Chapter 6

Sophia's POV

The next time I regained consciousness, I was lying in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Every bone in my body felt like it had been crushed by a truck. Even breathing sent sharp pain through my chest.

"Mr. Sterling," outside the room, the doctor's voice carried anger, "Ms. Blackwood was struck by a heavy object, causing the bullet fragment from eight years ago to completely shift. The fragment has now pierced through the pericardium and is pressing against her aorta!"

Ethan's voice trembled with shock. "Then do surgery to remove it! I don't care how much it costs. Use the best treatment!"

"It can't be removed." The doctor coldly interrupted him. "It's too deep. In her current physical condition, the moment we open her chest for surgery, she'll hemorrhage and die immediately. With conservative treatment, she has at most half a month left."

"She's essentially someone who could die at any moment now!"

Silence fell outside the door.

I lay in the hospital bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling.

On my wrist, the red line had turned so red it seemed about to drip blood.

"Time until death: 18 days"

What a coincidence. Even the death sentence from the doctor matched the system's countdown.

I don't know how much time passed before the hospital room door was pushed open.

Ethan walked in with red eyes, his steps somewhat unsteady.

He approached the bed, looking at my pale face covered with tubes, his lips trembling violently as he tried to hold my hand. "Sophia..."

I didn't dodge.

I lay there like a senseless rag doll, letting him grip my hand.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!" Ethan suddenly broke down and buried his face in my palm. "I didn't see you there! Lena is pregnant. All I could think about was my mother's dying wish to protect this child. It was just an instinctive reaction... I didn't mean to leave you behind!"

Listening to his excuse full of lies, my heart didn't waver even slightly.

In my past life, I might have forgiven him for such an excuse.

But now I knew. What dying wish, what caring for a benefactor. All lies.

He abandoned me in a moment of danger simply because he no longer loved me.

Seeing me remain silent, Ethan panicked.

He looked up, his eyes full of pleading. "Sophia, hit me, yell at me, anything. Just don't stay silent! I swear I'll find the best doctors in the world. I will cure you!"

"Okay."

In the silent hospital room, I suddenly spoke.

My voice was extremely hoarse from the injury, but my tone was calm.

"Ethan, I don't blame you. Lena is pregnant. It's right that you saved her. If it were me, I would have told you to save the child first too."

Ethan froze completely.

He thought I would question him frantically, cry and accuse him of his heartlessness.

But I didn't.

Not only did I not blame him, I was even making excuses for him.

Wasn't this exactly the result Ethan wanted most?

But for some reason, looking at my expressionless face, Ethan began to panic.

"Sophia, you really... don't blame me?" He tested carefully.

"I don't blame you." I even managed an extremely weak smile. "Go be with her. She must have been terrified today."

Ethan hesitated, but was ultimately pulled back to reality by his assistant's low call from outside the door.

"Mr. Sterling, Ms. Cooper is crying about stomach pain and won't cooperate with the examination..."

Ethan glanced at me. "Sophia, I'll just check on Lena and come right back to stay with you. Rest well."

The door closed.

The smile on my face vanished instantly.

I struggled to lift my left hand, looking at the pulsing blood-red countdown.

After these 18 days passed, after I disappeared from this hopeless marriage.

Then he would know what he abandoned today.