Chapter 5
When Braelynn woke up again, the first thing she saw was the bright white ceiling of a VIP hospital room, and the air smelled strongly of disinfectant.
She wasn’t dead?
As she shifted slightly, her whole body felt like it was falling apart, especially her abdomen and ribs where she had been kicked.
“You’re awake?” A deep, cold voice came from beside her.
Braelynn turned her head and spotted Zachary sitting on the couch next to her hospital bed. His suit jacket was tossed aside, and he was just in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his strong forearms. There were some faint scratches and smoke marks on them.
So it really was him who came back to save her.
Her throat felt dry as sandpaper. She wanted to say thank you when she caught sight of the anger simmering beneath his icy gaze.
Braelynn was slightly startled. She was about to say something when Zachary suddenly stood up, walked over to the hospital bed, and looked down at her, questioning her word by word.
“Carolina told me that the burglary and fire last night weren’t accidents at all! You teamed up with outsiders and set it all up yourself, trying to get back at her and burn her alive!
“Braelynn! This time you actually gave her the chance. I thought you really wanted us to be happy. If that’s true, then why would you do something so cruel?”
Chapter 5
Braelynn’s mind went completely blank, her ears ringing. It took her a while to wrap her head around Zachary’s cold questions.
A wave of frustration and anger surged up in Braclynn. She shook with rage, which tugged at her wounds, making her gasp from the pain..
“I really did step back and let you two be happy. Otherwise, why would I have asked to go abroad? The gangsters are still out there, and you’re just going to take Carolina’s word for it? You’re ready to throw me under the bus like this?
“If I had teamed up with those gangsters, how could I have ended up so hurt? How could I have gotten caught in that fire and waited for death too?”
“Obviously, you were just putting on a show! Trying to clear your name!” Zachary interrupted sharply, his eyes filled with open disgust. “Braelynn, I know I’ve messed up in our past. I married you but my heart was always with Carolina. But honestly, I never treated you badly when it came to money or reputation over those years! Even if you hate me and want revenge, aim it at me! Carolina is innocent! She doesn’t know anything about this!”
Looking at the guy in front of her, who was fuming on behalf of her sister, Braelynn felt like her heart had been ripped apart and the pain was almost too much to handle.
He cared deeply about Carolina–so much that he could just throw a vile accusation at her–the woman who used to be his wife and lived with him. for years in their past life.
She tried to speak but found her throat all choked up, unable to say a single word.
All explanations seemed weak and pointless against his strong bias.
“There’s no use saying anything more. Just go apologize to Carolina right
Chiater 5
now!”
“I didn’t do it, and I’m not going to apologize.”
Zachary’s face darkened right away, and his eyes were filled with anger. “Braelynn, don’t push me!”
He suddenly grabbed her arm that was wrapped in gauze, holding on so tight that she cried out from the pain.
“Let go of me! Zachary!” Braelynn struggled, tears streaming down her checks from both the hurt and humiliation.
“Apologize!” he growled, yanking her up from the hospital bed like it was nothing.
“I won’t! Even if you beat me to a pulp, I’m not admitting to something I didn’t do!” Braelynn’s stubbornness kicked in as she fought back with everything she had.
In all the chaos, her wound opened up again. Fresh blood oozed through the gauze, staining his hands and soaking into her hospital gown.
Looking at the bright red on her pale face, Zachary’s eyes flickered with a hint of complexity, but it quickly turned into deeper anger. “Fine!! Whatever! Braelynn, you’ve got some guts!“.
He suddenly let go of her, letting her slump back onto the hospital bed.
“Since you’re so stubborn, take some time to think about what
you did wrong! You can’t leave until you write up a self–criticism, admit your mistake, and apologize to Carolina in writing!”
After saying that, he called in two bodyguards dressed in black suits. Ignoring her struggles and protests, they dragged her out of the room and took her to a remote apartment owned by the Fidgett family. They even posted guards to keep an eye on her.
Bang!
The door slammed shut and she was basically under house arrest now.
The apartment was beautifully decorated but cold, with just one window giving a tiny glimpse of the outside.
Braelynn was thrown hard onto the icy floor. Her wound hit the ground, and it hurt so much she almost passed out.
“Zachary… you jerk…”
She curled up in the corner, crying helplessly, her whole body shaking from the chill.
No one came to check on her, no one brought her any medicine, and nobody seemed to care about her injuries.
As time dragged on, her untreated wound started to swell and get inflamed without any anti–inflammatory care, making the pain even
worse.
The agonizing pain tortured her day and night, making it impossible for her to sleep.
She felt hot then cold again. Her mind slowly faded under the strain of being sick.
“Water… I’m so thirsty… it hurts so much…”
She moaned involuntarily, her lips dry and cracked.
If this kept going, she was going to die.
The thought scared her to death.
She hadn’t been reborn to die in such a cold, confined apartment.
Finally, after being stuck inside for who knows how many days, the door swung open again and there stood Zachary with his icy demeanor–he tossed a pen and paper right in front of her–and all her determination and pride just crumbled when faced with the instinct to survive.
She reached out with her shaking hand and grabbed the cold fountain.
pen.
Tears dripped onto the pricey paper, smudging the ink everywhere.
Every stroke felt like it was tearing apart what little dignity she had left.
She had no choice but to admit to something she didn’t do and lower her head in apology to the person who set her up.
After writing that last word, it felt like all her strength just vanished, and she collapsed onto the floor.
-as if
Zachary picked up the self–criticism letter that was filled with humiliation. He took a quick look at it, his eyes cold and indifferent- to say, “If you knew this would happen, why even bother fighting in the first place?”
He looked down at her from above. “Just remember this. Carolina is my line in the sand. If you ever touch her again, I won’t show you any mercy like I did today.”
With that, he turned and walked away without a second thought.
The guards came in, helped her up, and took her to the hospital.
She couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. It felt like her heart was being ripped apart by a knife.
After years of being married, their bond was actually as fragile as a piece of paper when it came to Carolina–easily torn apart and worthless!
