《Two Brides, One Tragic Twist》 Chapter 1 My best friend and I married into the Suthend family at the same time, and we even conceived at almost the same time. I married the older son, who was an expert surgeon, while she married his younger brother, who was the most handsome police officer around. On our first wedding anniversary, I got into a severe car crash on our way back from collecting our prenatal checkup reports at the hospital. My best friend dodged the bullet because she was buying us milk tea. However, I bled profusely from my lower body and ended up lying in a pool of blood at the scene, my face pale with fright. Trembling, I took out my phone and called my husband for help, but he rejected my call three times before finally answering it. His tone was full of impatience as he snapped, "Can you stop making trouble out of nothing? Weren''t you just fine when you had your prenatal checkup just a while ago? Medical resources aren''t yours to waste! "Hannie cut her hand while changing out a water pipe at home. I still have to bandage it for her, so don''t bother me!" In the end, it was my best friend, who was returning with milk teas in hand, who saved my life. She called her husband right there in the street, crying and demanding that the perpetrator pay with his life. Instead, she was met with a cold reprimand. "Do you know the consequences of making a false police report? I still need to help Hannie switch out her water pipe, so stop wasting my time already!" The passersby who had gathered around to look were so frightened by my terrible state that they did not dare toe forward. My best friend, who was eight months pregnant, dragged me to the hospital by herself walking the entire three miles there. As a result, she also lost her unborn child. She even volunteered for the blood transfusion I needed after her own surgery. After opening my eyes, I gazed at her pale face. The two of us exchanged looks and smiled bitterly at each other. "I want to file for divorce, Iris," I told her. "Me too," she replied. After I woke up and made up my mind, I immediately sent my husband, Jack Suthend, a message informing him that I was going to divorce him. As a result, he actually called me back, a stark contrast to when I had needed to call him three times before he picked up on the day of the ident. When I answered the call, his furious curses sounded in my ears. "Are you going to divorce me just because I didn''t condone your nonsense, Yvonne Jandor? The child was still fine in the morning, so how did you have a miscarriage after I hung up the phone? Are you trying to y me for a fool? "I go to work every day to save lives, not to y house with you! It''s just a coincidence that my patient today happens to be Hannie! "Can you learn somemon sense? She identally cut her wrist, which may end up bleeding profusely if proper measures aren''t taken! There''s a life on the line! "My child and the subject of divorce aren''t bargaining chips for you to threaten me with, either! Stop ying the spurned wife and trying to gain my favor through despicable means!" As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately hung up the phone without waiting for me to speak. The hand in which I was holding my phone was still connected to an IV drip. At the moment, it was sagging weakly next to my ear. We had been in love for three years and married for one. We even had a baby that had almost been born. I never expected all of it to be ruined at the hands of his first love, Hannah Chandler! When we met by chance at the hospital, she told me that she would call a taxi for me, seeing as it was inconvenient for me to get around while pregnant. I had not thought much of it and even thanked her for her kindness. However, the taxi that had been driving smoothly suddenly made a sharp turn, causing me, in the back seat, to be hit head-on by an oing truck. The driver, who suffered some superficial injuries, abandoned his car on the spot and fled the scene, leaving me lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the road. I had never been so scared before. I was afraid of death but even more fearful of losing my child. I finally managed to call my husband, crying and trembling, but he hung up on me three times. In the past, he would answer my calls even while working because he knew that I was pregnant and would fear that something had happened to me. However, when something really happened to me that day, all I received was a cold text message that said, "I''m working at the clinic, so don''t bother me." Before I left the hospital, I nced at the screen disying a list of registered patients, so I naturally knew that his current patient was Hannah. As tears blurred my vision, I called him again, unwilling to leave things as they were. He finally answered my call. I could feel the cramps and soul-crushing paining from my abdomen, barely had the strength left to speak. "I got into a car crash at the intersection just outside of the hospital, dear... Pleasee save me quickly. Our child can''t hold on much longer..." As I spoke, I could even feel blood gushing out of my body. There was no response from the other end for quite a while, but I could faintly hear Hannah''s coquettishughter through the phone. The ten seconds I waited felt as long as a century. Jack finally said, "I still have to help Hannie bandage her wound. It''s my duty as a doctor to save lives and treat wounds, so can you please stop causing trouble for no reason?" He hung up immediately after he finished speaking. It was as though he were terrified of me bothering him. Since