Chapter 6

A waiter who passed by brought Tania's wheelchair to her, then pushed her into the venue. The banquet was lavish and grand. It didn't feel like a birthday party at all and looked more like an engagement party. Cillian had given Catherine three extravagant gifts—a research paper guaranteed to win an international medical award, a food factory worth billions, and the Gessner family heirloom that was supposed to belong to the family's daughter-in-law. "Cillian begged for this for an entire day at Gessner Manor," Catherine smugly said, admiring the diamond bracelet on her wrist. "And he gave it to me." Tania caught the glimmer of the bracelet under the lights and pressed her lips together. She had long known about this bracelet and had often felt hurt because her mother-in-law disliked her and refused to give it to her. Every time, Cillian would pull her into his arms and promise her that he'd talk to his mother once she recovered. Acquiring the bracelet and becoming a daughter-in-law the Gessners approved of was once Tania's motivation in fighting her illness. But in retrospect, she was a joke. Tania couldn't hold back the self-deprecating smile on her lips. Somehow, this angered Catherine. However, she didn't want to cause a scene in front of everyone, so she waited for the break and blocked Tania as she was coming out of the restroom. "What were you laughing at just now?" she snarled. "So what if you're married to Cillian? Sooner or later, he'll come to his senses. He'll divorce you and marry me." "You don't need to tell me that," Tania calmly said. "You should tell him." Catherine was at a loss for words. "Do you really think he loves you?" she shot back, her face flushed with anger. "He always takes my side." With a renewed confidence, she leaned toward Tania and grinned. "I bet you don't know I was the one behind your fits during the engagement party and wedding. "Cillian knew it was me at first glance. Can you guess why he'd quickly brought you away and threatened the others?" Malice flickered in her eyes as she drawled out, "That's because he was worried that they'd find out the truth, and I might lose my job. But to think you had the nerve to post it on social media, claiming he was your savior. That was hilarious!" She burst out laughing. This wasn't a far cry from what Tania had expected. But still, her heart clenched. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she glowered at Catherine. "Is it fun ruining someone else's marriage? You're dying to be Cillian's side chick, aren't you? But too bad. He doesn't even want you!" "You bitch!" Catherine screeched, lunging at Tania. In a fit of rage, she tried to push her off the stairs. But Tania had been prepared and tightly held on to the railing. Just then, Cillian happened to show up in the middle of the argument. Suddenly, Catherine cried out, "Tania, I'm sorry." Her eyes glistened with tears. "Please forgive me!" With that, she gritted her teeth and hurled herself down the stairs. "Cathy!" Cillian's voice was sharp with shock and fury as he rushed downstairs. He paid no attention at all to Tania hanging off the railing on the outside of the stairs. "Cillian, help me…" she cried out. Tania's voice echoed through the stairwell, but no one answered. It wasn't until several minutes later that her strength finally gave out, and she fell from the third floor. When she hit the ground, blood began pooling beneath her. Then, right before she lost consciousness, she heard Catherine whining, "Cillian, my arm hurts. I think I scraped it…" "Don't worry, Cathy. I'll take you to the hospital right away." … After what felt like ages, Tania finally opened her eyes again. This time, there was no one beside her bed. A bitter smile spread across her lips. Just then, she heard the nurses chatting during their rounds. "Dr. Gessner's overreacting. Dr. Catherine only scraped her skin, yet he insisted she stay for three days while he stayed with her the whole time." One nurse hushed the others. "Keep your voice down. After all, Dr. Catherine's the one Dr. Gessner dotes on the most. And it's already been three days since he last came to see Mrs. Gessner. She must've fallen out of favor." They pushed the door open, only to find Tania wide awake. "I'll go tell Dr. Gessner that Mrs. Gessner is awake now," one nurse sheepishly muttered. She hurried out and returned moments later. "Dr. Gessner's giving Dr. Catherine a wipe-down. He can't come." By all rights, this should've torn Tania apart. But she simply listened, unaffected. … Three more days passed before Cillian finally came to see Tania. But the moment he stepped through the door, he began reprimanding her. "How could you hurt Catherine on her birthday? That was too much." At that moment, Tania felt like the worst decision she'd made was marrying him. She looked away, refusing to respond. Maybe the sight of her body wrapped in bandages tugged at Cillian, because he sighed and sat beside her. "It was a bit harsh of her to ask you to climb those steps, but you also pushed her down the stairs. "Let's put this behind us and stop making a fuss about it." "Do I even get to say no?" Tania's countless arguments with him were to no avail, so she no longer had the energy to fight. "Let's end it here," she said, holding back a sneer. "Leave. I want to rest." But Cillian didn't budge. He hesitated, then took her hand. "Tania, there's something I need your consent for," he gently said. "My mom wants Cathy to give me a child."