Chapter 7

After lying in the hospital for just half a day, Gavin came.

He was dressed in a casual, British-style equestrian outfit, looking handsome and upright, completely out of place in the pale, sterile hospital room.

"Ivy, get ready. Come with us to the private hunting grounds on the North Shore of Long Island."

I leaned against the headboard, my body still weak, and shook my head feebly. "I don't want to go... I want to rest..."

"Stop throwing a tantrum."

Gavin interrupted me, his brow furrowed as if he were looking at an unreasonable child who only knew how to act out.

"Elena specifically suggested going horse riding to relax and ease the tension. She said she doesn't mind your previous 'misunderstanding' and wants to use this opportunity to reconcile with you."

"Ivy, you've changed."

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a complicated mix of regret and accusation.

"You were never like this before."

"This is your best chance to apologize to Elena and repair your relationship. As the future mistress of the Johnson family, you must learn to be magnanimous and sociable. Don't disappoint me again."

Apologize?

Apologize to the murderer who flushed my grandmother's ashes down the toilet?

I looked at Gavin's hypocritically righteous face and found it utterly absurd.

But I had no strength to resist, nor did I want to argue anymore.

Because I knew that in this man's heart, right and wrong had long been twisted by his bias.

Like a soulless doll, I was forcibly taken from the hospital and stuffed into the car.

In the hunting grounds, the deep autumn red leaves covered the mountains, creating a picturesque scene.

Elena, dressed in a red riding outfit, sat atop a snow-white warmblood horse, looking valiant and heroic. Where was the frail appearance of someone who had "just returned from death's door"?

Kalen rode a black horse, guarding her left side, the two of them chatting and laughing.

Seeing me being led over by Gavin, Elena immediately flashed a sweet smile.

"Ivy, are you feeling better? I specifically asked the stable to save the gentlest mare for you, so don't be afraid."

I watched her performance coldly, saying nothing.

Gavin helped me onto the horse, whispering a warning in my ear, "Behave yourself later. Don't wear that funeral face; it's bad luck."

The group headed deeper into the forest.

Gavin and Kalen flanked Elena, the three of them chatting happily, reminiscing about childhood events.

I followed behind, like a superfluous ghost.

As we reached a steep slope, Elena suddenly reined in her horse and looked back at me, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.

"Ivy, your horse seems a bit agitated. Don't get too close to me..."

Before she finished speaking.

Using her body as cover, she secretly flicked a coin with her fingers, hitting her own horse right in the eye.

"Neigh—!"

The originally quiet white horse, in pain, reared up in fright and neighed frantically.

"Ah—! Help!"

Elena screamed, letting go of the reins and tumbling off the horse's back, landing heavily on the grass.

"Elena!"

Gavin and Kalen jumped off their horses almost simultaneously and rushed over like madmen.

"My leg... it hurts so much..." Elena clutched her ankle, pointing at me with teary eyes. "Ivy... I know you hate me... but how could you throw a stone at my horse..."

If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext.

I was at least five meters away from her, my hands tightly gripping the reins the entire time. I hadn't moved a muscle.

"I didn't," I said calmly, my voice flat.

"You still dare to deny it!"

Kalen roared, rushing over to drag me off the horse and shoving me hard onto the ground.

"I saw you raise your hand with my own eyes! You're just jealous of Elena and want to kill her!"

Gavin checked Elena's ankle and only sighed in relief after confirming it was just a sprain.

Then, he stood up and walked toward me step by step.

In those deep eyes, there was no longer helplessness, only cold judgment and disgust.

"Ivy, I gave you countless chances along the way."

"I thought you would reflect and apologize. I didn't expect your heart to be this vicious."

He looked around the desolate, dense forest and made a decision.

"Since you like such barbaric behavior, then stay here and experience the cruelty of nature properly."

"Tonight, you stay in this deep mountain camp. No tent, no sleeping bag. Reflect on your actions."

Kalen immediately understood, grinning maliciously as he threw all the spare camping gear from the car back into the trunk, leaving me only a bottle of water.

"Gavin! This is deep in the mountains! There will be wolves at night! And I'm afraid of the dark!"

Although my heart was dead, physiological fear still made me tremble.

"It's dangerous here..." My voice trembled as I made one last desperate attempt.

"Gavin, after all, Ivy is a girl. Leaving her alone out here in the middle of nowhere... isn't that too cruel? What if something happens to her?"

Elena leaned against Kalen's chest, looking up weakly, her eyes brimming with kindness and compassion.

"How about... I stay with her? Maybe I can talk to her, help her work through her issues."

Hearing this, Gavin's gaze toward Elena softened even more, filled with tenderness and pity.

But when he turned to look at me, that tenderness instantly morphed into utter disappointment.

"Look at Elena. Even after you hurt her like this, she's still looking out for you."

"And you? You're still making excuses for yourself."

He scoffed, his heart hardening completely.

"No. She needs to be alone to truly reflect on what she's done."

"She brought this on herself."

Gavin's voice was as cold and hard as iron, leaving no room for negotiation.

But as he turned to get in the car, his gaze swept over my pale, deathly still face, devoid of even a single word of defense.

In that instant, his steps paused.

A sudden, unexplained sting pricked his heart.

The old me would cry, make a scene, and argue vehemently that I was wrongly accused when aggrieved.

But the current me just stood quietly in the wind, like a husk drained of its soul, looking at him with hollow eyes as if looking at a stranger.

This dead silence panicked him more than any hysteria ever could.

"Gavin, hurry up and drive, my foot hurts..." Elena moaned at the right moment, interrupting his thoughts.

The hesitation in Gavin's eyes vanished instantly.

"Let's go."

The engine roared.

The off-road vehicle kicked up dust and mercilessly disappeared at the end of the forest path.

I was abandoned.

In the primeval forest as night fell.

I didn't cry, nor did I shout.

I just hugged my knees, leaned against a dead tree, and watched the sky turn completely black bit by bit.

That night, the cold wind bit to the bone, and the howls of unknown beasts came from the distance.

But I felt no fear.

Because my heart had already died with Grandma the moment I saw that video of her ashes being flushed away.

Until the next morning.

It wasn't Gavin who came to pick me up, but a ranger from the hunting grounds.

"The young master said if you've reflected enough, you can leave on your own. The convoy has already returned to the city."

"The Master Kalen said that if you've finished reflecting, you can leave on your own. The convoy has already returned to the city."

The ranger didn't even offer me a ride; he just drove away after delivering the order.

Dragging my frozen legs, I moved down the mountain step by step.

I walked for four whole hours, blisters forming on my feet, my shoes soaked with mud, before I finally returned to the city.

I stood on the bustling street, looking at this prosperous, indifferent world.

I didn't go back to the estate, nor did I go to the hospital.

There were no longer any family or loved ones for me there.

I walked into a roadside internet cafe and opened that familiar email inbox.

Lying quietly inside was a final confirmation letter from the International Red Cross:

[Dr. Ivy, your transfer order has been approved. The medical charter plane to Damascus will take off in three days. Please confirm if you will report on time.]

Three days later.

It happened to be the day of my wedding with Gavin.

I looked at that date, and my originally numb heart finally beat once.

I tapped the keyboard and replied with one word:

[Confirmed.]