Seeing the utter defeat in her eyes, Lionel''s jaw tightened. He let out a long sigh and walked to the door.


    “Hannah, I am never going to divorce you. I only said I was unmarried at the press conference to protect you. You''ll understand why someday." His voice was thick with unspoken words. He wanted to tell her everything, but the time wasn''t right.


    Hannah turned her head away, ignoring him.


    Lionel opened his mouth to say more, but then closed it. He knew how stubborn she was. If he pushed her, she would disappear again, and this time she might run to Quennel or Yves. He sighed and left.


    That afternoon, Hannah went to the hospital alone to have her dressing changed. On her way out, she ran into Sandraing down the stairs. Hannah tried to ignore her, but Sandra rushed over and blocked her path.


    "Hannah! I heard you were in a car ident. Are you okay?"


    Hannah''s brow furrowed. She didn''t want to be alone with this woman; she knew exactly how vicious Sandra could be.


    "I heard it was Xenia. I can''t believe she would do something so stupid," Sandra said, her face a mask of feigned concern.


    Hannah''s eyes were drawn to a series of faint red marks on Sandra''s neck and corbone. They looked like love bites, not mosquito bites.


    Noticing her gaze, Sandra instinctively pulled her cor up, a shy look on her face. "So many mosquitostely. You should really use some repellent when you go out, Hannah."


    "I don''t know if it''s rted," Sandra continued with a sigh, "but my period has been all over the ce these past couple of months. It hasn''t evene this month... Oh, listen to me, getting off topic."


    She quickly steered the conversation


    back to Hannah''s injuries. But Hannah couldn''t miss the smug satisfaction in her voice, the subtle air of someone who was cherished and adored. And then there was the ne-the one Hannah had wanted for herself resting right above the red marks. Thebination felt like a deliberate, vicious p.


    Hannah snorted. "A mosquito bite can mess up your cycle? You must be seriously ill. You should get that checked out. If it''s contagious, you probably shouldn''t go into the office. But then again, with your family''s financial problems, I guess you can''t afford to miss work, can you?"


    Sandra''s smile twitched. "Well, I suppose it could be something else," she said awkwardly.


    "True," Hannah mused. "Your brother just died, your family is going bankrupt and you''re being paraded around to meet rich old men. That''s a lot of stress. It''s no wonder your cycle is off. You should worry more about yourself and less about me.”


    She stepped closer and patted Sandra''s shoulder. "I''ll be divorced in about ten days. I should get a few hundred million from the settlement. If you get desperate, you can alwayse ask me for a loan. We were colleagues, after all.”


    The position of Mrs. Rosenberg that Sandra craved so badly? Hannah was tired


    of it. The money that could solve all of Sandra''s problems? Hannah was about to get it. It was a win-win.


    Sandra''s face darkened, her jaw clenching. "I''m pregnant," she snapped.