Preston went still for a second.
He thought he'd heard Katherine wrong. He'd never once imagined she would speak to him that way.
"So you're perfectly fine after all," Preston said with a cold laugh as he stepped closer and pointed at Katherine. "You really had everyone fooled with that dying act of yours."
Katherine didn't respond. She only looked at him quietly.
Her head was heavily wrapped in gauze, and fresh blood had already seeped through the bandages.
One of her legs was suspended in a cast.
A heart monitor beside the bed kept sounding at steady intervals, while an oxygen tube rested beneath her nose.
Even seeing her like this, Preston still believed she was pretending.
It wasn't just that he was coldhearted. He simply refused to see her suffering at all.
Standing beside him, Emily let tears gather in her eyes at just the right moment. She lightly tugged on Preston's sleeve. "Katherine, this is all because of me. I shouldn't have upset you. Maybe I should apologize to you."
As she spoke, she stepped forward.
Preston wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. Concern filled his face. "Emily, what are you doing? You've done nothing wrong. She isn't worth apologizing to."
He shot Katherine a dark look, his tone turning harsher with every word. "Katherine, I'm only saying this once more. Apologize to Emily right now, or I won't marry you!"
The room went completely quiet.
Only the rhythmic beeping from the heart monitor filled the silence.
Preston lifted his chin and waited confidently for Katherine to panic, burst into tears, and beg him not to leave her like she always did.
Every time he threatened not to marry her, she'd become so desperate that she'd throw away every bit of pride she had.
Katherine kept her eyes on the ceiling, breathing slowly. "Alright."
Preston stared at her. "What did you say?"
Since childhood, Katherine had followed the three boys everywhere, doing whatever they wanted without hesitation. Yet now, when he said he wouldn't marry her, she was okay with it?
"So you're saying you don't want to marry me anymore?" he asked.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Preston went completely still, and even Emily stiffened in his arms.
Katherine lay motionless on the hospital bed, staring at the pale ceiling above her.
The heart inside her chest had already been worn empty by everything those three men had done to her.
They'd forced her to give blood, locked her inside a dog cage, and even shoved her toward the truck without hesitation.
How many lives would it take before their cruelty finally ended?
From now on, she only wanted to live for herself.
Preston finally came back to his senses. Agitated, he dragged a hand through his hair and pointed at her again. "Cut the act already! Even if you're trying to make me angry, what about Carson and Tyler? Last time you had a fever, you kept talking in your sleep about wanting to marry one of us. So what's with this attitude now?"
"I'm not marrying any of you." Katherine shut her eyes tightly. She felt disgusted the moment she looked at him.
Those three only cared about Emily. Anyone who married them would spend the rest of their life serving Emily and being treated like nothing more than a blood donor.
Preston opened his mouth to keep arguing, but the door suddenly swung open.
The nurse walked in carrying a tray of medicine and frowned at them. "Why are you making so much noise? This is the ICU. If you want to fight, do it outside."
Emily's eyes turned red with tears. "But I'm injured too. My ankle still hurts so badly..."
"So a sprained ankle is enough to land someone in the ICU now?" The nurse rolled her eyes as she smoothly adjusted Katherine's IV. "With an injury that minor, you should've been discharged ages ago. Why are you still here? If something's wrong with your brain, the Neurology Department is on the third floor to the left. Off you go."
The sharp words left Emily stunned. Her face flushed bright red while tears rolled down her cheeks in embarrassment.
Preston's expression darkened. He wrapped an arm around Emily and pulled her toward the door.
"Fine! Katherine, stay here forever for all I care. Don't expect anyone to pick you up until you're ready to apologize to Emily properly!"
Two weeks later, the Holt family's car stopped outside the in-patient building.
Katherine still had a cast on her leg. Sitting in a wheelchair, she was pushed out through the lobby by the driver, Ricky Chapman.
The moment they reached the car, they saw Preston and Emily.
Emily clasped her hands together nervously and looked at Katherine with an uneasy expression. "Katherine, I'm really sorry. Preston didn't know you'd also be discharged today. The car's too crowded, so we'll need to drop me off first."
Preston crossed his arms and glanced down at Katherine in her wheelchair. His voice carried the same arrogant tone as always. "Take this as a lesson. Katherine, once you're willing to apologize to Emily, I'll send someone to come get you."
Katherine rested her fingers lightly on the wheelchair armrest.
Three years ago, she'd returned home full of excitement, believing she would finally reunite with the family she missed. Instead, she discovered someone else had already taken her place.
The Holt family's heiress had become the villain everyone hated, while the housekeeper's daughter had become the apple of their eye.
Ricky stood nearby, looking uneasy as he rubbed his hands together.
He'd come to pick Katherine up today, yet Preston and Emily insisted on taking the car instead.
In the past, Katherine would've quietly stepped aside and called another ride home just to keep them happy.
Seeing Ricky hesitate, Preston lost patience. "What are you standing around for? Drive already! Emily still needs to get home and take her medicine."
Ricky lowered his head awkwardly. "But Ms. Holt hasn't gotten into the car yet..."
"So what if she hasn't?" Preston snapped before turning toward Katherine. "Have you made enough of a scene? Are you really going to keep Emily standing here waiting for you?"
Katherine slowly lifted her eyes and looked past him at Ricky. "Ricky, help me into the car."
Ricky hurried over and pushed the wheelchair to the door.
He carefully helped Katherine into the back seat before settling her comfortably inside.
"Ms. Holt, should we leave now?" Ricky asked as he moved toward the driver's seat.
Katherine looked at Preston and Emily, who had already seated themselves beside her.
"Not yet," she replied calmly.
