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Chapter 1 My daughter was waiting at the hospital to pay her medical bills, and I tried to swipe all three of my cards, but they were all frozen. "Mrs. White, your daughter's illness is too serious . If surgery is not an option, you should make preparations as soon as possible." The doctor's voice was like ice, and my vision went black. The world spun around me, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I gripped the hem of my shirt tightly, my knuckles turning white, my voice trembling: "Doctor, please... please save her! She was fine this morning, just a slight fever, clearly..." I pleaded incoherently, as humble as dust. The doctor simply shook his head, turned, and left the ward. I staggered to the bedside and looked at the small figure curled up on the bed. My heart felt like it was being pierced by countless tiny needles, and the pain was so intense that I could hardly breathe. That was my daughter , Annie Carter, a five-year-old child. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper, her lips were cracked, her brows were tightly furrowed, and each breath she took was a weak gasp, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. I want to call and borrow money, but a few years ago I had a big fight with my family because I wanted to marry my husband, and my friends also broke off their friendship with me because of my husband's pressure. "Daddy...I want Daddy..." she murmured weakly, her voice barely audible, yet every word pierced my heart. I reached out and gently touched her burning forehead, and my tears fell even harder. Annie has always been dependent on her father, Ethan Carter. Whenever she was sick, she would be obedient as long as Ethan was by her side. But now, when she needs her father the most, that man won't even answer the phone. I took out my phone, my fingers trembling with tension and fear, and dialed Ethan's number over and over again. All I heard from the receiver was the cold message, "The user you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later." Once, twice, three times... until the tenth time, the busy signal remained. My heart sank little by little, from initial anxiety to panic, and finally to boundless despair. Annie 's breathing became more and more rapid; I couldn't wait any longer. I gritted my teeth, wiped away my tears, turned around and ran outside . He should still be at the company at this time . I must find Ethan . Even if I have to beg him on my knees, I must get him to come see Annie and pay for my daughter's surgery . As soon as I stepped out of the hospital, a burst of boisterous cheers reached my ears. Looking in the direction of the sound, the central park not far away was packed with people, with balloons, flowers, red carpets... a scene of great joy. That was... a marriage proposal? My steps faltered involuntarily, and my heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. Because I spotted that familiar figure right away —Ethan. Ethan, who claimed he was too busy working overtime at the company to come to the hospital to pay his daughter's medical bills, was actually proposing to someone else. He was wearing a sharp white suit, his posture was upright, and he had a gentle smile on his face that I had never seen before. Standing opposite him was Sophia Miller—Ethan's childhood sweetheart, who was supposed to be abroad and whom he said he had lost contact with long ago. I was wearing casual clothes that were slightly damp, my hair was messy from running, and there were still traces of tears on my face; while Sophia Miller, wearing an elegant white dress and with impeccable makeup, was being carefully protected by Ethan, like a pampered princess. Ethan used to protect me like that too. When I was pregnant with Annie , he would gently tie my shoelaces and get up late at night to cook me a midnight snack. But all that tenderness disappeared without me noticing. In my daze, Ethan knelt down on one knee, holding a dazzling diamond ring in his hand. His eyes were so tender they could melt your heart as he looked at Sophia Miller with deep affection: "Sophia, I love you. Will you marry me?" Sophia Miller covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes, a shy yet happy smile on her face, and choked out, "Ethan, I've finally waited for this day, I do..." I rushed over and grabbed Ethan : " Annie is critically ill in the hospital, you're coming back with me right now. " Right now, all I can think about is Annie. I don't care anymore about asking him why he proposed to someone else. All I care about is Annie , and all I want is to save Annie. Ethan seemed to notice my gaze. He looked up and glanced over. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw me, but it was quickly replaced by impatience. He didn't let go of Sophia Miller's hand, but just gave me a cold look, signaling me to leave quickly. My heart was ice-cold, but the thought of Annie lying dying in the hospital bed forced me to steel myself and walk towards him. Ethan's face instantly darkened, and he frowned as he said something to the people around him. Seeing this, everyone wisely dispersed. "What are you doing here?" Ethan released Sophia Miller, took a few steps to me, and said in a tone full of disgust and impatience, "Emma White, so you've learned to stalk me now, haven't you?" Chapter 2 “I wasn’t following you, I came to find you…” I hurriedly explained, but before I could finish, Sophia Miller interrupted me. Sophia Miller walked up to Ethan, gently tugged at his sleeve, and looked at me with a hint of feigned apology and vulnerability . “Emma, don’t be angry. I… I have a serious illness and don’t have much time left. Ethan proposed to me so that I wouldn’t have any regrets. Don’t worry, I won’t affect your relationship. I just want to spend my last days with him.” Serious illness? Not long to live? I looked at her pale yet still delicate face and felt nothing but irony. Back then, it was this woman who, out of jealousy that I was pregnant with Annie and married Ethan, deliberately pushed me down the stairs when I was seven months pregnant. I rolled down two whole floors, and blood stained my skirt. Annie almost didn't survive. Ethan was so angry he was trembling. He said he never wanted to see her again and personally sent her back abroad. But now, she has transformed into a pitiful victim, and Ethan actually believed her! I suppressed my anger, stared intently at Ethan, and pleaded in my voice, "Ethan, forget about all that. Annie is in the hospital, and the doctor said her condition is critical and she could die at any moment... Please come with me to see her!" "Enough!" Ethan abruptly interrupted me, his face horribly grim. "Emma White, you've gone too far! You're using Annie as an excuse to get me to go back with you?" His words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing me from head to toe. I looked at him in disbelief: "I'm not lying to you, Annie really is dying!" "Sophia has already made it so clear that she doesn't have much time left. Before she dies, all she wants is for me to spend more time with her. Can't you even accept that?" Ethan shielded Sophia, his icy gaze cutting into my heart like a knife. "Don't forget, if it weren't for you, Sophia would never have been sent abroad! And now you're still making trouble here? How can you be so heartless?" Because of me? I was stunned for a moment, and a huge wave of grievance and sorrow welled up in my heart. So, in his heart, I was the one who made the mistake of sending Sophia away? He forgot that I almost lost my unborn child, forgot that Annie almost died, forgot that Sophia was vicious, and only remembered that I "forced away" his childhood sweetheart. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar man in front of me, my heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating me. But Annie is still waiting for me; I can't give up. I took a deep breath, setting aside all my pride, and said almost humbly, "I understand. I don't care about you, and I won't bother you. Just come with me to the hospital now to see Annie . Ethan, I'm begging you, she's really not well..." Ethan glanced at me, his eyes full of suspicion, and said coldly, "Emma White, you better not lie to me. I hate it when people use Annie as a pretext. If I find out you're lying, I will never forgive you." Seeing that he had relented, a glimmer of hope welled up in my heart, and I hurriedly nodded: "I didn't lie to you, I really..." Before I could finish speaking, Sophia Miller came over with her phone, her face filled with worry: "Ethan, I just heard that Annie is sick, and I was really worried. I was thinking of calling Dean Thompson at the downtown hospital to ask him to take extra care of her. But... Dean Thompson said that Annie isn't at their hospital." What? I turned sharply to Sophia Miller, my eyes wide with surprise and confusion. Why would she say that? Annie was clearly in the ER! Ethan snatched Sophia Miller's phone, his face darkening completely. He said coldly into the phone, "Dean Thompson, right? My daughter Annie, is she really not in your hospital?" There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Dean Thompson's respectful yet slightly doubtful voice came through: "Mr., I've had someone check carefully, and none of our hospital's departments admitted a young patient with the surname Carter today." "You donated so much advanced medical equipment to our hospital before. If your daughter we