My mind went completely blank. I was so frightened that my feet would not move.
He did not even give me a chance to explain. After rushing downstairs, he ordered the driver to force me into the car and took me to the hospital behind the ambulance.
Not long after Thalia was pushed into the emergency room, Cassian suddenly stormed up to me.
His roar nearly tore the air apart.
“Melody, I really misjudged you! You actually pushed her down the stairs out of jealousy? Were you trying to kill my child? No wonder she was so afraid of you at the wedding!”
Tears poured down my face. My whole body shook uncontrollably.
“I didn’t… I really didn’t… she fell by herself… wait until she wakes up… she will tell you…”
But Cassian’s eyes were cold as ice.
It was clear he did not believe a single word.
He stepped toward me in his custom made shoes, one step at a time.
Each footstep sounded painfully clear, like it was knocking against my bones.
He stopped in front of me, towering over me like a judge who had crawled out of hell.
“Melody, I’ll ask you one last time. Tell the truth.”
His voice was utterly cold, like a blade pressed against my throat.
“If you dare lie again… the dog at home, I’ll have someone cook it and make you eat it. If that’s not enough, your friends might suffer too.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone dark and threatening.
“Don’t forget, that best friend of yours, Wen Shuke, still works at my company. She finally made it to manager. If something goes wrong… it won’t be so easy to settle.”
I jerked my head up, the world spinning violently.
Time and again, he struck at my weakest places.
The colder his gaze became, the more frozen it felt.
“Since you refuse to tell the truth, then we’ll wait until Thalia wakes up and ask her.”
He bent down slightly, looking at me like a filthy insect.
“But don’t think I’ll let you off easily. What you owe her, what you owe the child… you’ll repay it right here.”
He pointed at the light above the operating room.
“Kneel. Kneel here and pray for the safety of the mother and child.”
Every word pressed down on my spine.
I was forced to kneel at the door of the operating room.
The white light fell on me, magnifying my humiliation until there was nowhere to hide.
Doctors and nurses passing by avoided looking at me, quickening their steps.
As if I were a disaster no one wanted to touch.
I knelt for three hours.
My legs went completely numb. My tears had long since dried.
Then the operating room doors suddenly opened. Thalia was wheeled into the corridor, her face pale, still unconscious.
The doctor walked toward Cassian with a grave expression.
“Mr. Gao, the patient fell from a height and suffered abdominal impact. The child could not be saved. And due to severe bleeding, the uterus was also damaged. In the future… it may be very difficult for her to conceive again.”
I felt as if I had been struck by lightning. My breath caught sharply.
Cassian slowly turned to look at me, his eyes dark and vicious, as if he might kill someone at any moment.
I shook my head frantically.
“No, it wasn’t me… I didn’t push her… it wasn’t me…”
But to him, every explanation was nothing but an excuse.
Back in the hospital room, Cassian did not scold me even once.
He sat quietly by the bed, gently holding Thalia’s hand, his eyes full of tenderness, pain, and guilt.
And I was ordered to kneel on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Like a prisoner awaiting judgment.
Night deepened. The lights in the corridor were glaringly bright.
I did not drink a drop of water. I did not eat a single bite. I knelt until my knees felt as if they had been nailed to the floor.
By the time dawn arrived, I was so weak that my vision darkened, and I was on the verge of collapsing.
