doctor Sutherland had examined her and found out the extent of the cancer had spread. The baby in Giselle's womb was nearly three months old now. Over a month ago, when she first received the diagnosis, she had insisted on keeping the child and delayed cancer treatment.

Giselle gently placed a hand on her abdomen and asked, "If I terminate this pregnancy, do I have a chance of recovery?"

Doctor Sutherland nodded. "Yes. Your cancer hadn’t metastasized yet, so if we arrange the surgery soon, and with early treatment, you have at least a sixty percent chance of recovery."

Just then, Giselle’s phone vibrated with a new message. It was from Tracy. It contained an ultrasound report.

[Giselle, did you really think I was hospitalized because of an injury? I’m pregnant with Alex’s child. You and Alex have been together for ten years and yet you've never conceived a child but this baby of mine, Alex's been looking forward to it.]

Giselle looked at Tracy's pregnancy report and read it. Tracy was twelve weeks pregnant. Her child was actually one week older than hers.

Her fingers gripped the phone harder. Alex had been cheating on her and now Tracy was carrying his child. At that moment, Giselle knew that she could not keep her baby.

Even if she risked her life to bring this child into the world, Alex would never cherish it. Once a man changed his heart, the biological father would become a stepfather. She wouldn’t let her child suffer the same pain she had endured.

"Doctor Sutherland, please, schedule the procedure for me. Let me know the date, and I’ll be there."

"Alright, Giselle," the doctor said. "In the next few days, focus on strengthening your body. Your health indicators are still slightly below the threshold for surgery."

"I understand," Giselle answered.

When she left the hospital, she checked her phone. Her phone was full of messages from Alex.

[Giselle, didn’t you say you were making soup for Tracy?]

[Giselle, where are you?]

[You were never this unreasonable before]

[Giselle, you must understand that Tracy is my responsibility.]

There were tons of messages. Giselle scrolled to the top and saw Tracy's messages

[See how well Alex treats me, Giselle? I just mentioned craving soup, and you had to obediently make it for me. What does it matter that you and Alex are married? I’m not leaving him, and he can’t leave me or our baby.]

Giselle exhaled slowly. There was still much she needed to arrange. The first thing she had to do was to call her lawyer. She then took her phone and called him.

"Help me prepare the divorce papers and sell off all my assets," she instructed.

Her lawyer asked, "All of your assets, Miss Diaz?"

She confirmed, "Yes, all of them."

When Giselle returned home, she found Alex waiting, his expression dark with irritation.

He snapped at her, "Giselle, if you don’t want to take care of Tracy, I won’t force you but at least don’t make empty promises."

He stepped closer, his brows furrowed as he took in her pale complexion. He grasped her wrist. "What’s wrong with you?" he asked. His eyes filled with genuine concern for her.

Giselle looked up at the man she had once loved and said calmly, "I’m going to bed."

Alex’s face darkened instantly, his temper flared as he scolded her, "What did you just say?"

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her again, this time he forcefully pinned her against the wall. Then he tried to kiss her, but Giselle turned her head away.

"Alex," Giselle said. "Your Tracy is watching us."

Sure enough, as soon as she lifted her head, she saw Tracy standing on the second-floor stairs. Her pair of eyes looked at them with tears in them.

Giselle saw the change in Alex's face. He immediately let her go.

"Giselle," he said in a clipped tone, "I won’t hold this against you this time. If you don’t want to take care of Tracy, fine. Lea will do it. You just focus on preparing for the wedding."

Then he walked upstairs and gently supported Tracy.

"Alex, don’t be mad at Giselle," Tracy murmured sweetly. "After all she even let me stay in the bridal suite."

Chapter 5

Tracy sobbed as she said, "I don't blame Giselle for not taking care of me."

Giselle watched as the scene unfolded before her.

Tracy stroked her stomach. This was so ironic.

So, Giselle returned to her room, and the house fell into silence.

She began packing her belongings. Anything related to her and Ales, she cut them up with scissors and threw them all into the trash bin.

All the photos that were treasured by Alex in the past had been causally placed in the corner by her when she went downstairs.

For all the time Alex used to coax Tracy, Giselle kept cutting those memories. So, when Alex finally entered the room, he was met with several large trash bags.

He stepped forward and reached his hands to embrace her.

Suddenly Giselle's cold voice rang out, "You reek of perfume."

Alex halted. He sniffed himself. The expression on his face shifted between frustration and guilt.

