At the hospital.

“If that shard had gone any deeper, it would’ve been much harder to remove. Where’s your family?”

The intense pain had drained all color from Ashley’s face. Her lips, pressed tightly together, had turned pale.

“I have no family.”

The doctor froze for a second, then resumed treating her wound with more care, gently reminding her to rest and avoid walking too much.

As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, Ashley got a call from Mason.

“Where did you go? Why aren’t you at the office during work hours?”

“I was at….”

Before she could say “hospital,” Mason cut her off.

“Georgina’s having cramps. Come to the concert hall and drive us to the hospital.”

“But I…”

“Georgina’s pain is really bad. I had a drink today and can’t drive. You better be here in ten minutes.”

Ashley swallowed the rest of her words. Listening to the busy tone, she stood silently, lips pressed tight.

When she finally arrived, limping, her ankle still burning with pain, Georgina was curled up in Mason’s arms. He was gently rubbing her abdomen.

The tenderness on his face was something Ashley had never once received. She thought her heart had already gone numb, but sharp pain still cut through it. She bit back her tears.

Mason looked up and saw her. The softness in his expression disappeared instantly. With a glance, he signaled for her to get in the car without noticing her limp at all.

As Ashley climbed into the SUV, the sharp pain surged again, making her gasp. She felt the wound on her ankle tear open, warm blood seeping out.

“Hurry up. Georgina’s been in pain for a while now.”

Mason frowned, clearly annoyed by how slowly she was moving, a rare show of impatience.

Georgina added lightly, “It’s such a small thing. Why’d you even bother asking a little sister to drive?”

Mason responded coldly, “What, my secretary can’t even handle something this basic?”

At the wheel, Ashley’s focus faltered. She didn’t see the truck barreling toward them.

By the time she realized it, her injured ankle made it impossible to hit the brake fast enough. She could only jerk the wheel, narrowly avoiding the truck, but the SUV crashed violently into the landscaped divider.

The glass exploded across the cabin. Cuts opened on Ashley’s face and hands. Her body was wedged into the seat, too stiff and weak to move.

She cried out, “Mason, my leg is stuck. I can’t move.”

But all she heard was Mason’s voice, soft and reassuring for Georgina.

“Georgina, don’t be scared. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Through the rearview mirror, Ashley saw him cradle Georgina carefully in his arms.

He opened the door and gently lifted her out. Just as he turned toward the driver’s side, Georgina clung to his arm.

Tears in her voice, she whimpered, “Mason, my stomach hurts even more. Don’t leave me.”

Mason glanced once in Ashley’s direction, hesitation flickering across his face, but in the end, he turned away. Lifting Georgina into his arms, he said, “I’ll take Georgina to the hospital first. Wait for me.”

Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Ashley felt her heart turn colder. She quietly dialed for an ambulance.

By the time she was rescued, her legs were bruised and swollen. The extended loss of blood flow had left her unable to move them.

Inside the treatment room, several nurses chatted as they cleaned and bandaged her wounds.

“That was President Bennett earlier, wasn’t it? He treats his wife so well, so gentle and caring. And he’s so handsome too!”

“Right? How can someone be that rich, loyal and attractive? His wife is really lucky.”

“I heard he was hurt in the accident but didn’t let anyone treat him. He brought his wife in first.”

“And she didn’t even get hurt, just some cramps. But he still booked an entire floor just for her.”

One nurse finally noticed Ashley and gave her a curious look. “Were you in the same car as Mr. Bennett? Who are you?”

Looking down at her freshly bandaged legs, Ashley slowly wheeled herself forward and replied coldly, “I’m the Mrs. Bennett you’re all talking about.”

Not long after Ashley came out of the consultation room, she ran into Mason, making a phone call in the hallway.

He ended the call and walked straight toward her.

“Why are you in a wheelchair? Georgina wants red bean tapioca from Maggie’s Spoon. Go get her a bowl.”

Ashley didn’t nod like she usually did. Instead, she looked at Mason with a face full of sarcasm.

“My legs can’t walk.”

A flash of unease crossed Mason’s eyes. He instinctively moved closer to check on her, but Georgina, who had just followed them out, quickly pulled him back.

“Mason, little sister got hurt too. You go get it for me. I’ll have a chat with her.”

Whatever Georgina said was never questioned. Mason smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll go right now.”

With a sisterly expression, Georgina hooked her arm through Ashley’s and led her toward the rooftop.

But the moment Ashley’s foot touched the rooftop, Georgina gave her a sudden, forceful shove, knocking her out of the wheelchair. Gone was the usual gentleness; her eyes now burned with an open challenge as she slammed the rooftop door shut behind her.

Stunned, Ashley ignored the pain in her legs and crawled on her hands and knees to the door, pounding on it.

“Georgina, let me out!”

Soon, Georgina’s smug voice rang out from the other side of the door.

“Ashley, did you forget who you are? You’ve always just been my substitute.”

“If I hadn’t been away back then, you wouldn’t have gotten the chance to marry Mason. And now you actually have the nerve to call yourself Mrs. Bennett? How shameless.”