when did something as trivial as bandaging a cut require the personal attention of a surgeon? The severe pain my body was in seemed to numb, and a bitter smile appeared on my face. Tears slid down my face and mixed in with the blood on the ground. The moment I lost the will to live, my best friend, Iris Sharlow, dropped her milk tea and ran to me. She nced at Jack''s message disyed on my phone and immediately sent him a voice message cursing him out. "A person like you doesn''t deserve to be a father! Fuck you! I hope you and your bitch of a first love stay together for the rest of your lives! Don''t you ever appear in front of Yvie again!" My best friend saved me, but she lost her own child because of that. Chapter 2 At the moment, Iris was sitting beside my hospital bed. She had just undergone surgery and had not even properly recovered from it yet. Her face was pale with fright, and her lips were trembling. Her tears fell onto my hand as self-me overwhelmed her. "I''m sorry," she said remorsefully. "If only I hadn''t been such a glutton... It''s all my fault. I should have been with you." She felt sorry for me, but my heart ached for her even more. Just as I was about to speak, her policeman husband, Harvey Suthend, called to interrogate her. "Did you yell at my brother just now? What the heck is wrong with you? As a doctor, it''s not like he can choose his patients! Can you stop letting that brainless best friend of yours brainwash you? "You''re both even iming that you had a miscarriage-howughable! Do you know how far along your pregnancies are? You''re still trying to fake a miscarriage like others do when the two of you probably wouldn''t suffer one even if you ran an 800-meter race right now! "If not for the fact that I''m currently busy helping Hannie switch out her water pipe, I would''ve gone over to teach you two a lesson in person! Divorce isn''t something you can just casually bring up! If you want a divorce, then fine! We''ll see who chickens out first!" He abruptly hung up the call. Iris stared at her phone screen for a long time, lost in a daze. I looked at her frail appearance and said, "Forget it. Perhaps the gods felt that we were not suited to be married to each other. You just went through inducedbor and even gave me so much blood. You should get a good rest. Your health is what''s important right now." Tears slid down her face, soaking into the hospital gown she was wearing. The two of us hugged each other and cried, our suppressed emotions finally reaching breaking point. Our insistence on clinging onto our love seemed to have turned into a sharp arrow that pierced straight through our hearts. If I thought about it carefully, this oue had been determined since we decided to marry the Suthend brothers. Jack had specifically chosen to hold our wedding on Hannah''s birthday. His sullen displeasure had been evident. Even our marriage to Jack and Harvey had been a bargaining chip they used to try and provoke Hannah into returning to them, so who were they to speak of sincerity now? It was also absurd that Iris and I allowed them to pull the wool over our eyes. We actually believed that Hannah was nothing but an ordinary childhood friend to them. We even obediently did as they asked when posting our wedding photos on Facebook, making sure that only Hannah could see them. We had been in the same hospital as Jack since the ident, but he was unwilling to even spare the effort to look us up in the hospital''s registration system and verify our ims. If his trust were weighed on a scale, it would be so obviously tilted in favor of Hannah. Perhaps in his eyes, I had never been worth the effort. However, I understood that reasoning far toote, and the price I had paid for it was too great. Iy on my hospital bed, scrolling through my Facebook timeline. As expected, Hannah had posted on her Facebook again, showing off her victory like a gold medalist. She had posted a photo of her, Jack, and Harvey, followed by a photo of an intact water pipe and a wrist carefully wrapped with gauze tied into a bow. The caption read, "Thank you, my childhood friends! Friendship truly does oust love! It''s another addition to my special memories!" I took a deep breath, then turned and motioned for Iris to take a look at the post, too. She took out her phone. Two minutester, sheughed scornfully. "I''m surprised that they don''t find a romantic rtionship between three people stifling," shemented. "What a special memory indeed." "After we divorce them, they''ll probably have to have their bed custom-made, won''t they?" I added. Not only did Hannah post the photos on Facebook, but she also posted the same update on other social media tforms. Thement sections were full of people drooling with envy. "I''d be on cloud nine if I had even one childhood friend like that, but you actually have two!" "Please teach me how to be born into a life like yours! I''ve never done anything bad, so I''d like to be reborn into a great life like that next time, please!" As I read through all thements, I felt a dull ache in my heart, but I could not find my voice. After a while, I finally said, "It has nothing to do with us anymore. I''ll find awyer to draw up the divorce agreement right now." I had a copy of the agreement printed out and delivered to the hospital, then asked a nurse to help me bring it to Jack''s office. I then sent another copy to Harvey''s department on Iris'' behalf. The delivery status showed that Jack and Harvey had both received their deliveries, but we did not hear anything from them for a whole day after that. I never