Chapter 5
When Maya saw Ronan enter, she immediately slumped weakly against the headboard: “Honey… did you come to see me?”
Ronan let out a cold laugh: “Oh, so you do remember I’m your husband. Anyone watching might think you and my brother were the actual couple.”
Reid didn’t like that comment and immediately positioned himself protectively in front of Maya’s bed:
‘Bro, what’s that supposed to mean? Maya’s not feeling well-1 was just helping you look after her. I didn’t cross any lines.”
‘Besides, you’re always busy with company stuff and never have time for her…”
Ronan shot him a sideways glance:
Why does my wife need you to personally care for her to the point where you’d abandon your own fiancée at wedding rehearsal?”
teid’s face stiffened, then he flew into a rage:
Scarlett’s been spoiled rotten since childhood! But Maya’s different-she’s sick and has no one to take care of her…”
Enough!” I forced myself to crawl up from the floor. “Reid, you’re calling me spoiled?”
pointed to the needle marks and bruises on my wrists:
Just because of Maya’s lies, you locked me in a basement for four days and three nights, had me beaten until I barely had the strength to fight back-and you all that being spoiled?”
teid’s eyes flickered for a moment before he got self-righteous again:
You brought that on yourself! Who told you to hurt Maya…”
I hurt her?” I laughed bitterly and suddenly pulled open my collar, exposing the vicious scars on my shoulder. “Then what about these? Did I do this to myself
00?”
The hospital room fell dead silent.
When Ronan saw the wounds on my body, his eyes turned ice cold.
He grabbed Reid by the collar: “You did this?”
leid shrugged off his hand, his tone impatient:
So what if I had someone do it?”
Bro, don’t let her fool you! She just tried to stab me with scissors-Maya saved me…”
Really?” Ronan suddenly turned to Maya. “Then Ms. Maya, where exactly is this wound on your arm?”
Maya’s face went white as she instinctively covered her arm that was barely scraped.
swayed as I stood up, my vision going black in waves:
‘Reid… we grew up together… I thought at least… you’d believe me just once…”
My heart suddenly clenched with pain as I pressed hard against my chest:
Ten years… Maya spent ten years… making you believe she had a heart condition… but you wouldn’t spare one second… to look at the wounds on my body…”
But it was already too late.
I used the last of my strength to say, word by word:
“From today on… we… have nothing to do with each other…”
Before I could finish, everything went black and I pitched forward.
When I woke up again, I found three people sitting around my bed.
Ronan, Reid, and Maya looking aggrieved.
“Scarlett, you’re awake…” Maya was the first to lean over, her eyes red-rimmed. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault…”
I looked at her performance coldly: “Wrong about what?”
She obviously hadn’t expected me to ask that, her expression freezing for a moment: “I… I shouldn’t have…”
“Scarlett!” Reid suddenly stood up. “Maya already apologized-what more do you want? Don’t push your luck!”
My heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles.
How ridiculous-here I was lying in a hospital bed barely clinging to life, and he still thought Maya was the one being wronged.
Even at this point, he could still protect her like this, without an ounce of pity for me.
“Reid,” my voice was weak but firm, “so what if she apologized? Will the wounds on my body magically disappear?”
You-”
‘Enough.” Ronan suddenly spoke up, standing to block my bed. “Reid, that’s enough.”
Reid looked at his brother in disbelief:
‘Bro, what do you mean? Maya is supposed to be your wife-why are you taking Scarlett’s side like this?”
Ronan let out a cold laugh:
You know Maya was supposed to be my wife, yet you got so close to her? But unfortunately, she and I are impossible now.”
Maya’s face went deathly pale:
Ronan… why? Aren’t we already engaged? Is it because of Scarlett? I can explain everything…”
I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have let Reid take care of me, I…”
he frantically tried to grab Ronan’s sleeve but was mercilessly shaken off:
Yes, because of Scarlett.”
he hospital room fell terrifyingly silent.
Inder everyone’s shocked gazes, Ronan turned to look at me, his eyes holding a tenderness I’d never seen before:
She’s my wife.”
