Chapter 6

I lay in the ICU, unconscious for a full day.

When I woke up, my throat burned like I had swallowed a handful of razor blades.

Gavin sat by the bed, suited up and looking as dignified as ever. Seeing me wake up, he reached out to hold my hand, his face wearing just the right amount of concern.

"Ivy, you're finally awake. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

I snatched my hand back as if I'd been electrocuted and closed my eyes, refusing to look at his hypocritical face.

Gavin didn't get angry. He patiently tucked the quilt around me, a hint of helpless explanation in his tone.

"Ivy, I know you're angry with me. But the situation was critical. Elena has a history of asthma; if we didn't medicate her immediately, lives would be at risk."

"And you... you're a doctor. I knew you understood how to save yourself, and your physical constitution is better than hers. I thought you were just acting that severely to spite me."

"We're getting married soon; we're a team with shared interests. You should understand my difficulties, right?"

At that moment, Kalen leaned against the doorframe, twirling his car keys, his slouching posture and tone full of mockery.

"Yeah, sister-in-law, my brother had no choice. Who told you to always be so jealous? If you hadn't put on that show, we wouldn't have misjudged the situation."

My hands clenched tightly under the covers, nails nearly breaking.

Listen to them.

They almost killed me, stole my life-saving medicine to save someone faking illness, and in their mouths, *I* became the one who was insensible and ignored the big picture.

I felt sick at heart, but I didn't argue anymore.

"I want to rest."

Seeing my attitude soften, Gavin let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, get some good rest. I'm going to check on Elena. She's fine physically, but she was terrified."

Only when their footsteps completely faded did I snap my eyes open.

I quickly pulled my phone out from under the pillow and dialed a number. "Hello, is this 'Truth Livestream Studio'? I want to book a global livestream order for next week... Yes, the Johnson family wedding."

Hanging up, I subconsciously reached for my chest.

It was empty.

My heart stopped.

The silver pendant necklace containing Grandma's hair and ashes was gone!

That was the only memento Grandma left me!

I panicked instantly, ignoring my physical weakness, rummaging frantically through the bed and under the pillow like a madwoman.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from Elena.

A video.

The background was the hospital's luxury VIP bathroom.

Elena's manicured hand was holding my necklace, hovering over the toilet bowl.

The lid of the pendant had been unscrewed.

"Oops, are these the old hag's ashes? They look so dirty."

With her malicious laugh, she tilted her wrist.

The gray-white powder drifted down into the swirling water of the toilet, instantly swallowed by the flow and disappearing without a trace.

The video ended with the loud roar of the toilet flushing and Elena's smug voiceover:

[Want to find your grandma? Go look in the sewer.]

"Ah—!!!"

I stared at the screen and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Overwhelming anger and despair made my vision go black. I ripped the IV needle from the back of my hand and rushed out of the ward barefoot.

I ran all the way to the VIP ward upstairs.

The door was ajar.

I pushed it open and saw Elena touching up her makeup in the mirror by the sink, still toying with the now-empty silver pendant.

"Elena! How could you!"

I roared and lunged at her, trying to snatch back the pendant.

Elena saw me through the mirror.

She didn't dodge; instead, the corners of her mouth curled into an eerie smile.

Just as my hand was about to touch her, she suddenly screamed and threw herself backward violently, slamming into the sink.

"Ah! Ivy, don't hit me!"

At the same time, the door behind me was pushed open with force.

"Ivy! What are you doing!"

Gavin's commanding roar rang out.

Immediately after, a powerful hand clamped down on my wrist. He didn't hit me, but the immense resistance made it impossible for me to move an inch.

Gavin forcibly pulled me away, shielding Elena behind him.

Kalen rushed over to help the "trembling" Elena up, looking nervous. "Elena, are you okay?"

Elena shrank into Kalen's arms, weeping like a pear blossom bathed in rain, still clutching the empty pendant tightly.

"Gavin... I just wanted to return the necklace I found to Ivy... but she started cursing me as soon as she came in and tried to push me..."

"I don't know what I did wrong... Is it because of me that you guys left her at the restaurant? Is she blaming me..."

What a perfect victim.

I trembled with rage, pointing at Elena's hand, my voice so hoarse it was unrecognizable.

"She's lying! Gavin, she is lying!"

"She poured Grandma's ashes into the toilet! She flushed Grandma's ashes away!!"

I cried and shouted, trying to rush over to show Gavin the empty pendant, trying to take out my phone to show him the video.

"Enough!"

Gavin grabbed my shoulders, pinning me firmly to the spot.

He looked down at me, his deep eyes now filled with disappointment and disgust.

"Ivy, haven't you made enough of a scene?"

"Ashes? That is clearly just an ordinary decorative necklace! To frame Elena, you'd even make up such a vicious lie...and even use your grandmother to make such a sick joke? "

I froze.

Trembling, I took out my phone. "I have a video... she sent it to me..."

I opened the chat window.

It was blank.

Retracted.

Elena had retracted that video long ago.

"What video?" Gavin glanced at my phone screen and sneered. "It's blank. Ivy, are you hallucinating?"

"No... it's not..."

I looked at him in despair. "Gavin, believe me just this once... it really was her..."

"Gavin, don't blame Ivy..."

Before I could say a word, Elena, hiding behind them, suddenly interrupted. Her rims were red, and her voice dripped with grievance.

"Actually, I can understand her. She's just jealous of the bond we share from growing up together, jealous that you treat me so well. She feels like I stole your attention, that's why she hates me so much. She'd even go as far as fabricating such terrible things to slander me..."

"But I really didn't..."

What terrible acting. What obvious manipulation.

I stared dead at Gavin, waiting for his rebuttal, waiting for him to defend me like he used to.

Even if it was just one sentence: "Ivy isn't that kind of person."

But there was nothing.

Gavin stood there in silence. He didn't stop Elena's accusations, nor did he refute a single word.

He just looked at me quietly with those deep eyes that had once professed love to me.

There was no trust in that gaze, only a silent acquiescence and disappointment.

"Sister-in-law, making up such lies just to fight for favor, cursing your own grandmother's ashes, and even trying to hit someone. Your heart... tsk tsk."

I looked at these two men in front of me.

One was the fiancé I had loved for seven years, speaking of morals and justice but stabbing me with every word.

The other was the devil who had possessed my body for three years, full of mockery, kicking me while I was down.

And the real murderer, Elena, was hiding behind them, flashing me a triumphant, vicious smile.

In that moment, I felt the blood in my body turn ice cold.

I stopped explaining, and I stopped crying.

I just stared fixedly at the empty pendant, stared at Elena's face.

"Fine."

I heard myself say in a dry voice.

"I saw it wrong. It was my jealousy acting up."

"I apologize."

Gavin let out a sigh of relief, the knot in his brow finally loosening.

He stepped closer and gently smoothed my messy hair. His tone softened, oozing with a performative "kindness."

"I'm glad you've finally come to your senses, Ivy."

"Elena truly has a good heart. She never intended to come between us. You both mean the world to me, and I really hope you can let go of your prejudice and just get along with her. Okay?"

"Be a good girl. Stop being so difficult."

"Kalen, take her back. Find two nurses to watch her; don't let her run around again."

I was taken back to that cage filled with the smell of disinfectant.

This time, I didn't struggle.