thought that after four years of being in a rtionship, we would not even receive a reply for wanting to break up. The bitterness in my heart grew as the sky gradually darkened. I was the first to lose my patience and call Jack. He seemed to be busy, as the phone rang for a long time before he finally answered the call. Before I could speak, he asked impatiently, "What is it? How dare you call me when I haven''t even settled the previous score with you? Why did you send a divorce agreement to my office? Are you trying to make sure the entire world knows that you''re jealous and making a mountain out of a molehill?" I sighed again when I heard this. I had asked a nurse to help me deliver the agreement. If he had just asked her about my situation, he would have known that I was hospitalized due to having gone through surge Just as I was about to talk about the divorce, I heard Hannah''s coquettish voiceing through the receiver. "The lipstick you gave mest time was so pretty, Jack! I like it very much. Can you give me another one?" He hurriedly put his hand over the receiver. I sneered coldly. "No wonder you haven''t even had the time to sign the divorce agreement. It turns out that you were busy. I won''t disturb you then." Just as I was about to hang up, he anxiously said, "You''re not letting this go, are you? I was just afraid that you''d overthink it! Harvey''s here, too! "He was helping Hannie fix her water pipe, remember? She just invited us to her house for dinner to thank us for our help. Are you done being constantly paranoid? "Hannah lives alone, but she''s still capable of changing a water pipe on her own. On the other hand, why are you calling me for every little thing? I''m already exhausted from work every day, so can you be a bit more mature? "Now you''re requesting for a divorce, and you''ve even gotten your best friend involved! How exactly has my brother even offended you?" The more Jack spoke, the more intense he became, and his voice also took on an angry tone. At that moment, Hannahughed and saidfortingly, "Don''t be angry anymore. Women can be emotionally sensitive due to hormones from pregnancy. I''m independent precisely because I have nobody to rely on. Otherwise, I''d also have liked to be a pampered maiden!" Her gentle voice sounded grating to my ears. However, Jack did not seem to consider my feelings at all. He gently told her, "Send me a message the next time you encounter any problems, and I''ll rush over as soon as possible. We''ve known each other for such a long time, so don''t let the opinions of outsiders affect you!" When I heard him say this, tears poured from my eyes, and I immediately hung up the call. I never thought that after being together for four years and almost giving birth to his child, I would be nothing but an outsider in his eyes! The self-mockery in my heart overwhelmed my reason. I covered my mouth and cried bitterly. Iris noticed that I wasn''t feeling good and hurriedly eximed, "Don''t waste your tears on scum like that! I''ve already sent Harvey a message saying that I''m divorcing him as soon as I''m almost recovered!" Chapter 3 Iris and I were hospitalized for two weeks, but we did not once receive a call from Jack or Harvey. Nobody sent any messages asking where the two of us pregnant women were or why we were not going home. Our already broken hearts sank again and again in the face of their indifferent attitudes. It wasn''t until I saw Hannah''s new Facebook post that I finally knew why. She had posted dozens of photos of her, Jack, and Harvey. They looked so happy together, and the smiles on their faces were a stark contrast to our misery. The caption read, "Always remember that we''re family in all but blood!" I felt nothing as I gazed at Jack''s smiling face in the photo. Instead, I calmly sent him a message. "I''ve been discharged from the hospital. See you in court tomorrow! Bring Harvey along." He immediately called me in response, but I rejected the call and blocked his number. Iris and I went through the discharge procedures together, after which we finally had the time to report the hit-and-run driver to the police station. After briefly exining the events that had urred that day to the policeman, he frowned deeply and said, "It''s been two weeks since then. Why are you only reporting this to the police now? I''m afraid that it''s not going to be easy to look into the case anymore." I could only nod and beg them to help with a smile on my face. We exined that our husbands had run off with their lovers, and Iris had also suffered a miscarriage because she tried to save me. Therefore, we were only able to report the incident that day because nobody else was avable to help report it. The policeman looked incredibly guilty after listening to our exnation. "I understand now. We''ll do our best." After leaving the police station, Iris and I moved into the house we used to live in together before we married. We were both extremely weak, so we could only pay a housekeeping service to do some simple cleaning for us. However, I did not expect Jack to call me using Harvey''s phone after I had blocked his number. I could tell that he was furious from his tone. "Where have you gone? Why is the house in such a mess? What''s a pregnant woman like you doing running around outside instead of staying at home? "Is two weeks not enough time for you to calm down? How long will you keep up this farce? Even if you''re angry, don''t drag Iris into this! She and Harvey have no quarrel with each other, but you''ve convinced her to get a divorce as well! "Why are you such a