Chapter 1 The Crash

The moment the crash happened, Diana Johnson's mind went completely blank.

Two cars collided with brutal force, the twisted metal trapping her in the driver's seat like a steel cage. If the airbag hadn't deployed when it did, she'd already be dead.

Every inch of her body below her chest screamed in agony, but what terrified her most was the sharp smell of gasoline filling the air.

Today's accident was a multi-car pileup.

If she couldn't escape, even if the crash didn't kill her, the explosion would.

Despite everything, she carefully protected her belly, trembling as she used her last reserves of strength to pull out her phone and call Charles Windsor.

Maybe this would be their final goodbye.

Her poor baby, who would never even get the chance to see this world.

The phone rang endlessly, the mechanical female voice echoing in her ears as her heart grew colder with each unanswered ring.

She was dying. And Charles still wouldn't pick up her call?

He'd probably be relieved when he heard the news of her death.

After all, then he could finally marry Laura Smith.

Despair, bitterness, and pain crashed over her all at once. A sharp, excruciating pain shot through her lower abdomen, and she felt something warm flowing out.

She pressed her hands desperately against her belly, terror written across her face.

Just then, Charles's figure flashed past her car window, but he didn't stop for her. Instead, he quickly ran straight toward the car in front.

Her face drained of color as she watched Charles frantically smash the front car's window with his elbow, breaking through the glass before carefully lifting out the woman inside.

Who else could it be but Laura?

Diana couldn't even scream. The pain made everything blur and spin around her. As consciousness slipped away, she dimly saw someone else breaking through her car window, pulling her to safety.

After they escaped, the car exploded instantly, turning the entire crash site into a raging inferno.

Diana's consciousness faded to black.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital room. She struggled to lift her head, staring at the stark white ceiling above her, then at the IV drip in her hand. The last fragments of memory before she'd lost consciousness came flooding back.

She'd survived. It was Lucas Williams who'd saved her.

The hospital TV was broadcasting breaking news coverage.

It was the exact scene she'd witnessed while trapped in her car.

Charles, in his business suit but with bloody hands, unhesitatingly rescued Laura.

The camera captured every detail—Charles's relief after pulling Laura to safety, the tender way he protected her in his arms.

The video was only a few minutes long, but every second felt like an invisible blade slicing through Diana's heart.

The bitterness was overwhelming. She was supposed to be his wife!

Charles had never cared about her at all.

She thought the footage was over, but the camera switched to a solo interview with Charles.

His suit was dusty and disheveled, but he didn't seem to care. Even under the harsh studio lights, his features remained devastatingly handsome.

"I'll be donating ten million dollars to educational charities to help underprivileged children get the schooling they deserve. All I want is for Laura to be safe and healthy."

The interview clip immediately started trending on social media.

Diana stared at the screen in stunned silence.

Images of Charles's coldness toward her—his impatience, his indifference—flashed through her mind.

The heart that had once beaten for him finally stopped.

Diana slowly closed her eyes, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

How pathetic. She'd been fighting for her life in a car crash, but her husband had been busy rescuing another woman, making charitable gestures in another woman's name.

Even a soap opera couldn't come up with such an absurd plot, yet this was exactly what was happening to her.

When she opened her eyes again, her mind was made up. She called her lawyer.

"I need you to draft divorce papers immediately. No property division—I don't want a single cent."

The lawyer arrived quickly.

Diana picked up the pen, slowly but steadily signing her name.

From this moment on, she and Charles would have nothing to do with each other.

The moment when she finished signing, a sharp, twisting pain shot through her lower abdomen.

Diana lost consciousness again.

The doctor burst through the door, shouting, "Get the OR ready now! The patient's hemorrhaging—she's going into premature labor!"

Meanwhile, Charles stood by a hospital room window, his expression grim.

He looks down at the dialed phone that remains unanswered, a slight frown on his face.

Diana never ignored his calls.

Behind him, Laura was stirring awake, her voice hoarse as she called out, "Charles."

Charles immediately turned his attention to her, concern in his voice. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain anywhere?"

Laura's voice was pitiful. "Everything hurts."

Charles grabbed his phone, heading for the door. "I'll get the doctor to examine you."

He strode out of the room where his assistant, Nathan Brown, was waiting.

Charles's voice carried an edge of anxiety he didn't recognize. "Still no sign of Diana?"

Nathan answered nervously, "Mr. Windsor, Mrs. Windsor was likely involved in today's multi-car pileup."

Charles's frown deepened. He knew exactly how devastating today's accident had been.

Could Diana really be...

He was about to leave when Laura's pained voice drifted from the room. "Charles, my hand hurts so much. Can you please stay with me?"

Charles paused, then ordered, "Find Diana now. Whatever it takes, nothing can happen to that baby."

Nathan nodded immediately and replied, "Yes, Mr. Windsor. I'll handle it right away."

Charles felt a growing unease.

But before he could examine the source of his anxiety, an angry figure came charging toward him.

"Charles, are you even human? How could you treat Diana like this?"

Lucas stormed forward, his teeth clenched, throwing a punch aimed at Charles's face.

Charles dodged the first swing and caught Lucas's second punch, his eyes cold with annoyance.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Charles shoved Lucas's hand away with irritation.

"Where is Diana?"

Lucas stumbled back two steps and shouted, "You have no right to ask that question. After what you've put her through, she'll never forgive you."

Lucas fought back the pain in his eyes as he pulled out a document and hurled it at Charles.

"Sign it. Now."

Charles bent down to pick up the papers. When he saw "Divorce Agreement" at the top, his face fell instantly.

At the bottom was Diana's elegant signature.

Charles's voice was tight with barely controlled fury. "Where did this come from? I want to see Diana. Get her here now, or you'll regret it."

Lucas laughed—a sound so bitter and pained it sent chills down the spine.

"Diana will never appear in front of you again. She's dead, Charles. She died in that crash! See the blood on that divorce agreement? She used her last breath to sign it! Her life, Charles—how are you going to pay that back?"

Charles stood frozen, completely stunned. "What did you say?"

Lucas sneered coldly. "Sign the divorce papers. You don't deserve to have any connection to Diana anymore."

Charles stared at the document on the floor, his hands shaking as he picked it up.

Black ink on white paper, stained with blood.

Diana was really gone, along with their child.

Lucas didn't spare another glance at Charles's devastated expression and walked away.