Staring at the darkening sky, Ashley’s voice grew hoarse. “I’ll be divorcing Mason in a few days. I don’t love him anymore.”

Georgina let out a sharp scoff and placed a signal jammer at the door.

“Mason, the Patel Family, none of it was ever yours. You’ve always been the outsider.”

“Now that I’m back, you deserve a little lesson. No one’s coming to help you tonight. Sit here and reflect.”

As the sound of heels faded down the corridor, Ashley’s heart sank.

The rooftop was rarely visited and now her phone had no signal.

Was she really going to be stuck here until morning?

When Mason returned with the red bean tapioca and found Georgina alone in the hospital room, he asked without thinking, “Why are you here by yourself? Did Ashley go home?”

Georgina nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

“Maybe little sister got upset with me and left.”

As Mason set the dessert in front of her and handed over a spoon, he asked casually, “She’s still in a wheelchair. Why would she leave upset?”

“I just told her that I’ve just come back and still have a lot to figure out, so I need you with me. I told her not to take it the wrong way.”

Mason didn’t give it much thought and gently reassured her.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s always gone against you since you were kids. You’re the real Miss Patel. No need to walk on eggshells around her.”

“She’s got nowhere else to go. She probably went home. Forget it. Try the red bean tapioca. See if it still tastes like you remember.”

Georgina obediently took a bite of the sweet soup and glanced at the weather app on her phone. Thunderstorms were expected that night.

A satisfied smile played on her lips.

Ashley, I’ll make sure you regret ever trying to take what belongs to me.

The sky darkened quickly. Lightning lit up the clouds while thunder rolled overhead. Ashley sat curled in a corner of the rooftop, unmoving.

She had feared thunderstorms since she was a child, always hiding under her blankets with earplugs in. After she got married, she would call Mason during storms. Even if he didn’t want to talk, he’d at least stay on the line.

But now, with no signal and a heart stripped of its illusions, all she could do was hug herself tightly, clinging to whatever warmth and comfort she could summon.

Inside the hospital room, Mason listened to the thunder rumbling outside and, almost by instinct, dialed Ashley’s number. All he heard was the hollow beep of a failed connection.

“Mason, who are you calling?” Georgina asked.

“Ashley. She’s always been afraid of storms,” Mason said, putting his phone away. “I tried calling, but the signal’s out.”

Jealousy flashed in Georgina’s eyes, but she kept her tone light. “Maybe she’s already asleep. When we were little, she used to hide under the covers.”

Mason nodded, not giving it much more thought.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Ashley was soaked through. The rain kept pouring and the wind only made it worse. Her body shivered violently from the cold.

By the time a security guard found her the next morning, she was barely conscious, too cold and weak to speak.

When she got home, Ashley found Mason and Georgina sitting at the dining table, calmly eating breakfast. The moment he saw her disheveled appearance, Mason frowned.

“We didn’t see you at all when we got back last night and now you’ve ended up like this. Where were you?”

Ashley wheeled herself directly to Georgina, grabbed the glass of milk from the table and threw it in her face.

“Ask her where I was!”

Mason rushed to Georgina, pushing Ashley aside. He anxiously wiped the milk from Georgina’s face with a handful of tissues.

“Ashley, are you insane? How would Georgina know where you went?”

Ashley let out a cold laugh. “How wouldn’t she know? She’s the one who—”

Before she could finish, Georgina interrupted. “Mason, don’t be angry with my sister. She’s been upset ever since I came back. She probably blames me for taking too much of your attention. I’ll leave now. I won’t cause any more trouble.”

She stood up to go, but Mason grabbed her arm, his expression full of panic. “You just came back. Where could you possibly go? I won’t let you leave again.”

Then he turned to Ashley, his voice cold, almost unrecognizable.

“Apologize to Georgina. Admit you were wrong.”

Even though Ashley had already braced herself for this, it still felt like being stabbed by a thousand needles.

“I’m not wrong. She’s the one who should apologize.”

Mason stepped in front of Georgina protectively.

“Georgina wasn’t feeling well yesterday. She’s only just gotten better today and you go and bully her? What did she do wrong?”

Ashley said nothing. Love, or the lack of it, made all the difference. Whether she spoke or stayed silent no longer mattered.

She turned to leave, but Mason blocked her path. “You can only leave after apologizing.”

Suddenly, Ashley’s phone rang. She answered. “Miss Patel, did you go up into the mountains? I couldn’t reach you all night. I almost flew to the Bennett Residence to look for you.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Ashley’s face.

She hadn’t expected the only person concerned about her to be a business partner she had met only once. A faint smile tugged at her lips.

“There was no signal last night. Sorry to make you worry.”

“A whole month is far too long. Someone as talented and beautiful as you is bound to be snatched away! I’ll send someone to pick you up in five days.”

Ashley’s heart was already numb toward Mason. She didn’t want to stay at the Bennett Residence any longer. She couldn’t wait to leave.

“Five days is too long. Make it three.”

The man on the line readily agreed. Ashley ended the call, satisfied.