Inside the VIP ward of Velaridge City Hospital, the sound of glass shattering echoed loudly through the corridor.

Crash—

A flower vase smashed against the wall as Lilian swept everything within reach onto the floor.

The once spotless room had become a complete mess.

"Miss Lilian, please calm down!"

The medical staff member spoke cautiously while inching forward carefully.

Two security officers stood nearby, visibly tense as they watched her.

Lilian, however, seemed completely unstable.

Wearing a loose hospital gown, she looked noticeably thinner than before. Thick bandages still covered part of her face, exposing only a portion of the deep cut along her cheek.

Although most of the bruises on her body had already healed, the wound on her face remained severe.

The doctors had already performed several procedures over the past week, but there was still no guarantee the scar would disappear completely.

And for Lilian—

That was the cruelest punishment imaginable.

Especially for someone in the entertainment industry.

The moment she woke up days ago and saw her reflection in the mirror, she nearly lost control completely.

When she caused that accident, she had believed she would finally escape everything.

The pressure.

The humiliation.

The despair.

But fate had dragged her back again—

This time with a ruined face.

"How am I supposed to live like this?!" she screamed hysterically before knocking another object to the floor.

"Call Alexander!" she yelled again, her voice sharp and unstable. "Tell him to come here right now!"

For the past few days, she had barely eaten.

She refused treatment repeatedly and constantly demanded to see Alexander.

Even the doctors were beginning to suspect she had developed severe psychological issues after the accident.

Seeing that no one moved to contact Alexander, Lilian’s frantic gaze suddenly landed on a pair of medical scissors resting on the tray nearby.

Without hesitation, she rushed forward and grabbed them.

Everyone in the room froze instantly.

Lilian pressed the scissors tightly against her wrist.

"Someone call Alexander," she threatened shakily. "Or take me to him right now."

Her breathing became uneven.

"He’s going to punish all of you for treating me like this. He won’t spare any of you!"

"Miss Lilian, please calm down," the doctor said carefully, afraid of provoking her further. "You’re going to hurt yourself."

"No!" she screamed. "If I get hurt, none of you will be able to explain it to Alexander!"

The two security officers exchanged tense glances.

One of them slowly raised both hands.

"We’ll contact Mr. Blackwood right away," he said calmly while discreetly pulling out his phone. "But first, you need to put the scissors down."

Lilian hesitated.

"Put it away first," the officer continued carefully. "Then we’ll call him for you."

After several seconds of hesitation, Lilian’s grip finally loosened slightly.

The moment she lowered the scissors—

The second security officer immediately rushed forward.

"Now!"

He grabbed her wrists forcefully before she could react.

At the same time, the medical staff quickly stepped forward with a sedative injection.

"No—!"

Before Lilian could struggle free, the needle pierced her arm.

A few moments later, her body gradually weakened.

The scissors slipped from her hand onto the floor.

Then she slowly collapsed unconscious.

The security officers quickly caught her and placed her back onto the hospital bed.

Only after confirming she was fully sedated did everyone in the room finally let out relieved breaths.

After cleaning up the shattered mess, the medical staff quietly left the room, leaving one security officer stationed outside the door.

—

The sedative was supposed to keep Lilian asleep for several hours.

But barely two hours later—

Her eyes slowly opened again.

The room was quiet.

Carefully, Lilian sat up without making a sound.

Then she quietly walked toward the door.

Outside, the two security guards were speaking softly.

"I’m hungry," one of them muttered. "I’ll go grab something for us."

The other nodded.

"Fine. Just be quick before she wakes up."

The moment one of the guards walked away, Lilian’s eyes darkened slightly.

This was her chance.

Her gaze slowly swept across the room before landing on the glass water jug sitting nearby.

Without hesitation, she grabbed it.

Then she poured the water directly onto the floor near the doorway.

A second later—

Crash!

Lilian intentionally stumbled against the bedside table, creating a loud noise.

Hearing the sound, the remaining guard immediately pushed the door open and rushed inside.

"What happened?!"

The moment he stepped into the room—

His foot slid violently against the water-covered floor.

Before he could react properly, Lilian swung the empty glass jug toward him with all her strength.

Bang!

The guard lost his balance completely and crashed heavily onto the floor.

Without wasting another second, Lilian immediately ran past him and rushed out of the room barefoot.

"Stop her!"

By the time the guard regained his senses and shouted for help, Lilian had already disappeared down the hospital corridor.

The entire VIP floor descended into chaos.

Medical staff and security officers hurriedly began searching throughout the hospital.

But by then—

Lilian was nowhere to be found.

Alexander’s POV

I returned to the master bedroom carrying Alicia’s dinner, only to find her still asleep.

Lately, afternoon naps had become one of her habits.

It had already been a week since I stepped down as CEO, and during that time, I had spent almost every day taking care of her personally.

Surprisingly...

I never got tired of it.

If anything, it felt strangely fulfilling.

I sat at the edge of the bed quietly, watching her peaceful sleeping face.

A few strands of hair had fallen across her cheek.

Just as I reached out to brush them aside, her lashes fluttered softly before her beautiful brown eyes slowly opened.

A faint smile appeared on my lips.

"Hey," I said softly. "You’re awake."

She stretched slightly before sitting up.

"How long have you been here?" she asked sleepily, noticing the untouched tray beside me. "Why didn’t you wake me?"

"You looked peaceful," I replied gently while moving the tray toward her. "I didn’t want to disturb you."

Then I added softly,

"You must be starving."

"Thanks," she mumbled quietly before immediately beginning to eat.

I sat there silently watching her.

Lately, her appetite had improved significantly.

Honestly, it worried me a little at first.

The excessive sleeping.

The sudden hunger.

I had even consulted the doctor about it alongside the pregnancy symptoms, but he assured me it was completely normal for most pregnant women.

Still...

I couldn’t help being cautious.

"Careful," I said with a small chuckle as I watched her stuff another bite into her mouth too quickly.

She ignored me completely.

Just then—

My phone rang.

The sound immediately pulled me back to reality.

Alicia glanced up at me.

I gave her a faint smile.

"Let me take this," I said softly while patting her head lightly. "Continue eating, but slowly, alright?"

She nodded obediently.

I stood up and walked out of the room before closing the door behind me.

The moment I looked at the caller ID, my expression darkened.

I had already warned them not to contact me unless it was important.

"What is it?" I asked coldly after answering.

The voice on the other side sounded panicked.

"Sir... Miss Lilian escaped this afternoon. We still haven’t found her."