vicious woman? Can you not stand others living good lives just because you''re not doing well yourself?" Iris, who was next to me, heard everything. She was so angry that she snatched my phone from me and yelled, "You''re a family of scumbags! We''d be shooting ourselves in the foot if we didn''t divorce the two of you! "Tell Harvey that he''s my bitch if he doesn''t show up at the courthouse tomorrow! I''m seeing this divorce through no matter what! Don''t worry because Yvie and I will make sure that the defendant''s seat is open and waiting for you!" She hung up immediately after saying her piece, after which the two of us blocked Jack''s and Harvey''s numbers. Early the next morning, we rushed to the entrance of the courthouse to wait for them. We did not expect to encounter Hannah first. Her eyes were red and watery with tears. She walked up to us in her high heels and said aggrievedly, "I''m sorry. I''m here to apologize on Jack and Harvey''s behalf. I know you''ve misunderstood, but the truth is not what you think. "The vacation just was a promise we made to each other five years ago that we only now got around to fulfilling because I wasn''t around et before I asked them to inform the two of you about it before leaving. I didn''t expect them not to send you a message about it..." Even then, she kept unting their long history and the memories only they shared. Iris'' grip on my hand grew tighter and tighter. I snorted coldly before saying mockingly, "Really? Have you approved of our divorce today then? Do we have your permission, or are you perhaps here to carry out the divorce procedures on their behalf?" Hannah''s phone vibrated faintly. Something shed in her eyes, after which she immediately leaped toward us. Startled, I instinctively reached out to push her away. She fell butt first to the ground. Her palms started bleeding from scraping against the ground. I was about to help her up, suspicion written all over my face, when Jack''s familiar angry bellow rang out in the distance. "What the hell are you doing, Yvonne? Stop!" Before I could get a good look at him, he had already rushed in front of me and shoved me hard. I stumbled into Iris, who was standing behind me. Only then did Jack notice my t stomach, and the color instantly drained from his face. He asked shakily, "Where''s the child?" Harvey was walking over toward us while talking on the phone, so he wasn''t paying attention to what was going on in front of him. "This isn''t going to work. I don''t have 1.n time today," he said urgently. "The station called saying that someone reported a traffic ident that happened two weeks ago, and they suspect foul y! I have to go back and investigate the case!" As soon as he finished speaking, he finally got a good look at the slender silhouettes of me and Iris, and he froze in ce. His phone slipped out of his hands and ttered to the ground, its screen fracturing into pieces. "What''s going on?" he asked faintly. "What happened, honey?" Chapter 4 Gazing at Jack''s and Harvey''s panic-stricken faces, I said coldly, "As you can see, thanks to the three of you, we''ve lost our babies. Let''s get divorced. There''s no need for any more words." Jack stared at me with wide eyes, disbelief written all over his face. When he finally processed what I had said, he exploded with rage. "Yvonne! That was my child! Why did you get an abortion without my knowledge? "What right did you have? Who do you think you are? "Are you fucking crazy? Do you know that what you did makes you a murderer? You''re a murderer!" As I looked frostily at Hannah, who was hiding in his embrace, I could not help but sneer. "I lost my own child due to a car crash, but you call me a murderer. Do I have to die with the child before I can be considered a qualified wife? "Are you really concerned about the child, Jack? Why aren''t you asking me who caused me to get into that ident? I hope you''ll still be able to say such things when the truthes to light!" Panic shed across Hannah''s face when she heard this, but Harvey interrupted her just as she was about to speak. "A car crash? What''s going on? Did the car crash that you mentioned the other day actually happen? "What about my son, then? Weren''t you fine that day?" Iris'' eyes instantly reddened upon hearing his ignorant questions. A secondter, she screamed angrily at him, "Shut up! Do you have a brain in that head of yours? Why would you even think that a woman would joke about their own child''s life? You havepletely disappointed me, Harvey Suthend! "You''re not worthy of being a father at all! I''m just d that my child wasn''t born into a family like yours! After we get divorced today, I never want to see you again!" She scolded Harvey vehemently. This was the first time in four years that the two of them had squabbled this intensely. Harvey''s expression was stiff, and there was anger in his eyes from the humiliation he was suffering. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? What exactly happened? Were you involved in a car crash as well? Has the driver been found?" His tone was getting more and more anxious. It was only now that he realized the severity of the situation. But unfortunately for him, it was toote. Iris smiled coldly, and her voice becamepletely emotionless "You didn''t show up when I called you back then, so you also don''t have to show up in front of me ever again!