Chapter 3

"All done. I've signed it," Lucy said, shoving the papers back into Emily's hands. Her tone carried both a hint of charity and a dash of warning as she continued, "I heard from Andrew that you two only got married as a business arrangement. "Since that's the case, you should know your place. In the future, if you need to get anything signed to buy some property or expensive jewelry, just bring it to me. I'll sign it. You shouldn't bother Andrew anymore. He doesn't want to see you either." Emily stared at the signature that was an exact replica of Andrew's and felt nothing but mockery. She opened her mouth, wanting to inform Lucy that this wasn't a real estate contract but a divorce agreement, but all of a sudden, the shrill wail of a fire alarm split the air. "Fire! Everyone get out!" someone screamed. The crowd instantly erupted into chaos. Panic surged through the hall as people shoved and stumbled over one another toward the exit. Emily and Lucy were both standing further inside the hall. As they were both slight in build, they were soon knocked to the floor by the panicked crowd. "Ouch!" "Don't step on me!" Countless feet kept trampling over them. Agonizing pain shot through Emily's body. She felt as if her bones had been crushed beneath everyone's soles. She tried desperately to push herself up, to no avail. "Andrew! Save me, Andrew!" Lucy cried in terror. "Lulu!" Andrew's agitated voice rang out. Emily saw him forcing his way back through the crowd, and for a fleeting moment, a foolish hope flickered weakly in her chest. But when he reached them, his eyes locked straight onto Lucy. Without hesitation, he bent down and scooped her into his arms, holding her protectively as he turned and ran for the exit. Through it all, he didn't so much as glance at Emily. "Andrew! Andrew!" Emily screamed with the last of her strength, but her voice was drowned out by the piercing shrieks and cries from all around her. Had he heard her? Perhaps he did, but he didn't even turn his head around. Just when Emily thought she would be trampled to death, that familiar figure reappeared. A fragile spark of hope ignited in her chest. He came back. He really came back for her… However, even though Andrew shot over to Emily, he didn't even spare her a glance. He simply rushed to pick up a bracelet that had dropped beside her at some point. Clutching it tightly, he turned to leave again. "Thank goodness you found it for me!" Lucy's tearful but happy voice rang out from afar. "That's my favorite necklace. I would've cried my heart out if it got destroyed under everyone's feet!" Andrew hurried back to her, his tone filled with relief and affection. "Well, I couldn't let my baby cry, could I? I had to find it for you." "You're the best!" Lucy said before giving him a peck. So he'd only turned back to pick up a bracelet. In his heart, the wife he'd been married to for five years mattered even less than one of Lucy's bracelets. The crushing despair and heartbreak fell like a massive boulder, burying Emily completely. Her vision went dark, and she fainted. … When Emily regained consciousness, she found herself lying on a chilly operating table. The harsh lights of the operating room burned her eyes. The doctor, who was busy setting up for surgery, exclaimed, "You're awake, Mrs. Stone? You have multiple contusions and a fractured rib, but the worst is the internal bleeding from abdominal trauma. We need to operate on you immediately." Just as the anesthesiologist approached to inject her with anesthesia, the door to the operating room flew open with a loud bang. Several bodyguards in black rushed in. Without saying a word, they yanked the IV line off Emily's hand and roughly hauled her off the operating table. "What are you doing? The patient needs emergency surgery!" the doctor exclaimed in fear and anger as he tried to stop them. However, the bodyguards ignored him as they forcefully dragged the weak and bleeding Emily out of the operating room. "Let go… Where are you taking me…" Emily made a feeble attempt to fight back, her wounds hurting even more due to the exertion. No one answered her. She was dragged right to the VIP ward and roughly tossed onto the cold, hard floor.