Chapter 5

Ashley POV

When I woke up, all I saw was the hospital's glaring white.

The strong smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils, and excruciating pain shot through my right arm and calf. I moved my cracked lips, but no sound came out.

"The patient's awake! Call the doctor!" A nurse's surprised voice rang in my ears.

After a series of examinations, the doctor told me I had second-degree burns over much of my body, a fractured calf, and had inhaled a large amount of toxic gas. Surviving the fire was extremely lucky.

"Firefighters brought you in. Where's your husband? I don't see any family members," the doctor said, frowning, a hint of displeasure in his voice.

I closed my eyes and said nothing.

My husband was busy comforting his first love. Why would he have time for me?

The ward door was pushed open. It wasn't Liam who came in, but his good friend, Greg Evans.

Seeing me wrapped up like a mummy, Greg's face showed a flicker of awkwardness and guilt. He placed a fruit basket on the bedside table and cleared his throat. "Ashley, you're awake. Liam... he's a bit busy, he asked me to check on you."

My gaze was hollow as I stared at the ceiling, my voice hoarse like sandpaper. "He's with Serena, isn't he?"

Greg choked, his eyes darting away. "Ashley, don't misunderstand. Serena just happened to be at the coffee shop downstairs looking for Liam that day, then the fire happened. She was terrified, and her old condition flared up. Liam had no choice..."

"No choice?" I scoffed, a movement that pulled at the wounds on my face, making me gasp in pain. "He had no choice, so he stood by and watched me burn to death, while saving a woman who didn't even have a scratch?"

Greg was speechless.

Just then, footsteps and hushed arguing came from outside the door.

The ward's soundproofing wasn't good. I clearly heard the conversation outside.

It was Daniel Hayes, another of Liam's friends.

"Liam, are you crazy? Do you know the video of you rushing into the fire to save Serena has gone viral? The entire city is laughing at the Vance family! You risked your life for a divorced woman? If you get scars on your hands, will you still be able to hold your position as the Vance heir?"

Then came Liam's cold, firm voice.

"If I can't, then I won't. As long as Serena is okay, I can give up everything the Vance family has."

Daniel was furious. "What about your wife? Ashley is still lying in there! She's your actual wife! You saved Serena right in front of her. How do you think she feels?"

There was a long silence outside the door.

So long that I thought Liam had left, before his low, cold voice slowly broke the quiet.

"How she feels, does it matter?"

"If her father hadn't died saving my grandfather back then, if my grandfather hadn't forced me, I never would have married her. For these three years, I gave her the dignity of Mrs. Vance and endless money. What more could she be unsatisfied with?"

"I married her to find an obedient ornament, and to give up hope, to forget Serena. But I overestimated myself. I love Serena. From beginning to end, she is the only one in my heart. As for Ashley, she is injured, and I will give her the best medical care, but don't expect any affection from me."

These words were like sharp ice blades, precisely piercing my already bruised and battered heart.

Turns out, these three years of marriage were just my solo act, from beginning to end.

What I thought was love growing over time was merely his calculated charity; what I thought was a beautiful relationship was just his indifference after his heart had turned to ashes.

He gave all his favoritism, his madness, his tenderness to Serena, leaving me only with calculation and exploitation.

I slowly closed my eyes, tears sliding down my temples, seeping into the bandages, stinging terribly.

I didn't cry out loud. I just silently added the last sentence to that journal in my heart.

"He personally admitted that he married me only to repay a debt and to forget Serena. Minus ten points."

One hundred points deducted.

I opened my eyes. There was no longer any hidden endurance or love in them, only a desolate emptiness.

With my uninjured left hand, I struggled to press the call button beside the bed.

The nurse quickly arrived. "Ashley, what's wrong?"

"Please, contact a lawyer for me." My voice was quiet, but it carried a decisive strength. "I want to draft divorce papers."

The conversation outside the door ceased abruptly.

A few seconds later, the ward door was violently pushed open. Liam stood in the doorway, his face terribly grim, his dark eyes fixed on me in the bed.

"What did you just say?" he asked through gritted teeth, as if he'd heard some unbelievable joke.

I met his gaze without flinching, repeating coldly:

"I said, Liam, we're getting a divorce."