Chapter 7

When Karina opened her eyes, she found herself in a hospital bed. The sharp scent of disinfectant filled her nose, and the steady beep of a heart monitor echoed in the room.

A nurse pushed the door open and entered. "You're awake? You were badly injured—three broken ribs. You'll need a family member to take care of you, so give them a call."

The nurse handed her a phone, and Karina took it with trembling hands.

On the screen were dozens of unread messages, all from Rowena.

"Nicholas peeled an apple for me himself. It tasted so sweet."

"Clarence bought me a new dress. He says I look best in white."

"Irving and Luther stayed with me all day for my check-ups. They're so worried about me."

"It's been two days now, and at the slightest mention of a headache, they all fuss over me. No one even asked where you were."

"A thief is always a thief, and stolen love has to be returned sooner or later. Karina, I pity you. Not a single person truly loves you. If I were you, I'd have killed myself a long time ago."

Karina stared quietly, her fingers tightening unconsciously until her knuckles turned white.

"I don't have a family," she said softly, returning the phone to the nurse. "I only have myself."

The nurse seemed to want to say more, but she ultimately sighed and left.

Outside the window, maple leaves covered the ground.

Karina counted the drops of fluid falling through the IV tube, as if counting each piece of sincerity that had been betrayed over the years.

…

Five days later, she discharged herself from the hospital.

When she pushed open the villa's front door, the sound of laughter rushed toward her.

In the living room, Nicholas was peeling an apple for Rowena, while the three brothers stood around them, discussing something. When they saw Karina walk in, they abruptly stopped laughing.

"Where have you been? Why didn't you come home?" Clarence asked with a frown.

Karina didn't reply and walked straight upstairs.

Behind her, Luther scoffed. "There she goes, throwing another tantrum."

The moment her bedroom door closed, she finally collapsed to the floor.

The wound in her ribs throbbed faintly, but it was nothing compared to the pain of her heart being torn apart.

Molly brought in dinner, but Karina didn't eat a single bite.

Late at night, her phone lit up again.

"You persistent bitch! I'll make sure you understand who matters more to them!"

Karina powered off the phone and tossed it into the drawer.

…

Early the next morning, the bedroom door was kicked open with a sharp crash.

"Karina!" Nicholas yanked her from the bed. "Where is Rowena?"

Before she could even process what was happening, Irving had grabbed her by the collar. "She left a note saying, 'Since Karina won't accept me, I'll just leave.' What exactly did you say to her? Did you force her out?"

"I don't know," Karina replied hoarsely.

"You're still lying at a time like this?" Luther roared, smashing the dressing table angrily. "Do you even realize she's terminally ill? If anything happens to her, I'll definitely make you pay!"

"I'm not lying. I really don't know."

Just as the standoff intensified, Nicholas's assistant, Doug Davidson, rushed in. "We found Ms. Rowena! She's at the edge of the cliff!"

Hearing this, the faces of the four men darkened instantly.

"Karina!" Clarence grabbed her by the throat, his grip so tight she could barely breathe. "When did you become so vicious? Rowena is terminally ill. She doesn't have much time left to begin with, yet you still won't spare her!"

Karina struggled to breathe. Forced to tilt her head back, she still managed to pull out a bitter smile.

How utterly ridiculous.

Leaving aside whether the terminal illness was even real, over the past few days, they had brought in the world's top medical teams and developed the most expensive treatments for Rowena.

Even if she had been truly ill, she should have been cured by now.

This was nothing but an excuse, one that allowed them to forgive Rowena for running away from the wedding all those years ago.

Seeing Karina remain silent, the four men grew even angrier.

"Get her in the car!" Nicholas commanded coldly. "No matter what, she has to convince Rowena to come back today!"

Karina was shoved roughly into the car. The vehicle then sped off at breakneck speed to the edge of the cliff.