Chapter 5

When Natalie woke from the heavy fog, a sharp pain in her arm snapped her wide awake. She moved her left arm a little. It was wrapped in thick bandages, and even the slightest movement would send a searing, ripping pain through her flesh. Ethan had actually ordered someone to take skin from her to graft onto Vivian’s burn wounds. The hospital room door opened quietly, and Ethan’s assistant walked in. “Mrs. Fletcher, you’re awake. Mr. Fletcher has an urgent project overseas and already flew out of the country. He asked me to bring you these gifts—he hopes you’ll like them. He also said... please focus on recovering, and maybe try to tone down your attitude in the future.” Tone down her attitude? He used her own skin to please Vivian, then tossed her these cold gifts as if that made up for it? And he wanted her to restrain herself? A cold rage boiled up inside her. Natalie suddenly raised her uninjured right arm and, with a fierce sweep, knocked all the gift boxes to the floor! “Get out!” Her voice was hoarse, but each word was icy. “Take his things and get out!” The assistant looked at the jewelry scattered across the floor. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end just bowed and left the room in silence. The next few days, Natalie stayed alone in the hospital. She changed her own dressings and ate her meals by herself. The wounds on her back and arm healed painfully slowly. Each time she changed her own bandages, it felt like she was being tortured all over again, but she just gritted her teeth and endured it all without a word. On the day she was discharged, the sky was gloomy. She’d just finished her paperwork and was walking out of the hospital when she ran into Vivian, who was also being discharged. Vivian wore a white dress. When she saw Natalie, she gave a gentle-looking smile that was actually full of provocation. “Natalie, what a coincidence! You’re leaving today too?” Vivian walked over, acting sweet as if nothing had ever happened. She even tried to take Natalie’s arm, but Natalie dodged her coldly. Vivian didn’t seem to care. She just kept talking. “It’s my birthday today. My brother’s throwing a big party for me. You should come! The more, the merrier.” Natalie didn’t even bother to look at her. She kept walking. “Not interested.” Vivian grabbed her wrist, her nails digging in. Her face was all innocent smiles, but her grip was cruel. “You don’t want to go... Are you afraid you’ll see how much he cares about me, and you can’t stand it?” Natalie stopped in her tracks. She yanked her hand free, spun around, and stared Vivian down coldly. “So you always knew Ethan liked you?” Vivian saw Natalie’s expression change and gave a satisfied, triumphant smile. “At first, I thought your brother just felt sorry for me, treating me like a little sister. But one night... I was drunk, and he took me to my room. He kissed me—secretly.” She paused, savoring the way Natalie’s eyes went wide, and then added slowly, “That was when I knew. I knew I had a place in his heart.” Kissed her—secretly... Natalie felt like she’d been struck by lightning. Her blood ran cold, flowing backward. Ethan—the man who scheduled everything, who insisted on rules, who acted like a robot with no desires—he’d really snuck into his “sister-in-law’s” room and kissed her? Vivian watched all the color drain from Natalie’s face, saw her disbelief and pain, and felt an icy kind of satisfaction. “You’re really hurting, aren’t you, Natalie?” Vivian’s voice was soft, but each word cut deep. “Look at you. You come from a great family. You’re beautiful. You’ve got men lining up for you from South City to Paris. But what good is any of that? The one you love most—his heart belongs to me.” She tilted her chin, showing off for the first time. All her pride and superiority was laid bare. “So for once, I’ve beaten you at something. How can you not come and see me happy for yourself?” Natalie looked at that smug, small-minded face, feeling both sick and empty inside. “Vivian, no matter how much Ethan likes you, you’re still his brother’s legal wife. And me—I’m still Mrs. Fletcher, his wife in the eyes of everyone and of the law.” She took a step closer, her eyes full of unshakable pride. “You’re trying to prove yourself to me? You’re not even close.” Natalie didn’t spare another look at Vivian’s shocked, angry face. She stepped out to the curb, hailed a taxi, and left without a backward glance. Back home, she moved like a machine—ate, showered, and then buried herself under the blankets, desperate to fall asleep and escape it all. But in the middle of the night, one of the maids pounded frantically on her door. “Mrs. Fletcher! Something’s wrong! There are police outside—lots of them! They say they’re here for you!” Natalie frowned, pulled on a coat, and headed downstairs. Sure enough, there were several uniformed police officers waiting in the living room, their faces grave. “Ms. Bennett?” The lead officer showed his badge. “We’ve received a report. At the birthday party held tonight at the Fletcher estate, Ms. Grant was poisoned and is now in emergency care. Based on our initial investigation, you are a prime suspect. We need you to come with us to the station and assist with our inquiry.” Poison? The word was absurd. “I didn’t poison anyone! I didn’t even go to that party!” Her voice was ice-cold, steady. The maid jumped in too. “It’s true, officers. Mrs. Fletcher was at home all night—she never even went out! This must be a mistake!” While both sides were at an impasse, the door opened again and Ethan stepped inside, tall and imposing, cold night air clinging to him. The maid, seeing him as their savior, rushed over. “Mr. Fletcher! You’re finally home! Someone called the police, accusing Mrs. Fletcher of poisoning Ms. Grant—how could that even be possible?” Ethan walked into the middle of the room, his eyes taking in the police before settling on Natalie’s pale face. “It was me. I called the police.”