Back in Azkaria. In a VVIP hospital ward, Ethan stood outside the ward door, staring into the room through the glass. A thin woman with pale skin lay on the bed, a breathing mask covering part of her beautiful yet fragile face.
The issue surrounding the leak of the company’s confidential data had yet to be resolved, and Ethan had been forced to rush back to see the dying woman in the hospital.
With an unreadable expression, Ethan pressed his lips into a thin line.
Just then, a soft female voice sounded behind him. “Ethan, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I…I should have visited Livia after putting the children to bed. She must have been terrified. That’s why she tried to kill herself.”
As usual, Bella played the part of a gentle, obedient girl. Traces of worry and remorse perfectly concealed her demonic nature.
Ethan said nothing. He merely glanced at Bella before turning his gaze back to the woman lying on the hospital bed.
Seeing Ethan’s attitude, Bella clenched her teeth. Even after raising Ethan’s three children for years, she still couldn’t win the man’s heart.
‘That was close. Why didn’t Livia die? Why did the servant have to arrive right after Livia drank the poison? More importantly, why did Ethan have to come to the hospital and threaten the entire medical team to save Livia when he should have been handling the crisis at the company? Does he still care about Livia? No. That’s impossible. Their relationship has been broken for a long time. Ethan must have saved Livia only because he didn’t want her to die before he could punish her appropriately for betraying the Quincy family. Yes, that must be the reason.’
Bella came to her own conclusion. She refused to believe that Ethan still cared about Livia after she had so perfectly turned Livia into a foolish, mute wife.
Bella was just about to speak again when the ringing of a phone stopped her.
Realizing that the phone in his pocket was ringing, Ethan lowered his head and took it out. When he saw that the call was from the Quincy family residence, he immediately answered.
As soon as the call connected, Mrs. Quincy’s voice came through. “Ethan, how is she? Did that foolish girl survive?”
“Yes, Mom. The medical team managed to neutralize the poison in her body. She’s past the critical stage, but she still hasn’t regained consciousness,” Ethan replied calmly.
“Good. Make sure she doesn’t lose her life. The Quincy family is dealing with trouble at the company. We can’t let her die and draw more attention to us. Otherwise, the situation will become even more complicated.”
“Yes.”
Ethan was just about to end the call when he remembered something and asked, “Have you found out where Livia got the poison?”
“Not yet. The CCTV cameras around Livia’s room are broken, so we haven’t found anything.”
“Broken?” Ethan frowned. He wasn’t an idiot. All the CCTV cameras at the Quincy family residence were always in perfect working order. How could they suddenly be broken?
As he thought about it, a glint appeared in Ethan’s eyes. “All right, Mom. I’ll hang up now.”
After ending the call, Ethan contacted James, his personal assistant. He glanced at the ward door for a moment before walking away to speak with James.
Bella watched Ethan’s retreating figure as her gentle face gradually twisted into an evil sneer. ‘I’ve spent years doing so many things to ruin Ethan and Livia’s relationship. How could I be careless enough to leave a trace now? No matter how hard Ethan tries, he’ll never discover the truth.’
After Ethan disappeared from sight, Bella walked toward the ward door. Murderous intent filled her eyes as she looked at the unconscious woman on the hospital bed. She reached out to open the door, then stepped into the room.
Seeing Livia on the verge of death, Bella had a powerful urge to remove the oxygen mask from her face. But she knew she couldn’t do that now. With the CCTV camera in front of the ward, she would become the prime suspect if Livia’s condition suddenly worsened.
So she merely reached out and touched the necklace around Livia’s neck. It was an heirloom of the Quincy family, passed down from generation to generation and given only to the eldest daughter-in-law.
‘I didn’t succeed this time. But I’ll make sure this necklace becomes mine.’
Just as Bella’s fingertips were about to touch the necklace around Livia’s neck, she suddenly felt something seize her wrist in a tight grip. It was so tight that a sharp pain shot through her. What shocked her even more was that the hand gripping her wrist belonged to Livia.
Livia glared at Bella as her grip tightened.
“Ahh! Livia! Let go of me! You’re hurting me!” Bella screamed, struggling to free herself from Livia’s grasp. But despite all the effort she put in, she couldn’t break free.
Thinking her wrist was about to snap, Bella frantically pressed the emergency button beside the bed.
A moment later, several medical staff members rushed into the room. They had no idea what had happened, but they saw the patient who had previously been unconscious gripping Bella’s wrist with wide, glaring eyes.
From their perspective, the frail Bella looked utterly shocked and terrified.
“Are you all right, Miss Bella?” one of the medical staff members asked after managing to free Bella from Livia’s grip and lead her away from the bed.
“Can’t you see that I’m in pain? How could I possibly be all right?” Bella was in pain, and the medical worker’s stupid question irritated her. She was just about to yell again when Ethan walked into the room.
“What’s going on here?” Ethan had been giving James instructions over the phone when he saw a group of medical staff running toward Livia’s ward. He ended the call and followed them.
His guess was right. They really were heading for Livia’s ward.
“Miss Livia—”
The medical worker wanted to report that Livia had regained consciousness, but Bella immediately cut in. “I don’t know what happened to Livia. She suddenly woke up and grabbed my hand so tightly. Ethan, look—she nearly broke my wrist.”
Bella held up her reddened wrist, immediately putting on the act of a fragile woman in need of protection.
Ethan looked at it, but only for a fraction of a second before shifting his gaze to the confused-looking woman on the hospital bed.
Blood Shadow was still lying there. She had only just regained consciousness when her instincts warned her of danger. She didn’t know what the woman was doing, but she had instinctively grabbed her hand. Before she could process the situation, people in medical clothing had surrounded her.
Hearing the commotion around her and smelling the disinfectant filling her nostrils, her mind slowly cleared. She then sat up in bed, removed the oxygen mask covering her face, and pressed her aching temples. Severe pain spread from the back of her head throughout her body, making her frown as she slowly adjusted to it.
Suddenly, she realized something. The fingers massaging her temples abruptly stopped moving. The next moment, her eyes widened.
‘Why am I not dead?’
She quickly surveyed her surroundings, her eyes scanning the people in the ward before settling on a young man and woman standing beside someone who appeared to be a doctor.
“Who are you?”
Blood Shadow narrowed her eyes as she spoke. That wasn’t her voice. She immediately touched her throat, only to see the thin, pale arm she had raised.
Realizing that something was wrong, she furrowed her brows deeply.
‘What happened?’
Everyone in the ward, especially Ethan and Bella, was stunned by her question. What shocked them most was that the mute woman could speak now.