Chapter 2

The next morning, Gabrielle was woken by the housekeeper, Martha Green.

Martha handed her a black card, her tone cold. "Mr. Robinson said he won't be coming home for a few days. There's more than enough in here for your expenses."

As nothing more than a contract wife, even the Robinson household staff looked at Gabrielle with barely concealed contempt.

Gabrielle didn't take the card. Instead, she turned to her closet to find clothes.

"Going somewhere?" Martha assumed she was planning to chase after Christian and gave her a mocking look. "Ms. Anderson, don't say I didn't warn you. Now that Ms. Garcia is back, you know perfectly well what she means to Mr. Robinson. If you don't want to piss him off, you'd better stay in your lane."

"I understand." Gabrielle glanced at the card in Martha's hand, her expression calm. "I won't be taking his money. Please tell Christian that I'll never ask him for another cent."

She finished dressing and headed for the door.

As she left, she heard Martha muttering behind her: "Just because she signed a marriage contract with Mr. Robinson, she actually thinks she's Mrs. Robinson?"

Gabrielle smiled faintly. She'd grown numb to the contempt from everyone around her.

Besides, she had something far more important to do today.

Matthew was being discharged from the hospital.

She and Matthew Moore had grown up together in the same orphanage, struggling side by side. Whenever she was bullied, Matthew had always been the first to defend her.

Gabrielle considered him the only family she had in this world.

Three years ago, Matthew had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder that required astronomical medical fees.

To save him, Gabrielle had approached the notoriously ruthless Christian Robinson.

She'd traded her dignity and freedom for Matthew's life.

But she'd never told Matthew about it.

She feared that if he knew, he wouldn't be able to bear the guilt and would refuse treatment.

Nothing was more important than saving his life.

To keep Matthew from discovering the truth, she'd paid the medical bills but rarely visited him at the hospital.

She could only track his progress through updates from his doctors.

Passing a flower shop, Gabrielle bought a large bouquet of sunflowers. As she entered the hospital building, she spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

Matthew looked thinner than before, but his spirits seemed good.

He wore a white T-shirt and jeans, his posture straight, his features no longer shadowed by illness. He'd regained his former sunny, handsome appearance.

Gabrielle's heart raced with excitement. Her eyes grew moist without her realizing it.

Seeing Matthew healthy again, she felt that everything she'd sacrificed had been worth it.

She was about to approach when her footsteps froze.

A girl in a pink sundress, also carrying a bouquet of sunflowers, ran up to Matthew. She stood on her tiptoes and planted an affectionate kiss on his cheek.

"Matthew, congratulations on getting discharged!" The girl's voice was sweet, her features delicate and pretty.

Matthew didn't pull away. Instead, he slipped his arm around her waist, his lips curving into a roguish smile. "What's this? Did you miss me that much? You even made a special trip to pick me up."

"Of course! Today's your new lease on life! How could I not be here?" The girl playfully tugged on his arm, then her gaze shifted, landing on Gabrielle in the distance.

Seeing Gabrielle frozen in place, clutching her own bouquet of sunflowers with a stunned expression, the girl's eyes flashed with suspicion and wariness. She pressed closer against Matthew. "Matthew, who's that? Is she here to pick you up too?"

Matthew's gaze fell on Gabrielle.

He looked at her the way one might look at a complete stranger.

Those eyes that had once held such warmth for her now contained only coldness and disdain.

Matthew's lips parted slightly as he told the girl in his arms, "No idea who she is."

Gabrielle's heart clenched violently, the pain stealing her breath.

This was the boy who'd shared his only piece of bread with her at the orphanage while he went hungry. The teenager who'd fought until he was bloodied to protect her from bullies. The young man who'd held her when she was returned by her adoptive family, promising, "It's okay. I'll take care of you from now on."

Now he claimed not to know her.

Gabrielle felt the world spin. She staggered backward, nearly falling.

She watched as Matthew, his arm still around the girl, walked past her.

From start to finish, he never looked at her again.

Overwhelming grief crashed over Gabrielle.

She'd thought that sacrificing everything would at least earn Matthew's health and understanding.

But in the end, to Christian, she was just a disposable stand-in.

And to Matthew, she'd become a stranger.

She had nothing left.

Gabrielle turned stiffly and walked away, her soul hollowed out.

She didn't see that the moment she turned her back, Matthew's arm around the girl tightened until his knuckles turned white.

"Matthew, what's wrong?" The girl noticed his tension and asked with concern.

"Nothing." Matthew's answer was perfunctory, though pain and resentment churned in the depths of his eyes.

Gabrielle had barely reached the street corner when a sharp, stabbing pain tore through her lower abdomen.

She doubled over, her forehead instantly beading with cold sweat.

Thinking of the baby inside her, she didn't dare delay a single minute. Fighting through the pain, she rushed to the hospital.

After a series of emergency tests, the doctor's expression turned grave.

"Ms. Anderson, your situation isn't good." The doctor's voice was somber. "Your gestational sac has implanted abnormally. There's a very high risk of ectopic pregnancy. I strongly recommend scheduling a termination procedure as soon as possible."

Termination?

Gabrielle's mind went blank.

Her hand instinctively covered her abdomen. She couldn't accept it—her baby leaving her before it was even born.

"Isn't there any other option?" Gabrielle's voice was hoarse.

The doctor shook her head with a sigh. "The treatment risks are too high. I don't recommend gambling with your life. Go home and discuss it with your husband. You're still young—you can have other children."

Bitterness flooded Gabrielle's heart. She'd likely never have another chance to have Christian's child.

Even after leaving the exam room, Gabrielle remained in a daze.

She'd wanted to keep this baby as the only connection she'd ever have with Christian.

But was God truly so cruel as to deny her even this small comfort?

Gabrielle steadied herself against the wall, moving forward with unsteady steps. When she looked up, she found herself facing a VIP hospital room whose door had just opened.

Christian emerged, carefully supporting Evelyn.

Evelyn's face was pale, making her look pitifully fragile. She leaned weakly against Christian, murmuring something to him.

Christian's head was bent toward her, his hand protectively positioned at the small of her back, every movement radiating tender care.

"Christian..." Evelyn's voice was as delicate as her appearance. "Do you think I'm useless? My health is so poor... I probably won't even be able to have children in the future."