"Giselle, Tracy is only staying until the day before our wedding. Her family will come to pick her up then. Don’t worry. I’ve been having nightmares lately, dreaming that you disappear."

Alex pulled her into his arms and breathed in her scent at her nape.

However, Giselle could smell the strong waves of perfume. It made her stomach churn. She shoved him away, rushed to the bathroom, and retched without stopping.

Alex immediately rushed over and asked in a panic voice, "Giselle, did you eat something bad? You don’t need to diet, you know. You’re already the most beautiful bride."

Yet Giselle continued vomiting. Her eyes turned red. Was this the baby protesting because she had decided to let go? Its reaction was extreme. She had not felt any morning sickness for a long time. Why now?

Alex was growing anxious. "Giselle, let me take you to the hospital."

Giselle shook off his hand. Only after she had emptied her stomach did she finally feel a little better.

She refreshed herself and looked at him. "Don’t you get it? It’s the perfume on you that’s making me sick."

Alex's face darkened with anger. He snapped, "Giselle, Tracy is my sister, she is not some stranger! She wasn’t feeling well and kept crying, so was I supposed to ignore her?"

Giselle remained indifferent. "Get out." She no longer had the energy to argue with him.

When Alex glanced at the trash bags on the floor, his brows furrowed. He then said, "Giselle, if you don’t like some of your clothes, just leave them. If you want some new ones I can buy them for you."

Giselle said with a flat tone, "Tracy seems crying again. You'd better go to her."

Once he heard this, Alex immediately turned and rushed upstairs.

Giselle disposed of all three garbage bags that were filled with her and Alex's memories, including all of their photos. All of them had been cut up.

If Alex bothered to check the contents of those trash bags, he would realize just how determined she was this time.

The next morning, when Giselle stepped out of her room, she saw Alex and Tracy sitting together in the living room. It seemed Alex was in a much better mood.

"Giselle, come here and take a look. I had someone deliver a bunch of new clothes and handbags. You and Tracy can pick whatever you both like."

Tracy put down a bracelet she had been admiring and spoke in a soft, sweet voice. "Alex, let Giselle choose first. I’ll be more sensible in the future."

Alex walked toward Giselle and took her hand. "I already lectured Tracy last night. I told her she has to treat you with respect."

When she heard the word "respect", Giselle said, "Alex, these bags and clothes are in pink, the kind that only young girls would like."

Alex's face stiffened. He excused, "I had my assistant pick a batch at random. If you don’t like them, I can have new ones sent over in an hour, if needed. It's very fast."

Chapter 6

Giselle saw Tracy’s hand touching the handbag she had prepared for her wedding day.

"Giselle, can I not take anything else and just have this bag? I think it suits me perfectly. What do you think?" Tracy deliberately placed the bag on her lap and struck a pose just for Giselle to see.

"Look, Giselle, doesn’t it hide my belly perfectly like this?" The way she provoked her was as clear as a day.

Giselle took the bag from her. Then, with a single stroke of her finger, she dragged a sharp line across the leather and intentionally left a clear cut on the bag.

Seeing this, Alex's face turned gloomy.

Giselle placed the now damaged bag on Tracy's lap and said, "It's now a secondhand bag, so of course, you can have it."

Alex's face turned even colder.

Giselle continued calmly, " I don’t like other people touching my things. I even repulse of receiving something after someone else has already used it."

Alex suddenly felt an unsettling tightness in his chest. A trace of panic flickered in his eyes as he looked at Giselle.

Did she know something?

He had never felt his kind of scare in the past but at this moment, he did.

He quickly stepped forward and said, "Giselle, if you don’t like this bag, you can have it replaced. There are plenty more out there, you can pick whichever one you want."

Giselle looked at him indifferently. "I have things to do today. I won’t be home. You two can take your time choosing."

With that, she turned around and left. Instead of going to the company, she went to a lawyer's office.

"Miss Diaz, these are all your assets. Since you want to sell them quickly, the prices are slightly lower than usual," explained the lawyer.

Giselle glanced at the finalized numbers. All her property had been converted into cash. She then said, "That's fine."

She took the money and the divorce papers and left.

From a distance, she saw the massive Shaw Corporation building. It's giant screens still broadcasting the date of her upcoming wedding with Alex. They looked so happy.

She once believed it too.

Giselle then went to a photo studio. She handed over the two gigabytes of photos and videos Tracy had sent her and asked the owner to print them all.

