He Defended the Woman Who Ran Me Over

But with that huge bouquet of baby's breath, combined with the dim, romantic lighting and atmosphere, I had to admit he'd put in some effort this time.

In the corner of the photo, two hands were clasped tightly, and a suspicion began to form in my mind.

"Brighter than the starlight is your smile."

Derick was never the romantic type. He could never come up with a caption like that.

Friends in the comments were all teasing:

"Derick and his wife are the envy of everyone!"

"Mr. Wellington is so romantic! Mrs. Wellington is a lucky woman!"

No one seemed to notice anything was wrong. Only I saw that one of the clasped hands in the photo was adorned with nude pink nail polish—Daisy's signature color.

I silently liked the post and tossed my phone aside.

To my surprise, Derick, who had been missing for three days, immediately surfaced. He called three times, and the phone was still ringing.

The moment I answered, Derick’s familiar yet exceptionally cold voice assaulted my ears.

"Do you think you're funny, Lidia?"

"I just gave Daisy a gift for her new job. The poor girl got a little excited and used my phone to post on Instagram. What exactly are you trying to say by liking it to mock her?"

This was utterly ridiculous.

I retorted, "You're the one who's unbelievable. How was I supposed to know she was the one who posted it?"

"You did it on purpose. When have I ever posted anything like that? You knew at a glance it wasn't from me."

"So what if I liked it? How is that mocking her?"

"I don't care. I've already deleted Instagram, and Daisy is miserable because of you. You need to apologize to her."

I let out a cold laugh. "And why should I?"

For all these years, I had managed every aspect of Derick’s work and life, yet he was never satisfied.

And so, whenever the slightest thing went wrong, I was the one to admit fault, saying 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

But it wasn't until today that I finally understood: Derick's heart can't be warmed.

Derick hadn't expected me to say that. The line went quiet for a few seconds.

"Lidia, you've grown a spine. Well then, don't blame me for ignoring you." With that, he furiously hung up, but I felt no stir in my heart.

I used to love Derick, so I always gave in to him. I never imagined it would lead to this.

That very night, as if in a fit of pique, Derick hired a private helicopter to spell out Daisy's name over the city.

The headline was particularly eye-catching: Wellington Group CEO Spends a Fortune, Just to Win a Smile from His Beloved Wife. I couldn't help but chuckle humorlessly as I lay in my hospital bed, wondering where Derick and Daisy were, admiring the night sky.

Ding.

A text from an unknown number popped up on my phone. I opened it to find a video.

Derick and Daisy, kissing on Santa Monica Beach.

Derick's eyes held a tenderness I had never seen before.

"I wish you happiness."

I texted back those four words and then blocked the number.

The brilliant lights of Los Angeles lit up the night, but my heart plunged into darkness.

I lay awake all night, hot tears endlessly soaking my pillow.

The next day, the sun rose as usual, and I went through another session of physical therapy.

I was only a few minutes into my exercises when a figure appeared in the doorway of my room.

Daisy walked toward me, holding a Starbucks coffee, and timidly held it out to me.

"Lidia, no matter how you look at it, I was the one who hit you. It's my fault."

"So, I personally bought you your favorite Caramel Macchiato today. I hope you get well soon."

She seemed sincere enough today, so I started to reach for it, but the cup suddenly slipped from her hand.

The scalding coffee splashed onto my arm, and a searing pain shot through me instantly.

Before I could even react, she had already collapsed onto the floor. So when Derick rushed over, all he could see was a pitifully wronged Daisy.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

"It's fine if you don't like me, Lidia. I can leave. But why did you have to hurt me like this?"