3 Years by His Hospital Bed, He Chose Her

Chapter 4

When Ethan saw the coat, a flicker of emotion crossed his face. He told the housekeeper to send it out for dry cleaning.

But I tossed it straight into the trash, along with every photo of the two of us from over the years.

I didn't want any part of him in my life anymore.

Ethan stared at me, his tone cold. "Olivia has a kind heart. She even adopted Little Darling. If you ever upset her, I won't let it slide."

It was laughable, really. People say you laugh when you've hit rock bottom. I guess Ethan had completely forgotten, I'm terrified of dogs.

Probably under Ethan's orders, not a single servant offered to help me.

Ignoring the pain throbbing in my wrist, I kept packing. By the time the sun dipped low, I'd cleared out everything that had anything to do with Ethan.

It was my first time staying home in three years. After Ethan fell into a coma, I practically lived at the hospital.

In the beginning, people came to visit. But as time passed, everyone in the Jiang family gave up on him. It was just him and me most days, alone in that cold hospital room.

Just as I was dozing off near dawn, a bucket of ice-cold water jolted me awake.

Ethan stood over me, looking down with disdain. "You've gotten lazy, Rachel."

"You're not the lady of the house anymore. Who gave you the right to sleep in?"

My head was still spinning. I nodded silently.

I wiped the water from my face and went to change clothes.

The villa was alive with movement. The housekeeper looked at me and told me to polish the piano.

Only then did I realize, it was Olivia's birthday today.

I ran my fingers across the keys, and beautiful melodies spilled out. Ethan once said my hands were born to play the piano. Now, they were just used to polish it.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the irony. Sweet words only feel real in the moment they're said.

Midway through polishing, I got a message from Dr. Song:

[Tomorrow morning, 10 a.m.]

I quickly replied okay and forwarded it to Jason.

The thought of being able to speak again actually lifted my mood.

I thought the birthday party had nothing to do with me, until Ethan suddenly dragged me into the dressing room. For a second, I was stunned when he handed me a dress.

But his tone was curt and annoyed. "Hurry up and put it on. If you don't show up, people will start talking about Olivia."

So that was it. Just damage control, for Olivia.

I felt the rough stains on the fabric. My heart didn't even flinch anymore.

Earlier, I'd seen Olivia's post on social media:

[So what if I stained the dress? Ethan will just buy me two more.]

At the party, Olivia stood beside the cake like a picture-perfect princess. And me? I was just the entertainment, something to point and laugh at.

I tried to shrink into the background, quietly sitting in a corner.

But the whispers still reached me.

"What's on her dress? Gross."

"She has no shame, stealing her sister's fiancé."

"I heard she's mute."

Each word was like a slap. I gripped the hem of my dress tightly.

Then Olivia took her place at the piano. The spotlight bathed her in a warm glow, and all eyes turned to her.

But suddenly, the music stopped. She let out a cry.

"Ouch! Why are there razor blades in the piano?!"

The housekeeper immediately pointed at me. "Only Miss Rachel touched the piano!"

Ethan stormed over, his face twisted with rage. He grabbed me and slammed my hands down onto the keys. The sharp pain shot up my arms, stealing my breath.

"Rachel," he growled, "this is what you get for doing something so vile."

Then he swept Olivia up and carried her out, leaving me behind with blood dripping from my hands.

Just before they disappeared, I caught the smug little smirk Olivia threw my way.

Later, I was taken to the hospital. But every doctor had been pulled to check on Olivia.

Right before I passed out from the blood loss, I heard a nurse yelling, furious,

"If she doesn't get immediate treatment, her hands might be permanently damaged!"

Tears slipped silently down my cheeks.

God, I wish I had never met Ethan.

Somewhere down the hall, I faintly heard a doctor call out to him.

"Mr. Moore! It's good to see you awake. How's your wife? She stayed by your side for three years. It's about time she caught a break, don't you think?"