The owner hesitated as he glanced at her gloomy face. It seemed he wanted to say something but he finally kept his silence.

Giselle took a large gift box and carefully put the divorce paper inside of it.

When she got home, her hand was carrying the gift box.

As soon as Alex saw the gift, his handsome face brightened with long-lost joy. "Is this for me, Giselle?"

Seeing him reach for it, Giselle handed it over to him and said, "It’s a gift for you and it must be open on our wedding day. Not before."

Alex’s eyes gleamed with happiness, and his face full of excitement. "Giselle, I know you’ve been upset with me these past few days. I’m sorry."

He took the gift and pulled her into an embrace. The moment he did, Giselle felt nauseous.

Just then, Tracy came downstairs, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Alex, why did Giselle only get you a gift? Why didn’t she get me anything?"

Alex replied in a gentle tone, "Tracy, this is my wedding gift."

Giselle said, "Alex, let's put the gif in the save.

Alex immediately agreed. His face was still beaming with joy as he carried it upstairs to store it away.

As soon as he left, Tracy’s expression shifted. Her previous playfulness vanished.

"Giselle, you’re really something. Even after everything, you’re still willing to be Alex’s wife." She sneered.

Giselle answered calmly, "Tracy, as long I am Alex's wife, you'll always be the other woman."

Tracy's face twisted in fury, but she quickly composed herself and gave a playful smile.

"Do you know what Alex said while you were out today? He said I should stay here as his ‘sister’ for now. Later, he plans to adopt my child under another name and raise it as yours. Giselle, can you believe it? You and Alex aren’t even married yet, and he’s already scheming to make you raise my child as your own. Oh, he said all his assets will eventually go to my baby. After all, you can’t have children. However, you ... you’ll raise mine like it’s your own. Isn’t that hilarious? Giselle, you should just hurry up and die. That way, Alex won’t have to keep plotting against you."

Chapter 7

Giselle stared in the direction where Alex had just left, she said, "Tracy, what if I'm pregnant?"

As expected, Tracy's face changed instantly. She shrieked, "That's impossible! I've been secretly giving you medicine this whole time!"

Giselle's face turned into a deathly pale when she heard this. She never imagined that the reason she had never been able to conceive all these years was all Tracy doing.

Fury surged through her as she raised her hand and slapped Tracy hard across the face.

Slap! A crisp slap echoed in the living room.

Tracy glanced upstairs, noticing that Alex had not come down yet. So, she leaned in closer, her face twisted with malice. She whispered, "Are you surprised? You've been infertile all these years because of me. How could I ever let you have a child? If you got pregnant, you'd cling to Alex and never let him go. However, look at you ... you've loved him for ten years, and what did that get you? Alex changed his heart. He fell in love with me. That’s why I’m the one carrying his child, not you. You don’t deserve it."

Giselle stared at Tracy, the girl she had watched grow up. This woman was so vicious that she deliberately destroyed her chance of ever becoming a mother.

As she watched Tracy's smug smile, Giselle's red lips curved into a cold smile and said, "Well, I am pregnant though, Tracy. Alex and I will be a happy family of three. Meanwhile, your child? It'll be nothing but just a bastard. As for you? You'll just be a home-wrecking cheap woman."

Tracy’s face instantly twisted in rage. With a furious shove, she pushed Giselle hard. Giselle crashed onto the floor with a sickening thud.

A sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She clutched her stomach, her face contorted in agony.

Tears slid from the corners of her eyes as she felt her baby twisting inside her. She held onto her belly as she tried to breathe through the pain.

Just then, Tracy suddenly collapsed onto the floor as well. Instantly she cried out, "Alex. My stomach hurt! Alex!"

Giselle choked up her words, though she wanted to scream for Alex too, the pain was so unbearable that her body was shaking all over.

At that moment, she realized that she could never bear to lose this child after all.

Alex rushed down the stairs. When he saw Tracy and Giselle lying on the floor, his face darkened. He called out urgently, "Giselle! Tracy!"

Giselle's trembling hand reached for him and pleaded with a shaky voice, "It … hurts … the baby .…"

However, at that very moment, Tracy cried out. Her voice was even louder than her, "Alex, I'm in too much pain. I need to go to the hospital. My baby …!"

Alex's expression turned grim and he said, "Giselle, I have to take Tracy to the hospital first. She can't be in danger."