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Jack finally recalled the four phone calls I had made to him on the day of the incident, and his expression started to crumble. He tentatively asked me, "Were you really calling me to ask for help that day? Did you really lose the child because of the car crash?" Seeing my icy expression at his questions, he shoved Hannah aside. She waspletely stunned. This was the first time Jack had ever slighted her. I nced at her and said mockingly, "Who do you think reported the incident to the police?" Jack and Harvey did not think much of it at this time. The surprise vanished from Hannah''s face, leaving only panic and a guilty smile. She spoke up, trying to justify the offending driver''s actions. "Maybe the driver was drunk. He probably didn''t even know that he had hit someone. Truck drivers these days are too much! I was also almost run over several times..." In the past, Jack and Harvey would rush tofort Hannah when she said something like this, and they would remind her to be mindful when crossing the road next time. However, despite a long silence, neither of them said a single word this time. They both hadplicated expressions on their faces, guilt and regret warring in their eyes. I sneered coldly at her panicked expression. I wondered if she was making excuses for the driver or for the things she had done. When I spoke, my voice was frigid. "I didn''t say it was a truck, so how did you know that?" This time, Hannah descended into full-on panic. Chapter 5 I noticed that even Hannah''s jaw was beginning to tremble, and she had broken out into a cold sweat. However, the perpetrator had not yet been found, so I did not want to waste time scaring her. Instead, I simply asked Jack and Harvey to follow me into the courthouse to go through the divorce procedures. As soon as I said that, the color drained from Jack''s face. He hemmed and hawed for a while but ultimately did not manage to get a single word out. He didn''t even move from his spot. He nced at Harvey, who immediately understood what he was trying to convey and said, "I''m going to look into the reported case. From what my colleagues told me, the person who made the report was very anxious." He then turned to Iris and hesitantly asked, "Can I exin myself to you after I get back from work? Please wait patiently for me at home, honey. Divorce isn''t a trivial matter, and I really do have a case I need to handle at my workce right now. So let''s find another time to discuss this after I return." With that, he turned around without giving Iris any chance to refuse, but I stopped him before he could take more than a few steps away. "I was the one who made the report," I revealed, lowering my head and taking the police report form out of my bag to show to him. "The case can wait, soplete the divorce procedure first." Harvey''s expression changed when he saw the form in my hand. "Are you saying that the car crash you were in was a result of attempted murder, Yvonne? What exactly is going on?" Jack''s expression turned solemn as well. He frowned heavily and warned, "I know you feel bad about losing the child, but Harvey is busy with actual work at the station, so stop causing trouble. The consequences of making a false report aren''t something you can handle!" Even now, he still thought that I was stirring things up out of jealousy. I smiled mockingly and asked, "Who do you think you are? Would I need to forge a police report form just to deceive you? Aren''t you thinking too highly of yourself? I want to divorce you right now, not coax you into buying me gifts. "Can you notprehend the situation, or do you just not understand human speech? I''m in a hurry to get divorced, understand?" My words pushed him over the edge. He nced sharply at Harvey, wanting to hear confirmation from him that the police report form was forged. However, Harvey shook his head at him. "It''s genuine. That''s a police report form from our station with my colleague''s handwriting on it." Jack''s eyes simmered with anger at being publicly humiliated, but he stubbornly continued to argue. He snorted coldly and said to me, "I can understand that you feel bad about losing the child, but divorce is no small matter. If it''s a child you want, there''ll be plenty of chances to have another one in the future. "However, if we get divorced, you can forget about ever getting back together with me! I''m a man who never looks back. "I can indulge some of your whims, but I have my limits. It doesn''t mean that you can threaten me with divorce! "You''re already an adult, so you should know that idents happen all the time! How many idents do you think happen every day? Even if I had managed to arrive on time that day, do you think I''d have been able to save the child''s life? Can you please be more rational? "It''s not like I wanted the ident to happen either, so why do you me everything on me? Furthermore, you''re even causing Harvey to get divorced too!" After he was done with his habitual usatory speech, Hannah smiled smugly. I was so angry that my chest heaved violently. I did not think that even up until this moment, hecked the courage even to admit his own mistakes! This was the man I had loved for four years! How could a human be this heartless? Iris beat me to the punch and started yelling at him first. "Yes, the child is gone because of you! You and your first lovepletely deserve the me! Two scumbags and a scheming bitch-the three of you really disgust me! "Didn''t I already tell you? Whoever refuses to get divorced today is the other person''s bitch! Are you saying that you want to be my bitch? Well, your owner here doesn''t even want you!" Her words seeded in angering both Jack and Harvey. Harvey immediately rushed into the courthouse with the