Chapter 2

The heart monitor let out a piercing alarm, Miranda's hand trembling slightly, but she didn't move. The hospital room door was kicked open with a loud bang. Jerome and Madison stormed in with their men and several doctors. Madison lunged toward Miranda and slapped her hard across the face. "Miranda, you bitch!" she screamed. "How dare you lay a hand on my son!" Jerome stared at the ventilator tube in her hand, his eyes flashing with uncontrollable rage. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her off the floor. "Miranda, have you lost your mind? How dare you do this?" he roared. Miranda's lifeless eyes flickered, as if slowly coming back to life. They locked onto Jerome, the man she had once loved so fiercely she had been willing to marry him against her parents' wishes. "I really was insane," Miranda said, her voice trembling, hatred burning in her eyes. "Jerome, you promised Freddie would be safe! And now he's dead, so why is this bastard still alive?" "That's enough! Calm down!" Jerome shouted coldly and shoved her away. "Don't forget you're a doctor. What you did is enough to get your medical license revoked." Miranda's head slammed against the doorframe. Blood trickled down her temple, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. She suddenly lunged at him, punching and kicking wildly. "Jerome, Freddie is dead! How do you expect me to stay calm?" "Restrain her!" Jerome said, his eyes flashing with impatience. As his men held her down, he glared at her and warned coldly, "If you won't calm down, I'll make sure you do." His next order carried no emotion at all. "Lock her in the snake pit. Don't let her out without my permission." Miranda's struggling stopped abruptly. She stared at Jerome in disbelief. Jerome was as notorious for his power as for his obsession with snakes. The snake pit held hundreds of them and was the place where he dealt with traitors. When Jerome had been courting her, she had once mentioned her fear of snakes. For her sake, he had moved the snake pit away from the villa. Now, he actually intended to lock her inside it. A deep, bone-chilling fear ran through Miranda, making her whole body tremble uncontrollably. Jerome saw the fear in her eyes, but he only said coldly, "Take her down." Miranda went limp, and she was dragged into the snake pit. The heavy door slammed shut, and the disturbed snakes poked their heads out. Smelling the blood on her, they began to slither toward her. Miranda was so terrified that she lost her voice. Her heart felt as if it was about to burst from her chest. In desperation, she dialed Jerome's number. "Let me out, Jerome. I will die in here." Jerome was silent for two seconds. Then Madison's urgent voice came through the phone. "Rome, Dami is awake." Jerome's voice turned sharp and cold. "You dared to hurt Dami. This is the punishment you deserve." Miranda stared at the dark screen and felt utterly hopeless. As a snake crawled toward her feet, she suddenly regained her composure. She pulled out the surgical scalpel she always carried and stabbed fiercely into the snake's body, striking its vital point. She struck again and again, but the snakes kept coming endlessly. Overwhelmed by grief and terror, her whole body wavered, and her breathing grew rapid and labored. Finally, she could no longer hold on. Her vision darkened as she collapsed to the ground. A snake coiled around her legs, and in her fading consciousness, the heavy door burst open. She saw Jerome rushing toward her, shouting her name. "Miranda!" … Miranda had a dream. In the dream, she had defied her parents' wishes to study medicine and ended up staying in Ekason, taking a position at Ekason Hospital as a pediatric doctor. One day, the department head called her over to introduce the donor who had contributed a large amount of equipment to the department. That donor was Jerome. That day, sunlight filtered through the leaves outside the window and fell across his face. In that instant, it stirred Miranda's heart. After that day, Jerome pursued her passionately, and they fell in love. Despite her parents' disapproval, she secretly married him. Married for six years with a five-year-old child, Miranda only discovered the truth after her son's death. Jerome had another family. All those enviable romantic confessions, those passionate promises whispered in bed, those simple, warm, happy days—they had all been an illusion. Tears streamed down Miranda's face as she jolted awake from the nightmare of Fred's death. She dialed a long-forgotten number. "I'm willing to return to Ariston and inherit the family business, but those who harmed my son must pay the price." A calm male voice answered, "No problem, Andy, welcome back." The words were steady and resolute. After that, Miranda called her lawyer. "Prepare a divorce agreement for me immediately." As soon as she finished speaking, Jerome's questioning voice came from the doorway. "A divorce agreement?" Miranda looked up at him, her eyes filled with nothing but coldness. "Yes, Jerome, let's get a divorce."