Chapter 1

At the proposal ceremony, my husband, Ethan Carrington's so-called true love, Chloe Langley, showed up uninvited, her pregnant belly on full display as she crashed the event.

I, Nora Whitmore, didn't argue. I didn't make a scene. I simply took off the engagement ring and returned it in silence.

In my previous life, I had desperately forced him to drive Chloe away, which led to her getting into a car accident and losing the baby.

Five years into our marriage, I finally became pregnant. But when I was about to give birth, Ethan personally pulled the life-support equipment from my bedside.

With a cold laugh, he told me the child in my womb was nothing more than a bastard he had arranged with some street thug, just to get revenge on me.

"You owe her this. Today you'll pay it back, along with that bastard child."

I fought back with the last strength I had left and drove a shard of broken glass straight into his throat.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the proposal ceremony.

To hell with love. This time, I would take control of the company myself and make sure they lost everything.

......

I tore the engagement ring from my finger and shoved it straight into Chloe's hand.

The sharp edge of the ring scraped across her palm.

Without even sparing her a glance, I turned and stepped down from the stage.

The guests below had already begun whispering among themselves.

Ethan stood there, stunned.

He took a long stride forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Nora, how long are you going to keep this nonsense up?"

His grip was strong enough to make my bones ache.

He lowered his voice. "Chloe came all this way to congratulate us even while she's pregnant. What kind of tantrum are you throwing? Put the ring back on right now. Don't make a spectacle of yourself."

I shook his hand off with force.

"Let go."

I turned toward the hundreds of guests in the hall and lifted my chin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this engagement is officially canceled."

The entire hall erupted in shock.

"Ah! It hurts!" Chloe suddenly clutched her stomach and screamed.

Her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the carpet.

A large stain of blood quickly spread down the inside of her thighs.

Ethan's face went ashen.

He rushed over and pulled Chloe into his arms.

Chloe clutched his collar, sobbing. "Ethan, my baby... my stomach hurts so much."

Ethan lifted his head and glared at me, fury blazing in his eyes.

"Nora, you're disgusting. Chloe is pregnant, and you actually attacked her out of jealousy. If anything happens to her, I swear I won't let you get away with it."

Holding Chloe in his arms, he staggered toward the exit and rushed out of the hall.

I watched their retreating figures, then took out my phone and dialed Stella Quinn.

"Stella, it's Nora. Start the procedure immediately and audit every account in the company. Yes. Right now."

As soon as I ended the call, someone stormed down from the stage.

A sharp slap landed across my left cheek.

The blow knocked me half a step backward, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

My father, Graham Whitmore, jabbed a finger at my face and erupted in fury. "You ungrateful brat! Do you even know who was invited here today? You've completely humiliated the Carrington family!"

He panted heavily, still seething. "How did I end up with a daughter like you? Throwing away a family alliance over some irrelevant woman! Do you have any idea that the Whitmore family is relying on Carrington money to stay afloat right now? Go to the hospital immediately and kneel down to beg Ethan for forgiveness!"

I lifted my hand and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with my thumb.

I stared at my father's face, twisted with rage.

"Stay out of my business. If you're so embarrassed about it, go kneel to him yourself."

"You disgraceful daughter!" My father raised his hand again, ready to strike.

I dodged to the side and strode out of the hall without looking back.

My phone screen lit up with a new message.

It was from Ethan.

"Get your ass to the hospital right now and apologize to Chloe! Hand over the NovaCore Renewables Project to make it up to her, or I'll shut down every one of your bank cards."

I switched my phone to silent mode and slipped it into my bag.

I headed straight for the underground parking garage.

The core patent documents my mother left me were still locked in the company safe. I had to retrieve them immediately.

Just as I reached my car, five men in black suits stepped forward and blocked my path.

Leading them was Ethan's special assistant, Miles Porter.

Miles stood there with his hands folded in front of him, wearing a stiff, insincere smile.

"Ms. Whitmore, Mr. Carrington asked me to escort you to the hospital."

I stopped walking. "Move."

Miles stepped closer.

"Mr. Carrington said that if you refuse to cooperate, he'll freeze every bank account and credit card under your name." He curled his lip slightly. "Ms. Whitmore, you'd be wise to cooperate. Mr. Carrington is furious right now. If you go to the hospital and sincerely beg for forgiveness, maybe this whole thing will blow over. But if you insist on resisting, one word from him and you won't even make it out of this garage today."

The four bodyguards closed in, cutting off every possible escape.

They clenched their fists, their knuckles cracking loudly.

My hand brushed the zipper of my bag.

Inside were several extremely important transfer agreements. If I fought them now, those documents could easily be taken.

I withdrew my hand, walked to the black business van Miles had arrived in, and pulled the door open before getting inside.

The door slammed shut behind me, followed by the sharp click of the lock.

Miles sat in the passenger seat and glanced back at me. "Ms. Whitmore really is a smart woman."

The car started and drove toward the city hospital in downtown Dawnford.

I leaned against the window, watching the city streets blur past outside.

My fingers quietly slipped into the cuff of my right sleeve.

I pressed the switch on the miniature voice recorder.