With that, he forcefully pried Giselle’s hand off him.

All Giselle could do was watch Alex swiftly scooped Tracy into his arms and carried her out the door.

As she lay there and stared at their retreating back, she could feel the warm, sticky sensation of blood pooling beneath her.

Meanwhile, in the car, Alex gripped the steering wheel tightly as he raced his car. His heart ached so much.

He glanced at Tracy who was sobbing in the backseat. Then he assured her, "We're almost there."

Between her cries, Tracy whimpered, "Alex, don’t blame Giselle. She … found out I was pregnant and forced me to tell her whose baby it was. I swore it wasn’t yours, but she didn’t believe me. She accused us … Alex, I would never ruin your marriage with Giselle. I would never blame her if she wanted to take my baby’s life.…"

Alex was so furious when he heard this. He quickly dialed Giselle's phone number but no one answered.

Back at the house, Giselle lay motionless on the cold floor as pain swallowed her whole. It felt like all the blood had drained from her body.

Then, the door swung open. The housekeeper, Lea, had just returned from the market.

When she saw Giselle lying in a pool of blood, she was so frightened. She shouted in horror, "Madam!"

Giselle was rushed to the hospital. As she was drifting in and out of consciousness, she could faintly hear Lea's frantic words. "Madam, I tried calling your husband, but he won’t answer! Hold on, please! So much blood … too much blood … someone will die!"

Chapter 8

In the end, Giselle miscarried. The child, not even three months old, was reduced to nothing but a pool of blood. She almost died on the operating table, but in the end, she pulled through.

When she finally woke up, only Lea was by her side. As soon as she saw her eyes opened, Lea was overjoyed. "Madam, you’re awake!"

However, Giselle's mind was filled with the image of Alex leaving with Tracy without looking back. "Where is Alex?" she asked.

Lea's face turned uneasy before she stammered, "Mr. Shaw … he is not in Rosewood."

A calm smile appeared on Giselle's face. "Is that so? Does he know I'm in the hospital?”

Lea grew even more anxious. "Miss Lombard had an accident and was sent abroad for treatment. Mr. Shaw knows you’re in the hospital. I wanted to tell him about your miscarriage, but he wouldn’t listen. He just hung up and told me to take care of you."

The first thing Giselle said was, "Lea, you can leave. I don’t need anyone taking care of me."

Then, she hired a lawyer and immediately filed a lawsuit against Tracy for attempted murder.

Three hours later, Alex who was far away overseas, finally called. He snapped, "Giselle, how can you be like this, you accused Tracy of attempted murder. It's a serious crime! She only pushed you! Now you want to ruin her, huh? You used to be kind, but now you’ve become so cruel!"

When she heard the word "cruel". Her face looked very serious. She asked, "Alex, are we still getting married?"

Alex did not say anything.

Then, Giselle heard Tracy's weak cry on the other end of the line. "Alex, my stomach hurts so much."

Alex's voice immediately turned panicked. "Giselle, drop the charges. I’ll be back the night before the wedding. I’ll have Tracy apologize to you." Then he hung up.

From Alex's attitude, Giselle understood that up to this point, the man still thought Tracy was the innocent one. Although she was the one who lost her baby, it was still amazing Tracy could still act as the victim.

Despite her failing health, Giselle made her move. Two days before the wedding, she called it off. The citywide advertisements announcing her marriage to Alex were taken down and it was replaced with just the words "Wedding Canceled".

As a result, Alex was bombarded with his friends’ calls.

"Alex, what’s going on? Your wedding is in two days but …"

"Alex, is your wife mad at you?"

"Alex, did she find out about you and Tracy?"

They had known about Alex and Tracy's affair a long time ago. At that time, Alex had told them that they must not tell Giselle because he loved her and wanted to marry her.

The affair between him and Tracy accidentally happened when he was drunk. He had been trying his best to amend himself to Giselle.

When he received many messages asking him, his face darkened even more. He tried to call Giselle over and over again, but no one answered him.

Then he saw it. The screen that was supposed to showcase his and Giselle's wedding had changed into a string of words "Wedding canceled".

Alex was so furious that he smashed his phone.

Laying on the hospital bed, Tracy asked tenderly. "Alex, why are you so angry? Did I make any mistakes?"

The gloom on Alex's face cleared up a little. He said in a low voice, "Nothing. It's fine. I've hired two nurses for you. I must return home to get married. Once I marry Giselle, I'll come back to get you."

