Chapter 8

Chloe's POV

Ethan quickly stepped forward and held Vivian in his arms, checking her up and down with heartache.

His eyes looking at me became even colder.

"You still dare to attack Vivian. It seems these days of lessons weren't enough to make you remember your place. Vivian has been speaking well of you even after you tried to kill her, and you? She was the first to show concern for you when you were released, and you?"

I opened my mouth. The low fever from days of wound infection, combined with not eating for a long time, made me unable to control myself any longer. I passed out.

Seeing me collapse to the ground, Ethan paused.

But Vivian opened her mouth with tearful eyes.

"It looks like Chloe still blames me."

Seeing me lying on the ground without moving for a long time, my parents' barely contained tempers could no longer be restrained.

"Stop playing dead. How long are you going to make a scene?"

"Your sister and he are getting married. What more do you want? Do you have to turn this family upside down before you're satisfied?"

"Chloe, you shameless girl..."

Mom walked to my side and kicked me hard several times. The scolding continued, but the person on the floor still showed no sign of movement.

Finally, it was the maid who couldn't stand it and muttered quietly.

"Ma'am, Chloe seems to have passed out a long time ago."

After being unconscious for three days, I slowly woke up.

Seeing that I had finally awakened, the nurse breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness you're awake. When your parents and boyfriend brought you in, they were so anxious they almost tore down our hospital."

Hearing the nurse's words, I froze. I couldn't help pinching my palm, suspecting I was dreaming.

They only had eyes for Vivian. How could they possibly care about whether I lived or died?

"You've got the wrong person. It was probably a kind passerby."

I casually brushed it off. The nurse wanted to continue, but was interrupted by Ethan, who had just entered.

The hospital room fell quiet. The atmosphere grew increasingly strange.

I only glanced at him lightly when he entered, then completely ignored him.

He casually tossed the fruit in his hand onto the table and spoke awkwardly.

"You were hurt so badly. Why didn't you say something?"

These words finally got a reaction from me.

I looked straight at him.

I kept my head down and said nothing.

Ethan seemed unable to stand the atmosphere. He actively stepped forward several steps, grabbed my wrist in one motion, his tone stiff yet unyielding.

"Vivian is your sister. I'm going to marry her in the future. We'll always be family. I hope you can be more sensible from now on."

Before he could continue, Vivian walked in arm-in-arm with my parents, interrupting.

"Ethan, what's going on here?"She looked at his hand, her expression somewhat rigid.

Only then did we, who had been locked in a standoff, separate.

Vivian walked to Ethan's side and instinctively took his arm. Looking at me in the hospital bed, her tone was ambiguous.

"Chloe, have you still not forgotten him?"

These words made the atmosphere tense.

I almost instinctively refuted.

"I haven't reached the point where I need to torture myself to death."

After staying a few more days, I was taken home.

"Chloe, I'm going to try on wedding dresses today. Come with me."

After saying this, she ignored my objections and brought me into the car.

Arriving at the bridal shop, looking at the meticulously custom-made wedding dress, my heart still uncontrollably tightened.

In my past life, they didn't have a wedding. They just hastily registered their marriage and that was it.

Now I watched Vivian in that intricate handmade wedding dress, every jewel a testament to Ethan's devotion. He loved her fiercely.

Just not for me.

I lowered my head and began calculating when I could leave.

"Does it look good, Ethan?"

The curtain was pulled open. Vivian wore a perfectly fitted wedding dress, shyness in her eyes.

Ethan looked entranced. He couldn't help but step forward and kiss her.

Watching this scene before me, I hurriedly lowered my head.

"Stop it, Chloe's still here."

Vivian protested verbally, but her hand hooked around his arm without letting go. After it ended, she looked at me.

"Since you're already here, why don't you try on the bridesmaid dress? Be my bridesmaid then and witness my happiness, okay?"

After speaking, she beckoned. A server beside her brought over the dress.

Just then, Ethan received a work call.

They both entered the changing room at the same time. Before I could react, a hand suddenly covered my mouth.

Everything went dark. I passed out.

When I woke up again, I found we were on the rooftop of an abandoned factory building. Not far away was Vivian in simple clothes.

And I was wearing that wedding dress.

The kidnapper stood not far away making a phone call.

Half an hour later, Ethan arrived with my parents.

"Two women. One is your wife, one is your sister-in-law. I want you to choose one. Otherwise, wouldn't my wife have died in vain? Choose."

The kidnapper wore a hood. He pushed us together roughly.

One hand held two ropes. A dagger pressed firmly against us.

The scenes from my past life were still fresh. I knew Ethan wouldn't choose me, so I took advantage of the kidnapper talking to ram hard into him, then shoved Vivian toward everyone.

Since they didn't welcome me anyway, I might as well end all this early.

I was tired too.

"Chloe!"

"Vivian!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. I widened my eyes and saw Vivian somehow lunging toward me. I saw the knife the kidnapper stabbed into her.

The glaring blood mixed with the piercing police sirens made my whole body tremble.

Someone ran over and slapped me across the face. Someone untied my ropes. Someone kept cursing at me.

But I couldn't seem to hear anything clearly anymore.

When I woke up in the hospital room, to my surprise, everyone was there.

My parents had red eyes. Ethan looked even more haggard.

Seeing me wake, everyone looked at me in unison.

"Why did you deliberately harm your sister? If you hadn't moved, even if we saved her, the police would have taken you away."

"But why did you have to hurt your sister?"

"Now because of you, her kidney is severely damaged. While you were unconscious, we did a compatibility test. Since you owe her, you'll repay her with your own kidney. After the surgery is done, Vivian and Ethan will get married too."

"After the wedding ends, don't come back."

My parents condemned me to death in just a few words.

I stared wide-eyed in disbelief. My mind had a moment of clarity. I instinctively opened my mouth to explain.

"What if I said that kidnapper was hired by her?"

Why was the wedding dress on her? How did Vivian break free from her ropes?

All of this was evidence.

But when I finished speaking, I was slapped hard across the face.

"Where is your conscience?"

Ethan's hand trembled. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me.

I froze on the bed.

"It wasn't me."

"Vivian knew you couldn't let go. She specifically took off the wedding dress to let you try it on, hoping to help you move on. But when the criminals kidnapped us, you wanted to kill her for your own selfish desires. She doesn't blame you for any of this."

"But you actually pushed everything onto her. Chloe, you've disappointed me so much."

"The kidney removal is already complete. Your kidney has been returned to Vivian. From tonight on, we're even."

His words were like a dull knife, stabbing viciously into my heart.

I felt the wound on my side. I felt the pain in my body.

But my heart seemed to have died.

Any words of defense disappeared.

Until Vivian was discharged early. They canceled the engagement and held the wedding directly.

I stayed alone in the hospital. From beginning to end, no one came to check on me. When the wound became infected and I had a high fever in the middle of the night, it was the patient in the next bed who called a doctor for me.

When I finally crawled out of that nightmare, Ethan showed up.

He didn't bother hiding the disgust in his eyes. He was wearing the suit he would use tomorrow.

"Tomorrow is the wedding. I hope you won't make any more scenes. But after all, you're Vivian's sister. I hope you'll attend our wedding banquet tomorrow. As for anything else, stop thinking about it."

He stood at the door.

Cold and mechanical, he left without another word.

I froze for a moment, then checked myself out of the hospital.

With Adrian's help, I gathered evidence of Vivian colluding with those men, from the night I was drugged to everything that followed.

I organized everything and sent it all to Ethan.

Then I threw my belongings into a huge fire basin, took the train ticket Adrian bought, and headed for New York.

From now on, I was free.

Ethan, goodbye.