When Caspian returned to Arianna's hospital room, he and Cedric swapped roles again.

"The week is up, Cedric. It's your turn to be Megan's husband."

Cedric frowned.

Seeing this, Caspian added, "I hired a caretaker for her. If you don't want to look after her, just say the company needs you and go on a business trip."

Cedric let out a quiet sigh and handed over his phone. "Fine. Then make sure you take good care of Ari these next couple of days. If anything happens to her, I'll come straight to you."

Arianna blushed sweetly. "You two are making me feel embarrassed. I'm not made of glass. But are you sure it's okay to leave Megan like that?"

Caspian chuckled. "You're too kind, Ari. That's why Megan pushed you around. Don't worry about her. She's like a dog. Beat her as hard as you want, and she'll still come crawling back the moment you show her a little affection."

A flash of satis

The room went ice-cold in an instant. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

"Caspian, what are you doing? You're the one who said you like Arianna and look down on Megan. What's wrong with us joking around about her?"

"Yeah, and didn't you arrange for those photos to be taken yourself? Why are you making such a fuss now?"

Their voices overlapped as everyone spoke at once.

Then someone asked, "Caspian… you're not seriously falling for Megan, are you?"

Caspian's mind flashed to Megan's pale face when she had stabbed herself. His expression darkened instantly.

He kicked the coffee table hard.

"Shut up. How could I possibly like her? She's only my wife in name. If those photos spread, what would become of the Stone family's reputation?"

Everyone nodded, accepting his explanation.

"Caspian's right. From now on, we should all be careful. No more joking about her."

"Fine. I've deleted th

Megan had no idea how long she had been unconscious. When she finally woke up, she found herself in a hospital room. Two nurses were chatting beside her.

"The two men in 608 are way too devoted. Ms. Maxwell only had a minor injury, and they still carried her to the bathroom."

"Seriously. She just tried to pour herself a glass of water, and they nearly lost it, terrified she might hurt herself again."

"Compared to that, this Megan girl is pitiful. It's been a whole day and no one's come to see her."

"Right? People really don't live the same life."

Megan pressed a hand to her chest. The heart that once tore apart in pain felt numb now. Her love for Caspian had finally burned out.

A moment later, Caspian walked in. He stopped when he saw her lying quietly on the bed.

In his memories, Megan had always been full of life. Whenever she saw him, her face would light up the room, and she'd smile warmly, lifting her arm in a silent request to be held. She used to call him by his name with such affection.

But at some point, her smile vanished. Now, whenever she looked at him, her eyes were still and unreadable, without a hint of emotion.

He began to wonder if his punishments had been too harsh lately. But if she hadn't been so cruel to Arianna, why would he have punished her at all?

Caspian pressed his lips together, poured a glass of water, and walked over.

"Ari's injuries are serious. I need to take care of her with Cedric these next few days. I hired a caretaker for you. She'll be here soon. If you need anything, just call her."

Megan didn't take the glass. She looked at him briefly and nodded. "Alright."

As he walked away, he couldn't help glancing back. Megan's eyes were closed. She was already asleep. Sunlight spilled across her face, making her look even paler than snow.

It had to be his imagination. She was alive. She loved him too much to just vanish.

Megan spent another day in the hospital. When she insisted on being discharged despite the doctor's warnings, she ran into Arianna, who had come to flaunt her victory.

Without a word, Megan opened the recording app on her phone.

"Arianna, what are you doing here? Did you come to laugh at me?"

Arianna looked her over, pleased with what she saw. "Yes. I wanted to see how pathetic you look."

"What do you want?"

"Leave the Stone family and return everything that should have been mine. If you don't, I'll make sure you end up just like before. Dead, if I have to."

Megan studied her quietly. "So you never loved Cedric or Caspian. Everything you did to set me up was just to push me out."

"Of course I loved them," Arianna replied with a smirk. "I loved their money, their status, everything they could give me. I loved having them wrapped around my finger."

"Okay. I'll do what you want. I'll leave the Stone family and Caspian."

With that, Megan turned and left.

During the first hour after she left, she went to the hotel where the auction was held and copied the video of Arianna hurting herself. She placed it in Caspian's study along with the report and the recording she had just made.

In the second hour, she took a cab to the airport and blocked every number belonging to Caspian and Cedric.

By the third hour, she boarded an international flight with Andrew.

As the plane lifted into the sky, she pulled out her SIM card, snapped it in half, and dropped the pieces into the trash.

"Goodbye, Caspian," she whispered. "I hope we never meet again."

When Caspian returned to Arianna's hospital room, he and Cedric swapped roles again.

"The week is up, Cedric. It's your turn to be Megan's husband."

Cedric frowned.

Seeing this, Caspian added, "I hired a caretaker for her. If you don't want to look after her, just say the company needs you and go on a business trip."

Cedric let out a quiet sigh and handed over his phone. "Fine. Then make sure you take good care of Ari these next couple of days. If anything happens to her, I'll come straight to you."

Arianna blushed sweetly. "You two are making me feel embarrassed. I'm not made of glass. But are you sure it's okay to leave Megan like that?"

Caspian chuckled. "You're too kind, Ari. That's why Megan pushed you around. Don't worry about her. She's like a dog. Beat her as hard as you want, and she'll still come crawling back the moment you show her a little affection."

A flash of satisfaction crossed Arianna's eyes as she nodded obediently.

For the next three days, Caspian stayed by

Chapter 8