"It’s me," Lilian said quietly.

Silence followed.

Then the man finally spoke, his tone cold.

"What do you want?"

"Alexander is going to send me away."

"I warned you,when you first returned."

"I need your help."

A faint scoff came from the other end.

"Why should I help you now?"

Lilian’s expression darkened. "Don’t you dare forget what happened back then."

"When I told you to leave the country, you used that same threat, and what happened then?" Daniel replied casually. "Or have you forgotten what happened back then already?"

Lilian stiffened instantly.

Just the memory alone was enough to make her body go cold.

Back then, after threatening him the same way, she had been kidnapped and assaulted because of him.

Beep—

The line disconnected.

Daniel Caldwell had hung up on her.

Frustrated, Lilian threw the phone onto the bed before collapsing back weakly, exhaustion and despair swallowing her whole.

She slowly closed her eyes.

Memories from her university days with Alexander resurfaced in her mind.

He had always been cold and distant.

She had chased after him for a long time before he finally agreed to give their relationship a chance.

Even then, he never truly acted like someone in love. He was always focused on his studies, moving between classrooms and libraries while she was the one constantly trying to maintain the relationship.

It had been exhausting.

Yet strangely... fulfilling.

But now that she thought about it carefully, perhaps she had never truly loved him back then.

What she loved wasn’t Alexander’s cold personality.

It was the rare warmth hidden beneath it.

And during that period...

She had fallen deeply in love with Daniel—the gentle, affectionate man who had slowly pushed her into becoming who she was today.

If she hadn’t listened to him back then, perhaps she really would have become Alexander’s wife by now.

Only now did she finally understand.

The cold Alexander was actually capable of deep devotion. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

She had only realized that after seeing the way he treated Alicia.

And the warm, gentle man she once believed loved her...

Was actually the cruelest person of them all.

Just as Lilian was lost in thought, the hospital room door suddenly opened.

Several formally dressed men entered—the same men Alexander had stationed outside her room these past few days.

"Ma’am," one of them said respectfully as he stepped forward. "Mr. Blackwood has ordered us to accompany you to the airport. Everything you’ll need has already been prepared."

Lilian froze.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "No... I’m still recovering. Why would Alexander suddenly send you to take me away?"

"Ma’am, please cooperate," the man replied calmly. "Mr. Blackwood has given us permission to use force if necessary."

Lilian instinctively stepped backward.

The men slowly approached.

Crash!

A glass cup from the nearby table slammed against the floor, shattering into pieces.

The room instantly descended into chaos.

When one of the men tried to restrain her after she attempted to throw something at him, Lilian struggled violently. Another man quickly stepped forward to hold her other arm.

"Let go of me!" she screamed.

Two men attempted to drag her toward the door, but Lilian desperately clung to the hospital bed, refusing to release her grip.

Hearing the commotion, a medical staff member hurried into the room—only to freeze at the doorway after realizing what was happening.

In the neighboring VIP rooms, occupied by wealthy and influential patients who understood how the world truly worked, no one interfered.

One after another, doors quietly closed.

"Let go of me! I need to call Alexander!" Lilian shouted hysterically.

"It was Alexander who sent us," one of the men replied impatiently. "Calling him won’t change anything. You should stop resisting and come with us."

"No!" Lilian cried. "I want to hear it from him myself! I’m not leaving unless he says it directly!"

Her breathing became uneven as she pointed toward the window with trembling fingers.

"If any of you touch me again, I’ll jump!"

The men exchanged glances.

Finally, one of them sighed heavily.

"Fine. Call him. But when you’re done, you’re still coming with us." His expression turned cold. "And if you’re not afraid of dying, then jump."

The man loosened his grip.

Lilian immediately grabbed her phone from the bed and frantically dialed Alexander’s number.

The moment the call connected, tears spilled down her face.

"Alexander..." she sobbed desperately. "They’re trying to take me away. Please... please come save me."

"It was my order."

His calm voice shattered the last trace of hope inside her.

"There’s no way for you to stay here anymore," Alexander continued coldly. "Lucas’s arrest hasn’t reached the media yet, but once it does, you already know the consequences."

Lilian’s body stiffened.

If the news broke that her brother had been arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder—and that the victim was Alicia Sinclair, Alexander Blackwood’s wife—

Then her reputation would be completely destroyed.

Especially now that the public already viewed her as the mistress.

Her career was already ruined.

Leaving the country was the only option left.

But Lilian had never expected Alexander to act again this quickly.

"No..." she whispered before her emotions completely collapsed. "I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave you, Alexander."

Her voice trembled violently.

"I love you... Please... will you come see me?"

There was silence on the other end for a brief moment.

Then Alexander spoke.

"We don’t need to meet again."

The call disconnected.

Lilian slowly lowered the phone, a bitter, hopeless smile spreading across her face.

Once upon a time, Alexander had protected her.

Favored her.

Indulged her.

But she had never cherished him.

Back then, her eyes had only been fixed on someone else.

And now...

She had nothing left.

"Let’s go," one of the men said firmly as he pulled her up from the floor. "Stop resisting."

This time, Lilian didn’t struggle.

She quietly followed them out of the hospital room and into the waiting car.

Throughout the ride, she sat silently in the backseat, staring blankly out the window.

The men beside her gradually lowered their guard after noticing she had calmed down.

Outside, traffic moved steadily along the wide highway.

A heavily loaded semi-truck approached from the opposite direction.

And just as the vehicles were about to pass each other—

Lilian suddenly lunged forward from the backseat and grabbed the steering wheel.

"Watch out!"

The driver lost control instantly.

The car swerved violently across the road.

Bang!