In the very next second, Nicolas clamped a hand around her wrist and said in a voice cold enough to cut, "You're coming to the operating room. Right now."
The force of his grip was vicious, crushing down so hard it felt like the bones in her wrist might splinter.
Pain shot through Ashley, and she jerked her hand free on instinct.
"Why the hell would I go with you?"
For a brief instant, shock flashed across Nicolas's face.
Over three years of marriage, he had grown far too used to her quiet patience, her obedient softness, and the way she always gave in to him.
Never once had she challenged him this openly.
At once, his expression darkened, and his voice came out even harsher with anger. "You've still got the nerve to ask? If you hadn't poisoned Caroline, she wouldn't be lying in kidney failure right now, barely hanging on. This was your fault, so you were going to pay for it."
A frigid laugh slipped from Ashley's lips. "Oh, really? And how was I supposed to pay? By marching into the operating room and letting you carve one of my kidneys out for her?"
Nicolas hadn't expected her to see straight through his plan so quickly, but he didn't feel the slightest bit ashamed of it.
"What if that's exactly what I meant? It's only one kidney. You owed her at least that much. You were coming with me."
She owed Caroline?
The sheer insanity of that thought made Ashley feel like the whole world had turned into a joke.
In her previous life, Nicolas had taken Caroline's side every single time that woman set her up.
Back then, Ashley had foolishly believed she wasn't good enough, that she had somehow made Nicolas misunderstand her, so she kept giving more, swallowing more pain, and clinging to the desperate hope that one day she could change his mind about her.
Not until the day they drove her to her death did she finally see how horribly wrong she had been.
This time, she would never hand them another chance to destroy her.
"No," she said, her voice sharp and icy. "Absolutely not."
A cruel sneer tugged at Nicolas's lips. "You don't get to decide that. Take her to the operating room and run the compatibility tests now."
The instant the order left his mouth, several broad-shouldered bodyguards closed in on her.
Seeing those painfully familiar faces, Ashley was dragged straight back to the last life—to the moment they had hauled her into the operating room like she was less than human.
Before their hands could close on her, Ashley whirled around and bolted.
Relying on the grim memories of her previous life, she raced straight to Caroline's room and drove the door open with a hard kick.
Inside, Caroline was reclining against the pillows, holding up a compact mirror while she carefully painted on her lipstick.
The door burst inward with a savage crash, and Caroline shrieked as the lipstick dragged a vivid red streak across her cheek.
At once, she lashed out, "Didn't I make myself clear? I'm busy. No one comes in here. Which brainless little..."
Mid-sentence, her eyes landed on Ashley, and her face stiffened with sudden shock.
"Ashley?" Her voice caught for a beat before turning sharp with alarm. "What... what are you doing here?"
By now, Ashley was supposed to have already been hauled into the operating room, prepped and cut open for her kidney.
Before Caroline could steady herself, Nicolas burst in with several bodyguards close behind, chasing after Ashley.
At the sight of Caroline sitting upright, perfectly fine, Nicolas halted mid-step, shock flashing across his face. "Caroline? You're awake?"
A jolt ran through Caroline's body, her posture going rigid. Only then did it hit her—she was supposed to still be unconscious.
In a flurry of panic, she shoved the compact mirror beneath the blanket, fingers trembling as she forced her expression into something pale and pitiful. Clutching at her chest, she bent forward and broke into a fit of harsh, exaggerated coughing. "Nicolas… it hurts…"
But the act came a second too late.
A mocking smile curved across Ashley's lips. "Miss Wheeler, I heard you were practically dying. They were this close to dragging me into operation to carve out a kidney for you. And now you're sitting here looking just fine. So what was this, huh? Another one of your little traps? Were you faking the whole thing just to pin it on me?"
For the briefest instant, Caroline's expression locked up. Then her eyes turned red on command, and tears spilled down her cheeks as neatly as if she had rehearsed it.
"Ashley, what are you even saying? I don't understand any of this. I just woke up. I only wanted to fix myself up a little because I didn't want Nicolas to see me looking awful. Why are you making it sound like I'm trying to harm you?"
Just as Ashley had expected, the second Nicolas saw Caroline's fragile, tearful face, he moved to shield her.
"That's enough, Ashley," he snapped, his expression hard with anger. "Do you really think everyone is as scheming as you are? Caroline is naturally kind. Why would she ever do something to harm you?"