Tracy immediately buried her body in Alex's. As she cried, she said, "I understand. I'll wait for you here, Alex. I wish you and Giselle a happy marriage."

As Alex saw how understanding Tracy was, he blew his breath softly and said, "I'm sorry, Tracy. I could only give you compensation in this life."

Tracy raised her tearful face. She smiled at him and said, "I know you love Giselle the most. Go, I'm staying here and waiting for you. My baby and I are waiting for you to get us back."

Chapter 9

Guilt instantly flooded Alex as he held Tracy in his arms. "Alright, I'll head back now."

Then he left.

As soon as Alex walked out, Tracy's face darkened. Wasting no time, she dialed Giselle's number.

Giselle had just finished her medical examinations when her phone rang.

"Alex is going back right now," Tracy’s voice was dripping with arrogance. "Tell me, do you really think he’ll still marry you? Giselle, even if you two go through with the wedding, I will never leave him. He will always take care of me. After all, you nearly caused me to lose my baby. Do you honestly believe he’ll forgive you?"

Giselle listened to Tracy's smug voice. This woman was really an expert on twisting the wrong onto the right.

"Tracy, the wedding is canceled," Giselle replied calmly. "I’ll be divorcing Alex. If you have the ability to hold on to him, then make sure he signs the divorce papers. Got it?"

Without waiting for a response, she hung up.

Doctor Sutherland said, "Giselle. Your test results show signs of cancer cell metastasis. Right now, the most important thing is for you to rest and regain your strength so you can undergo surgery and chemotherapy as soon as possible."

Giselle let out a weak, bitter smile. Yes, the most important thing now was staying alive.

"Thank you, Doctor Sutherland," she thanked him.

As she was being wheeled back to her hospital room, her phone was flooded with missed calls from Alex. She finally returned his call.

She heard Alex's cold and full of rage ask, "Where are you?"

Giselle's tone remained indifferent. "I’ve already signed the divorce papers at the lawyer's office. My lawyer will contact you. Let’s not see each other again."

Alex’s fury exploded. "Giselle, are you serious? Did you do all of this just because I spent a few days with Tracy? The wedding isn’t even delayed! Everything is going as planned. Stop throwing a tantrum. Everyone will be attending tomorrow's wedding, so don’t make me angry."

When Giselle heard this, she smiled, "Alex, let’s just get a divorce. There’s no point in dragging this out."

As she spoke, blood trickled from the corner of her lips. Silent tears streamed down her face.

She had never imagined that she and Alex would reach this point. The man who once loved her more than anything, the one who used to hold her close and say with unwavering tenderness, "Giselle, if you're upset, take it out on me. Don't keep everything bottled up, okay?"

She had always smiled in his embrace. That man had changed.

When she stared at her phone, she realized that only twelve hours remained until their supposed wedding. She had neither the strength nor the desire to show up.

Alex kept calling her, but Giselle didn’t answer his call again. Instead, he received a call from her lawyer.

"Hello, Mr. Shaw. This is Miss Diaz’s attorney. She has already signed the divorce agreement. Where would you like me to meet you to finalize it?"

Alex's expression turned icy. His voice was sharp as a blade. "You may come to the Shaw Corporation.

If Giselle wanted to play games, he would see just how far she was willing to go.

An hour later, the lawyer arrived at Shaw Corporation and placed the signed divorce agreement that Giselle had signed before him.

Alex glanced at me, and his lips curled into a cold smile. "Does she want half of the marital assets? Everything she owns came from me. I disagree. If she wants a divorce, she leaves with nothing. She can't take a single penny even the money I gave her before and after the marriage. She’ll walk away empty-handed."

The lawyer relayed Alex’s response to Giselle over the phone.

When she heard that she had to return everything that he had given him before and during marriage, and he wanted her to leave penniless, her heart sank.

Her eyes turned dimmed. She had planned to use that money to save her own life. She said calmly. I understand. Please draft a new agreement. Have him sign it immediately."

"Miss Diaz," the lawyer hesitated. "If you agree to this, you will be left with nothing. Are you sure it’s worth it?"

The lawyer tried to persuade her, but Giselle had already made up her mind.

As she lay in the hospital, Giselle's mind was flooded with memories of the past ten years. She and Alex went from being in love to Alex cheating with Tracy. These ten years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Loving someone with her entire being had ultimately led to them becoming strangers who couldn’t stand each other.

“I agree.”