Chapter 10
My heart trembled slightly as I stole a glance at the man standing before me.
The ward was eerily quiet. I opened my mouth but ultimately said nothing. Words seemed inadequate in that moment. After all, I had explained countless times before, but my brothers never believed me.
Noah’s throat moved slightly before he finally let go of my hand. Then he finally released my hand. Disappointment clouded his features.“If you keep being so stubborn, when Ethan gets back, I won’t protect you. Think about it.” With that, he walked away.
I leaned back against the headboard, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over me. The self–mockery in my eyes was palpable–what else was there to think about? Should I just bow my head and tiptoe around them like in my past life, only to end up kicked out of the house and thrown into the ocean to die a miserable death? No way.
“Here.” A wrapped ice pack appeared in front of me.
I applied the ice to my swollen cheek, stealing a glance at the man beside me.“Thank you,” I whispered.
His voice was cold as ice.“Why didn’t you explain?”
looked down, a bitter smile creeping onto my face.“Do you believe me? I’ve explained countless times before, even provided evidence, but they just thought I was lying.”
The room fell into a brief silence. I didn’t want to explain too much; outsiders never believed me, only thinking I was disobedient.
“It’s hard not to believe you.”
I was stunned. Did he really believe me?
Jack stepped closer, placing his hand on my forehead.“Your temperature has dropped.”
I froze; his hand was cool and comforting. I felt a lot better now, the discomfort easing.
I looked at his wrist. “Is that scar on your hand from a car accident too?”
Jack’s hand froze and quickly withdrew. He removed the empty IV bag and after a moment, replied, “Yes, it’s from a car accident.” His back was turned to me, his profile obscured by the light, making it hard to read his expression.
“I have one too, on my leg.” I hiked up my skirt a bit, revealing a thin, white
scar. “Here, doesn’t it look a lot like yours?”
Jack glanced at my slender leg. The pale skin made the scar stand out starkly. However, my skirt was hiked a little too high, revealing more than intended.
He glanced at it and quickly turned away.“Little girl, don’t lift up your skirt in front of men.”
“But you’re a doctor.”
ல்லும்
Jack’s throat tightened, but he was still a man. Didn’t anyone teach me these things?
He continued, “That scar can be treated. Why haven’t you had it fixed?”
My expression dimmed, my heart aching. Alex had said the scar represented my parents and that he’d fix it later. I’d believed him.
But later, he’d looked at my scar with disgust, saying he hated it and that he’d never fix it. He claimed I was the reason our parents died, that the scar was my mark, a reminder of their death that I had to carry for life.
I was devastated, genuinely believing I had caused their deaths, becoming increasingly submissive to my brothers.
Recalling the past made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. But I couldn’t voice that reason now, so I countered, “What about you? Why haven’t you fixed yours?”
“I’m a man. It doesn’t matter. Little girls should get theirs fixed.”
I offered a forced smile.“I’ll think about it later.”
Seeing me looking down, Jack didn’t press further. He sat beside me and turned on the TV.
I noticed the screen was showing a gaming live streaming, Luke’s current competition. He’d skipped the banquet for Chloe to participate in this match. Unfortunately, he’d lost to the young master from the Wilson family in New York.
I remembered how, in my past life, after losing the match, Luke had been ruthlessly mocked. Afterward, he had angrily reassembled the family team. Noah, Caleb, Finn, Luke, and me. Though Luke had failed the preliminaries, we had a chance to revive in the next round. We’d fought our way to the national competition, facing the same New York Wilson family team. During that time, I had spent countless hours training and studying our opponents
to ensure we could win.
CQ
6.6%
< Chapter 10
Chloe wasn’t there; her gaming skills were subpar, relegating her to a backup role.
I cherished the feeling of battling alongside my brothers, free from outside interference.
I’d even neglected my studies for it.
But when we won a crucial round and the championship was within reach, who would’ve thought my own brothers would call a timeout?
