Within the hour, all of us were taken to the police station.
Czarina cried as if her soul were being torn apart. She pointed at me, calling me a mistress with every breath.
To every passerby in the hall, she wailed that she'd caught me in bed with her husband.
People walking by covered their mouths, shaking their heads.
"She's so young... why ruin herself by being a mistress?"
"That vixen face—she must've climbed her way up with her body."
I lowered my head, both cheeks swollen and bruised.
"Enough. Don't say anymore," Oliver said suddenly.
Whenever Czarina had an episode, he always echoed her, no matter what.
And somehow... a pathetic sliver of hope stirred inside me.
I wanted him to tell them who I was.
"Czarina, don't get so worked up. What if you hurt the baby?" He gently soothed her.
The walls I had worked so hard to build finally crumbled.
Tears streamed down my face and splattered onto the floor.
As soon as Oliver said those words, Czarina immediately clutched her stomach.
"It... it really hurts. The baby won't be in danger, right?"
The next second, he scooped her up in his arms and rushed out, leaving everyone with only their retreating silhouettes.
The moment they disappeared, my mother‑in‑law's estate lawyer arrived.
I took the documents from him and slipped them into my pocket.
After packing the last of my belongings, I dragged my suitcase toward the door.
Outside, a car arranged by my late mother‑in‑law before her death was already waiting. It would help erase my tracks completely.
As for my mother... She ran a small shelter in the suburbs, rescuing stray animals.
When she heard I was leaving, she immediately began searching for someone to take over.
I called to tell her to hurry, but before I could finish, someone violently knocked the phone out of my hand. Then I was shoved into another car and taken straight to Oliver's private hospital.
The moment they pinned me to the seat, a thick needle pierced my arm.
Tube after tube of blood was drawn from me until my vision blurred into darkness.
Oliver finally appeared, towering over me.
"Because of you, Czarina lost the baby."
"You secretly injured her stomach. Taking a little blood from you doesn't even begin to make up for it."
A nurse's voice trembled. "Mr. Romulo... we've drawn 600cc already."
"Continue," he ordered without a hint of mercy.
Only when the needle was finally removed was I carried into a VIP ward.