The world seemed to stop spinning for Mark. He stared at his phone screen, then at the pavilion door in front of him. If Seren was connected to Luan Sterling, then for the past three years, he hadn't just married an orphan—he had been tormenting the heir to Europe's most influential family.
Suddenly, a muffled scream echoed from inside the pavilion. It was Seren's voice.
Mark smashed the door open with a single, powerful blow.
Crash!
Madam Anna jumped in surprise; the medicine bottle in her hand fell and shattered on the floor. Mark strode inside with a terrifying expression, his eyes red with a mixture of rage and fear. He saw Seren, now convulsing on the bed, a thin layer of foam beginning to form at the corners of her mouth.
"What did you give her?!" Mark roared, grabbing Madam Anna by the collar until the maid trembled in fear.
"T-that was Madam Beatrice's order, sir! I was just following orders!"
Mark released Madam Anna and rushed toward Seren. He lifted his wife's incredibly light body into his arms. It was then that Mark realized Seren's heartbeat was very weak, almost imperceptible.
"Seren! Wake up! Don't you dare leave me now!" Mark shouted, his voice cracking with genuine panic.
At the pavilion's doorway, Beatrice stood with an utterly calm expression, as if she had anticipated this would happen. She held a phone connected to someone.
"She already knows, doesn't she?" Beatrice asked the person on the phone. "In that case, proceed to phase two now. Don't let Luan Sterling reach this house alive."
Mark held Seren's cooling body close.
"Seren! Wake up!" he shouted again. Just as Mark was about to lose hope, Seren's pale eyelids fluttered slightly. There was a short, labored breath, as if her life were struggling to return to her body.
"She's still alive," Mark whispered, his hands trembling. He was just about to lift Seren's body to rush her to the hospital when a piercing scream of pain shattered the silence from the direction of the door.
"Ah! My stomach... Mark, help! It hurts so much!" Haelyn appeared there, her face as pale as possible as she clutched her stomach. She collapsed to the floor, leaning against the pavilion's doorframe.
Beatrice immediately rushed over to Haelyn with a feigned look of panic, then shot a sharp glance at Mark. "Mark! Hurry, take Haelyn! She's carrying your child—don't let anything happen to the fetus!"
"But, Seren…! She needs a doctor right now!" Mark protested.
"Poisoning?" Beatrice sneered. "Look at her, Mark! She just blinked. It's just an act! Seren is only pretending to faint to get your attention. She deliberately drank something to make herself look like she's dying so you'd feel guilty!"
"If you choose to help this deceitful woman and let Haelyn lose her baby, you'll regret it for the rest of your life," she continued threateningly.
Mark hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting from Seren's pale face to Haelyn, who was grimacing in pain. He was at a loss. But Beatrice's relentless pressure finally broke him.
"Hang in there, Haelyn! I'm taking you to the hospital right now!" Mark finally stood up, releasing his grip on Seren's limp body on the bed. Without looking back, he lifted Haelyn and ran out of the pavilion.
Seren could only stare at her husband's receding back with a blurred gaze. A single tear fell from the corner of her stinging eye. She thought, just this once, Mark would stand by her side, but in reality, she was still alone.
And the next day—even though her body still felt weak—Madam Anna dragged her to face Beatrice, who had summoned her.
Meanwhile, Haelyn and Beatrice were already waiting for her in the lobby downstairs, holding several large shopping bags from a famous baby clothing brand.
"Seren, come here!" Haelyn called out as soon as she saw Seren enter the main house.
As soon as Seren reached Haelyn, the two shopping bags were immediately thrust into Seren's arms.
"These are new clothes for my baby and Mark," Haelyn explained. She rubbed her belly, which was starting to protrude excessively.
"The fabrics are very delicate. I don't trust the washing machines or the chemical detergents the maids usually use. I want you to wash them by hand."
Seren looked at the pile of silk and organic cotton fabrics inside the bags. "There are plenty of maids in this house, Haelyn. I'm not feeling well—"
"Don't start with your sick excuses again, Seren!" Beatrice interrupted sharply.
"Haelyn wants her child to wear clothes washed with love by a family member. Since you can't give her a child, at least make yourself useful by taking care of the needs of Mark's future heir."
Mark emerged from his study, wearing a formal black suit—ready to head to the office. He paused for a moment, noticing Seren holding the bag of baby supplies. Mark glanced at Seren's extremely pale face; even her lips were slightly blue from the cold. A flicker of doubt crossed Mark's eyes, but the moment he saw Haelyn smiling sweetly at him, his ego and guilt closed off once more.