divorce documents in hand. As he passed us, he snapped, "What right do you have to criticize Jack? Fine! If it''s a divorce you want, it''s a divorce you''ll get! I''ve already put up with you two for a very long time!" Half an hourter, as Iris and I held our divorce certificates in hand, we felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from us. We stood outside the courthouse, looked at the sky, and sighed lengthily. We nned to visit the shopping mall together and use the funds we had been allocated through the divorce settlement to go on a shopping spree to let off some steam. After Harvey exited the courthouse, he immediately returned to the police station to investigate the case. Hannah wanted to follow him, pretending that she was concerned about his state of mind, but Jack insisted on sending her home to rest. He said that he felt bad for her because she was tired from their trip. I could clearly see the panic and nervousness in her eyes. I sneered inwardly. However, Iris saw my cold expression and assumed that I was upset. She hurried tofort me. "It''s alright. Once the police check the surveince feeds and discover that she''s the real culprit, we''ll see how she''ll keep up the act!" Her words warmed my heart. I pulled her along to hail a taxi and head to the mall, where we shopped until we could not walk anymore before returning home with our hands full of shopping bags. As Iy on the couch, I was filled with emotion. Women truly were a wondrous species. We were physically weak but could lift shopping bags that weighed dozens of pounds. Human psychology really did have a regting effect on the body. When I looked at the pile of new clothes on the floor, it felt like I was no longer so mentally exhausted. Fortunately, my body had not changed too much from my pregnancy. If I maintained my figure now, I could quickly return to how it looked in my prime. Before I couldpletely rx, I received a call from the police station. Upon answering the call, I heard Harvey''s voice from the other end of the line. I looked up at Iris, who rolled her eyes forcefully and retreated to her bedroom. "The surveince camera at the intersection just outside the hospital happened to be broken on the day of the incident," said Harvey. "We really can''t find any clues. Can you recall any other details about the incident? Think about it." I immediately realized that something was amiss. How could such a coincidence have happened? The day I picked up my report at the hospital was the same day the surveince camera happened to be broken, and I ended up in a car crash. The truth behind the incident might be far more frightening than expected! With that thought, I directly asked Harvey, "Is there anyone else who knew about the surveince camera being broken?" He was briefly silent before replying, "Only the hospital staff should know about it. remember them saying that they were afraid of patients'' families making a fuss over it, so they requested that any repairs to the surveince cameras be done at night when nobody was around. "Logically speaking, it''s even more unlikely that they would publicly announce it..." I pondered the implications of his words. Only the hospital staff knew about it... It was not impossible for Hannah to obtain information from Jack through the clever maniption of their conversation. He had never been guarded against her anyway. I proceeded to recall the scene of the incident carefully. I barely managed to recall the license te number of the truck that had rammed into the taxi and recited it to Harvey, telling him to look into it. I originally thought that by managing to recall the truck''s license te number, I had already served the answer to Harvey on a silver tter. However, as an entire day went by, the unease in my heart grew stronger. As expected, I received a call from himter that night. He informed me that the driver in question had resigned a few days ago. I had exhausted my patience and could no longer suppress my emotions. My veins throbbed in my forehead as I exploded in anger. I roared into the phone, "He resigned, but he didn''t disappear off the face of the world! Can''t you find him? Aren''t you a police officer? "Are you guys investigating the case or making excuses for the perpetrator? Believe me when I say that I''m perfectly willing to file aint to your superiors!" Chapter 6 Harvey had obviously never seen me angry before, and it left him stunned for a long while. In his eyes, I had always been the docile sister-inw of the family, and I behaved even more meekly in Jack''s presence. He had never known the real me. The way I behaved before had just been an act I put on in order to please Jack. Now that I thought about it, Jack had probably long seen me as Hannah''s substitute while I remained oblivious to it. It wasn''t until I had wasted years of my most precious youth and lost my child that I finally came to my senses. Perhaps in their eyes, our rtionship over the past four years had been wonderful and not worth having a falling-out over. That was only because they always reaped the benefits without making any concessions. After I finished yelling at Harvey, Iris poked her head out of her bedroom and gave me a thumbs up. My anger vanished instantly. Fearing that Harvey would notice, I quickly hung up the call. Unfortunately, I did not sleep well at all that night. I finally drifted into a deep sleep at sunrise, only to be woken by a call from Harvey. I answered the call irritably to hear him say that the police had already found the truck driver who hit me that day. My drowsiness