Chapter 7 The one desperately calling her name and shaking her arm was her best friend , Hannah . When Aria opened her eyes , the first thing she saw was Hannah in tears . " Aria , you're finally awake ! " Hannah cried out in relief , only to burst into tears again the next moment . " But the baby ... the baby is gone . Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant ? I never would've let you take my place in the competition ! " Aria slowly returned to herself , the haze lifting from her mind . Instinctively , her hand moved to her abdomen . Realizing that a small life had quietly arrived and left before she even knew it , her heart felt like it had been ripped open . The tears came , fast and relentless . " How are you feeling ? Does it hurt ? Is there anything you want to eat ? " Hannah anxiously dabbed at her tears with tissues . " The doctor says you need to stay in bed for a full week , no getting up , no stress . The baby's gone , but you're still young . It's okay , alright ? Just focus on healing . " Aria nodded numbly and looked around the empty hospital room . No trace of Mason . The nurse had mentioned a tall , handsome but cold man . Was that him ? Aria didn't think so . But if not him.... then who ? " Where is he ? " she asked weakly after a pause . Hannah hesitated before realizing who she meant . A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face . " You mean your husband ? " she said awkwardly . " I called and told him you were in the hospital . He said he was busy ... said he'd come by later . Then he hung up . " So it really wasn't him . The sorrow exploded inside Aria like a bomb . Her chest tightened again with a painful squeeze . She clutched at it , unable to say a single word . Just then , a nurse entered with a wheelchair . " Bed 12 , time for your chest scan . Get ready . " Hannah quickly helped the nurse transfer Aria into the wheelchair and pushed her toward the CT room . On their way back from the scan , they passed a hospital room . A familiar cough made Aria freeze . Crystal had always been delicate , plagued by chronic throat issues - her soft , girlish cough was unmistakable . Aria signaled for Hannah to stop . She waited quietly at the door , which was ajar . Voices drifted out from inside : " Brother , isn't sister - in - law in the hospital too ? Why are you here with me ? You should go check on her . " " She's fine . I asked . Just a few scrapes . Nothing serious . You're the one really hurt . I'm not leaving your side . " " Brother , you're the best big brother in the whole world ! I hope my future husband is just like you ! " " Seriously , men like your brother are one in a million . I don't know what she's always so unhappy about . Picking fights all the time . Honestly , I think you should just call off the wedding and be done with it . " " Mom, don't bring that up again . We're not getting divorced . But she did go too far this time . I'm going to ignore her for a while . Let her think about what she did to Crystal . " 15:24 5 Years of Your Bullshit ? My New Man's Got a Rule : Exes Stay Buried 3.0 % Chapter 7 " Exactly . And now she's even claiming she had a miscarriage ? Who would believe that ? With her irregular period , how could she even get pregnant ? Who's she trying to fool ? " " Auntie , really ? She said she was pregnant ? Hahaha ... That's hilarious . She's so thin and flat . There's no way ! " Inside that room , Crystal , Mason , and Natalie were chatting comfortably . Every single word pierced straight into Aria's ears . Her face turned ghostly pale . Her fingers clenched into fists so tight , her nails dug deep into her palms . Hannah was seething with rage . She moved to storm into the room and confront them . But Aria grabbed her sleeve and shook her head . " Let it go . " If the baby were still there , maybe - just maybe - she would've clung to a shred of hope for this relationship . But now , even the baby seemed to sense that its parents were going to fall apart and chose to leave first . So what was the point of arguing with that family anymore ? Five years was a long time , long enough to see her in - laws and husband's true colors . And five years was also short , short enough that , looking back now , it felt like nothing more than a fleeting dream . It's okay . She was only 27. The road ahead was still long . Now that she had seen the truth , it was time to cut her losses . No more entanglements with rotten people or rotten love . Hannah wheeled her back to her room . After Aria lay down , Hannah began scrolling through her phone . Aria , half - asleep , suddenly heard her friend gasp . " Tsk tsk ... people are really cruel these days . Look at this ! Someone was abusing this old horse . Not only whipping it , but also dripping hot wax from lit candles onto its back ! It's absolutely disgusting ! " Aria's eyes flew open at the words old horse . She snatched Hannah's phone without a word - her sudden movement startling her friend . " Aria ! What are you- ?! " Aria didn't answer . Her eyes were locked onto the screen , wide and unblinking . In the video , the horse's suffering made her chest tighten . Her breathing became ragged . She stared for a full ten seconds . And then she saw it . A small tuft of pale brown hair on the horse's head . All the hairs on her body stood up . Without saying another word , she practically rolled out of bed , stumbling toward the door . But her body was still far too weak - she had just miscarried and had taken a hard fall . After only a few steps , everything went black , and she collapsed . Hannah cried out in alarm and rushed to catch her . Aria's sudden outburst left her stunned and panicked . " Aria ! What's wrong ?! The doctor said you're supposed to rest ! What are you doing ?! " Aria forced herself upright , staggering toward the door again . 15:24 5 Years of Your Bullshit ? My New Man's Got a Rule : Exes Stay Buried 3.296 Chapter 7 " I have to find Mason ! That horse . It's Phantom! " The name Phantom made Hannah's eyes widen in shock . She and Aria had grown up together , trained together - no one knew better how much that horse meant to Aria . " What ?! " she gasped . " They did that to Phantom ? No way . We're going to confront them right now ! " Hannah quickly asked a nurse for a wheelchair and pushed her straight to Crystal's hospital room . Inside , Crystal was lying leisurely in bed , watching dramas on her iPad . The nightstand was crowded with fresh flowers and imported snacks . The moment she saw Hannah pushing Aria into the room , the smile on her face froze . She scowled and snapped : " What are you doing here ? Get out . I don't want to see either of you . " Aria clenched her fingers instinctively , suppressing the fury bubbling in her chest . " Where is Phantom now ? Crystal , did you have someone abuse my horse ? " Crystal glanced at her pale , bloodless face with mocking eyes . She raised a brow and sneered : " That beast is crazy . It broke two of my ribs . The fact that it's still alive means I was merciful . And now you come here questioning me ? Expecting an apology for that damn animal ? " Hannah's face went white with rage . " Tell me , where is Phantom ? " Aria's voice grew firm . Crystal let out a snort and suddenly started singing mockingly : " I'm not telling you ~ No , I'm not telling you ! " That was the final straw . Hannah pulled a gleaming fruit knife from her pocket and pressed it against Mason's throat as he walked through the door . " Tell me where Phantom is , or I swear- " ( 24 ) 4 ( 0 ) 15:24