When Elena opened her eyes again, everything was white. The ceiling, the walls, and the sheet beneath her—all were white.

It was not the cold, empty corridor. She was back in the room. For a moment, she simply stared, her mind blank.

Memory hit her all over again.

’Who is she? Why do they look so close to each other?’

Questions rushed in nonstop, unsettling her.

She sat up. "I need to find out."

Ignoring her pain, Elena pushed herself out of bed.

"Eh..." The nurse entered and saw her getting out. She rushed over. "You just fainted out there. Where are you going now?"

Elena paused. "Who brought me back?" she asked.

Part of her wanted to hear that Noah had brought her back to the room. But the nurse’s answer disappointed her.

"Someone found you unconscious in the corridor and alerted us."

Elena’s eyes turned watery. "And Noah? Did he come?"

"He..." The nurse paused for a moment, then shook her head. "No, he didn’t."

Elena sagged back into the bed, her strength giving out. Her husband was right there in the hospital, but he was busy taking care of another woman. He didn’t care that his wife had an accident and miscarried.

Her fingers clasped the side of the mattress.

"You shouldn’t roam around, okay?"

Elena nodded faintly. "I am hungry," she murmured. "Can you bring something to eat?"

"Alright. Stay here."

As soon as the nurse left, Elena sneaked out. She headed toward the corridor where she had last seen him with that woman.

’He must be there.’

She rounded the corner but froze when she saw Noah coming out of a room with his friend. Her eyes lit up.

Just as she was about to take a step toward them, she heard their conversation.

"What you did to Elena was wrong," his friend Evan said. "You orchestrated the accident. She could have been hurt severely."

Elena stepped back instantly and hid behind the wall. She pressed a hand over her mouth tightly. Her body went cold.

’He was behind that accident?’

A wave of shock slammed into Elena. She froze behind the wall.

"I made sure that she didn’t get hurt much," came Noah’s voice, calm, almost indifferent.

Elena had heard his voice for years. But now, it sounded strangely unfamiliar.

"I only wanted the child to be gone."

Something inside her shattered. Her mouth parted. She wanted to cry, but no sound came out.

’He killed the baby. It was his child too.’

Tears streamed down her cheeks silently.

"Elena was pressuring me for the wedding," Noah said. "But I can’t do that. Tessa is my legal wife."

Another shock hit Elena.

Tessa?

The name echoed in her head. Tessa was his first love. But years ago, she had left abroad for further studies. And now, she was back.

For five years, Elena had believed she was married to him. But now he claimed that another woman was his wife. Then what was she to him all this time?

Her mind raced back to the past.

Elena had wanted a wedding. But Noah had always found a reason to delay it.

First, he asked her to finish her studies. When she finally did, he gave her a marriage certificate.

But he had kept their marriage a secret from everyone, presenting her to the world as his fiancée, never as his wife.

He said he wanted to focus on his career, to take the company public before announcing anything. There was always a reason.

But Elena had trusted him. She had waited. Because she loved him.

When she found out she was pregnant, she believed the time had finally come.

Noah had agreed and even scheduled the wedding date. He had played along, smiled at her, and made promises with her.

Only now did she realize he had planned everything just to take it away.

"Tessa is the woman I love," said Noah. "I can’t ignore her."

Each word pierced her heart.

"For her, you even killed your own child?" Evan muttered, his voice turning sharper. "Have you thought of Elena? Her pain? She must be devastated. Don’t you feel anything for her?"

Noah exhaled, almost impatient. He scratched his forehead. "I’ll make it up to her."

"How? She lost her child."

"She can have another," Noah said flatly. "But not now... Tessa is not well. She needs me."

Elena’s whole body trembled. A sob escaped her lips, but she clamped her mouth tightly.

"If you love Tessa, why are you still keeping Elena around?" Evan asked. "Let her go."

"That’s impossible," Noah snapped. "Elena is my responsibility. Her father saved my father. The Sinclair family owes the Harts. I vowed to take care of her for life. And I’ll keep my word. But..."

He shrugged. "My heart belongs to Tessa."

Elena closed her eyes.

Responsibility?

That was all she was to him. She was not his wife, not his love.

"Back then, I really thought of marrying Elena and having a future with her. But I never fully let go of Tessa. When I met her again two years ago, I knew I wanted her back. But my parents won’t accept her. So I secretly got Elena to sign the divorce papers without her knowing, and then I registered my marriage with Tessa."

Elena felt the ground beneath her slip. Her legs trembled. The phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a clatter.

Their conversation paused.

Elena’s heart skipped. She picked up her phone and hurried away.

Both Evan and Noah turned their heads.

"Who is there?" Noah’s voice turned sharper.

Elena pressed herself into the shadows. Footsteps approached. Her heart pounded so wildly that she felt as if it would expose her.

When Noah rounded the corner, he saw none. He frowned as he looked at the empty corridor.

"Who is it?" Evan asked.

"No one," replied Noah.

Evan approached him. "I know you love Tessa. But things are getting worse. What if Elena finds out about her? What if she discovers you caused her miscarriage? She will leave you."

Noah’s expression faltered. For a moment, panic rose in his heart. But he dismissed it.

"She won’t," he said firmly. "Elena loves me. She can’t walk away from me."

Elena’s chest tightened. Yes, she loved him for so long, since she was a child. She had always dreamed of being his wife. But she had never imagined he would hurt her in this way.

"Besides, she has nowhere to go. The Sinclair family is her home."

Elena’s heart shattered piece by piece. It was true that the Sinclair family had been taking care of her for fifteen years since her father’s death.

It was her home. She loved everyone in the family and treated them as her own. She had given her wholehearted love to Noah, but he had taken her as a joke.

He deceived her and took her signature on the divorce papers without her knowledge.

’How could you do this to me? You said you loved me.’

"You are playing a dangerous game, Noah," Evan warned. "This is not going to end well."

Noah clenched his jaw. "Elena’s father entrusted her to us. Taking care of her is my duty. And Tessa... She risked her life to save me. The title of my wife should belong to her. But that doesn’t mean I’ll leave Elena."

Each word cut deeper than the last.

Elena lost all her hope. Everything inside her went still.

There was no anger, no grief—only emptiness.

She walked away slowly.

"I’ll handle everything," Noah continued with determination. "I’ll send Tessa abroad once she recovers. Then things will go back to how they were. I’ll keep both of them happy."