disappeared the instant I heard that, and I sat upright in my bed in excitement. I scrambled to get Iris. We quickly washed up, then hurried to the police station. The truck driver confessed on the spot that someone had paid him arge sum of money to do it. The only condition that person had given him was to drive past the hospital entrance on time on the day of the incident. He imed that he was unaware of anything else. The route he took past the hospital had been predetermined by thepany he worked for. So, he had not even needed to go out of his way to do anything. He had only hesitated for two seconds before agreeing. He imed that he had been driving properly that day and had no idea why the taxi ahead of him would suddenly make a sharp turn. His truck had collided directly with the back of the vehicle, and the trunk of the taxi had beenpletely crushed. He had narrowly missed hitting me in my seat. Remembering the mystery person''s request not to slow down or brake no matter what happened, the driver had left the scene against his better judgement. Tears streamed down his face as he clutched his head, breaking down while pleading his innocence. Although the ident had not been his responsibility, he had still been so scared that he promptly resigned and did not dare leave his house after that day. He said that he had been trapped in horrifying nightmares every night since then and had not enjoyed a good sleep in a very long time. When he closed his eyes, he would see me lying in a pool of blood. He had actually felt relieved when the police showed up at his doorstep. As soon as he finished speaking, Harvey turned to me and asked, "Can you contact the taxi driver from that day? It seems that the only doubt lies with him now." We had finally gotten to this point. I smiled. "Of course. However, Hannah was the one who called for the taxi, so you''ll probably need to ask her for the driver''s contact details." The testimony of an outsider was clearly more credible than mine. Harvey did not seem to have expected that Hannah was the one who called the taxi. He had been growing suspicious since I told him that. Naturally, he knew that Hannah would check into the hospital that day because he was the one who had sent her there. He had only gone to buyponents to fix the water pipe after dropping her off at the hospital. However, he had not expected us to cross paths. After all, the gynecology and surgery departments were not located in the same building. Even more unexpected was the fact that she would hail a taxi on my behalf because, in her eyes, I was the thief who had stolen Jack''s love. Harvey smoked half a pack of cigarettes in annoyance. He could not seem to wrap his head around the situation. His thoughts were an absolute mess. After hesitating for some time, he took out his personal phone and called Hannah. The phone rang several times, but nobody answered the call. Chapter 7 Harvey subconsciously ruled out any and all suspicion toward Hannah on ount of their rtionship as childhood friends and the fact that she had been his crush for many years. However, his movements grew increasingly impatient. Iris and I watched him mockingly as he ruffled his hair irritably before finally calling the taxipany to ask for information on the driver from that day. Coincidentally, the taxi driver had also resigned the same day. It was as if he and the truck driver had agreed upon it beforehand. That many coincidences would not just happen consecutively in this world. The more coincidences that came together, the more suspicious things seemed. After obtaining the taxi driver''s details, Harvey arranged for officers from the station to arrest the former immediately. Ultimately, they intercepted the driver at an airport. He had been preparing to leave the country. ording to the police, the driver had even been wearing a Rolex on his wrist when they apprehended him. How could a taxi driver earn enough to afford it? The answer was as clear as day. When I heard the news, I clenched my fists tightly. My fingernails dug deeply into my palm, and the constant pain lit my nerves aze. The despair I felt on the brink of death that day reyed in my mind endlessly. Iris was the closest person to me and, therefore, the first to notice that I was having a breakdown. She hurriedly reached out to pat me gently on the back in order to calm me down. After the taxi driver was brought back to the police station, his legs almost gave out from fright, as he had never been in such a situation before. He confessed everything he knew, wishing only for a reduced sentence. We watched as a middle-aged man cried in front of the police, snot and tears running down his face. He said that he had believed in the words of a woman who told him to turn sharply in front of a truck at a specific time. He had not expected his actions to result in casualties. He had been so frightened that he abandoned his car and fled the scene. After returning home, he did not dare leave his house for three whole days. He had been glued to the news nearly every moment. He let down his guard when he saw that nobody had reported on or even mentioned the incident. That woman had told him to take the money and leave immediately after the incident. However, he did not listen to her advice, thinking that he could continue to stay in the area since the incident was over. It wasn''t until the woman had contacted him two days ago that she realized that he had not yet left. She scolded him thoroughly. She warned him to leave the country overnight if he did not want to end up in jail. Realizing that I