"Mark, my hand is still cut from the broken glass last night. Shouldn't the maid just—"
"Seren," Mark cut his wife off coldly. "Haelyn just wants what's best for the baby. Washing a few baby clothes won't kill you. Stop constantly showing us that pained expression. It's exhausting."
Mark walked away without waiting for an answer. He passed Seren as if his wife were nothing more than a lifeless pillar supporting the house.
"Take it to the backyard, Seren. I want you to use this special soap," Haelyn handed her a bottle of aromatherapy cleaning solution. "And remember, don't use warm water. Warm water can damage the silk fibers. Use cold water from the garden tap."
Seren was stunned. Outside, a light rain had begun to fall. The temperature outside must be below ten degrees.
"It's raining outside, Haelyn. And the water from the garden faucet must be freezing."
Beatrice stepped closer, her face just inches from Seren's. "Do you think you have the right to haggle? Do it now, or I'll make sure Mark cancels his annual donation to your orphanage today."
That threat always worked. Seren clenched her shopping bag until her knuckles turned white. With her head bowed, she walked toward the backyard.
A gust of cold wind greeted her the moment she opened the glass door leading to the garden. The light drizzle had now turned into a heavier downpour. Seren knelt on the rough concrete tiles next to the garden faucet. She placed a large basin in front of her, letting the cold water flow and fill the container.
Seren's fingers, still bandaged from yesterday's wound, trembled as they touched the cold water. It felt like thousands of icy needles piercing her skin. She began dipping the tiny white baby clothes one by one.
From behind the glass window of the warm dining room, she could see Haelyn and Beatrice sitting there sipping hot tea while watching her every move. They were laughing, as if watching Seren shivering in the rain was a delightful morning's entertainment.
Seren began scrubbing the clothes with her bare hands. The wound on her palm reopened from the friction and exposure to the water, but she didn't dare stop. The pain in her chest began to return, her heartbeat becoming irregular—sometimes pounding, sometimes seeming to vanish.
Her breathing grew ragged, her breath steaming in the cold air. She tried to steady her breath, but her lungs felt as though they were submerged in icy water. Rainwater began soaking the thin dress she wore, making it cling to her frail body and causing her body temperature to plummet sharply.
Uhuk! Uhuk!
Seren coughed again. She clutched her tight chest—knowing that her heart was rebelling and needed warmth, yet the specter of the orphanage threatened by Beatrice kept her kneeling there.
Suddenly, the glass door there slid open. Mark stepped out, still wearing his suit, but carrying a large umbrella. He walked toward the garden, approaching Seren, who was wringing out a baby blanket with hands that were shaking violently.
Seren looked up with what little strength she had left. Her eyes were red and weary, her wet hair clinging to her deathly pale face. A glimmer of hope flickered in her heart as she saw her husband approaching. Had Mark finally taken pity on her? Would Mark tell her to come inside?
Mark stopped right in front of Seren. He held the umbrella over himself, leaving Seren to stand drenched in the heavy rain before him. Mark stared at the pile of baby clothes in the basin, his brow furrowed.
"You're washing them too roughly, Seren," Mark said. "Haelyn said this silk fabric is very expensive. If you ruin it by scrubbing it like that, you'll only add to the family's expenses."
The hope in Seren's heart shattered instantly. "Mark... I'm freezing. My chest hurts so much. Can I just finish this inside?"
Mark snorted softly, a sound full of impatience. "Don't start with your drama again. If you go inside now, you'll just get the floor wet with rainwater. Just finish what you started. Haelyn needs these clothes dry by this afternoon."
"But the rain hasn't stopped, Mark..."
"Then hurry up," Mark cut in coldly. He glanced at his watch. "I have to leave for the office now. Don't cause any more trouble while I'm away. I'm sick of getting calls from Mom complaining about your stubbornness."
Mark turned and walked away without so much as a glance at his wife, who was now shivering violently, her teeth chattering. Mark went back inside, shut the glass door tightly, and left Seren in the deadly cold.
Seren tried to reach for another shirt, but her fingers could no longer bend. Numbness began to spread from her fingertips up to her shoulders. Her world began to sway. The sound of rain in her ears turned into a long, painful hum.
She saw Haelyn behind the window, giving her a faint smile before pulling the silk curtain shut, cutting off Seren's only visual connection to the warm world inside.
Seren gasped for breath. She clutched the concrete tiles, trying to stay conscious. However, the pain in her heart exploded like a bolt of lightning. An immense pressure crushed her chest, causing her to collapse to the side. Her head slammed against the hard edge of the plastic basin.