Chapter 1

On our third wedding anniversary, Ethan and I got into a car crash.

When the truck lost control and slammed into us, Ethan's first instinct was to shield the passenger seat.

He held Chloe tightly in his arms, protecting her with his life.

I was in the back seat, my lower abdomen pinned by the deformed metal. The pain was so agonizing that my breath shook.

When the rescue team arrived, Ethan had already smashed the passenger door open, carrying Chloe out.

A firefighter shone a flashlight into the car and yelled, "Is there anyone else inside?"

Ten minutes before the crash, Ethan had personally closed the back door for me.

I tried my best to raise my hand, wanting to tap on the window.

But through the shattered glass, I heard his hoarse voice reply, "No. No one else."

"Take her to the hospital first. She's always been terrified of pain. She can't handle any shock."

My hand froze in mid-air.

When Chloe was lifted onto the stretcher, she only had a shallow scratch on her wrist from the glass.

Yet Ethan held her hand tightly, looking like he had just recovered his most precious treasure.

"Don't be scared. I'm here."

From beginning to end, he never once looked back at the smoking car.

Later, when the firefighters dragged me out of the back seat, my skirt was already soaked in blood.

The doctor looked at my chart, his face darkening instantly. "Why did you bring her in so late?"

"Her abdomen suffered severe trauma. We need to operate immediately."

The nurse held the consent form and asked me, "Where is your family?"

I looked toward the ward not far away.

Chloe's scratch was so shallow it didn't even need stitches.

But Ethan was guarding her bedside, his eyes red as he forced the doctor to examine her for the third time.

I suddenly let out a soft laugh. "I don't have any family here. I'll sign it myself."