had reported him to the police after my hospital discharge, he rushed to exchange his money for foreign currency without even packing. He had gone to the bank to withdraw money before rushing straight to the airport, not expecting to be arrested by the police on the spot. Everyone in the interrogation room fell silent upon hearing his testimony. How cruel and heartless did a person have to be for them to act against a pregnant woman who was close to giving birth? The perpetrator had not been after the child at all. Instead, they had been after my life. If Iris had not suddenly said that she wanted to drink milk tea, we might have both died that day! The casualties would have numbered two bodies and four lives. Harvey was rooted to the spot. Perhaps he had not expected there actually to be a perpetrator behind the car crash. But now that the truth was right in front of him, he felt as if the world he knew had copsed around him. I personally retrieved the bank transaction records of both drivers. The culprit was bright and had transferred the money through several different bank ounts before making the final transaction. However, Harvey still managed to trace it to its source. The bank ount belonged to Hannah Chandler, and the money was transferred from ov seas through the card she used abroad. When Harvey obtained the evidence, he could hardly keep himself standing. He returned to the police station with a pale face and chapped lips, and his jaw was still trembling. He wanted to call Jack, but his hands shook so violently that he dialled the wrong number several times. After the call finally connected, he asked Jack to rush over to the police station and bring Hannah along with him. Confused, Jack asked doubtfully, "Is something the matter? Hannie said that she wanted to go on a trip as she doesn''t feel like she''s done. enough shopping yet. I''m currel.ne Kon taking her to the airport. What''s wrong?" Iris and I were standing right next to Harvey. We watched as he closed his eyes in despair. "Don''t ask anymore. Is Hannie... Hannah next to you right now? Don''t say a single word and just turn back immediately. You''ll understand when you get here." An hourter, Jack dragged a violently struggling Hannah into the police station. As soon as they stepped through the doorway, the policemen nearby immediately caught and subdued Hannah, which startled Jack. He was just about to act when Harvey called out to stop him. Harvey then briefly recounted the events to Jack. As he spoke, the color gradually drained from Hannah''s face. Jack''s puzzled expression slowly cracked, giving way to anger and resentment at being betrayed. He coldly asked Hannah, "Is this why you kept making excuses to leave the house? To think that I was even worried that it wasn''t safe for you to go out alone... I really am a darn fool Doesn''t doing this to me weigh on your conscience at all? Tell me!" He thenughed maniacally, his entire face distorting. Hannah tried to exin herself, stubborn reluctance etched on her face, but the police officers mercilessly dragged her away. Jack broke down. He knelt on the floor with his hands clutching tightly at his hair. After a while, he slowly stood up and gazed at me with aplicated look. He walked in my direction and came to a stop in front of me. Then, he weakly knelt on one knee. Before I could say anything, he pped himself harshly in the face several times while repeating the same words "I''m sorry"-over and over. "I''ve failed you, Yvie, and I''ve failed our child even more terribly. Everything is my fault. Can you please give me a chance? I''m begging you..." Harvey followed suit and rushed to kneel in front of Iris. He trained all year round, so his ps to his own face were even more forceful. Ten secondster, his face was as swollen as a hamster''s cheeks. "I know I''ve done many stupid things in the past, honey. From now on, you''ll be my everything. I''ll definitely protect you with my life, and we''ll still have children in the future. "I shouldn''t have divorced you. I''m a bastard for doing that! If I had known that things would turn out like this, I would''ve wrecked her house before crawling home to you and begging for mercy!" Iris and I exchanged nces before promptly turning to leave the police station. What use were their apologies? We wanted them to have no reason to apologize to us! Our four-year rtionships had finallye to a close at this moment. Who would still choose to look back? Jack''s and Harvey''s miserable cries gradually grew distant. By the time I received news about the incident, a week had passed. Hannah had been sent to prison for attempted murder. Jack fell into a daze after losing his child and had hallucinations during surgery, which caused a major medical ident. He was subsequently fired from the hospital and was even facing awsuit. As for Harvey, he continued to me himself for not rushing over upon receiving Iris'' phone call that day. It left him with severe psychological trauma, so much so that every time he received a phone call, he thought that it was Iris calling for help. His condition affected his ability to work, so he was removed from his position as chief police officer and forced to take a leave of absence. He changed his number countless times to call Iris and apologize to her, but she blocked his number every time. Iris and I started new lives, and we both felt extremely fortunate that we still had each other despite everything we had been through. Beyond the dark tunnel, the future would only grow brighter! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!