Chapter 5 When Braelynn woke up again , the first thing she saw was the bright white ceiling of a VIP hospital room , and the air smelled strongly of disinfectant . She wasn't dead ? As she shifted slightly , her whole body felt like it was falling apart , especially her abdomen and ribs where she had been kicked . " You're awake ? " A deep , cold voice came from beside her . Braelynn turned her head and spotted Zachary sitting on the couch next to her hospital bed . His suit jacket was tossed aside , and he was just in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows , showing off his strong forearms . There were some faint scratches and smoke marks on them . So it really was him who came back to save her . Her throat felt dry as sandpaper . She wanted to say thank you when she caught sight of the anger simmering beneath his icy gaze . Braelynn was slightly startled . She was about to say something when Zachary suddenly stood up , walked over to the hospital bed , and looked down at her , questioning her word by word . " Carolina told me that the burglary and fire last night weren't accidents at all ! You teamed up with outsiders and set it all up yourself , trying to get back at her and burn her alive ! " Braelynn ! This time you actually gave her the chance . I thought you really wanted us to be happy . If that's true , then why would you do something so cruel ? " Chapter 5 Braelynn's mind went completely blank , her ears ringing . It took her a while to wrap her head around Zachary's cold questions . A wave of frustration and anger surged up in Braclynn . She shook with rage , which tugged at her wounds , making her gasp from the pain .. " I really did step back and let you two be happy . Otherwise , why would I have asked to go abroad ? The gangsters are still out there , and you're just going to take Carolina's word for it ? You're ready to throw me under the bus like this ? " If I had teamed up with those gangsters , how could I have ended up so hurt ? How could I have gotten caught in that fire and waited for death too ? " " Obviously , you were just putting on a show ! Trying to clear your name ! " Zachary interrupted sharply , his eyes filled with open disgust . " Braelynn , I know I've messed up in our past . I married you but my heart was always with Carolina . But honestly , I never treated you badly when it came to money or reputation over those years ! Even if you hate me and want revenge , aim it at me ! Carolina is innocent ! She doesn't know anything about this ! " Looking at the guy in front of her , who was fuming on behalf of her sister , Braelynn felt like her heart had been ripped apart and the pain was almost too much to handle . He cared deeply about Carolina - so much that he could just throw a vile accusation at her - the woman who used to be his wife and lived with him. for years in their past life . She tried to speak but found her throat all choked up , unable to say a single word . All explanations seemed weak and pointless against his strong bias . " There's no use saying anything more . Just go apologize to Carolina right Chiater 5 now ! " " I didn't do it , and I'm not going to apologize . " Zachary's face darkened right away , and his eyes were filled with anger . " Braelynn , don't push me ! " He suddenly grabbed her arm that was wrapped in gauze , holding on so tight that she cried out from the pain . " Let go of me ! Zachary ! " Braelynn struggled , tears streaming down her checks from both the hurt and humiliation . " Apologize ! " he growled , yanking her up from the hospital bed like it was nothing . " I won't ! Even if you beat me to a pulp , I'm not admitting to something I didn't do ! " Braelynn's stubbornness kicked in as she fought back with everything she had . In all the chaos , her wound opened up again . Fresh blood oozed through the gauze , staining his hands and soaking into her hospital gown . Looking at the bright red on her pale face , Zachary's eyes flickered with a hint of complexity , but it quickly turned into deeper anger . " Fine !! Whatever ! Braelynn , you've got some guts ! " . He suddenly let go of her , letting her slump back onto the hospital bed . " Since you're so stubborn , take some time to think about what you did wrong ! You can't leave until you write up a self - criticism , admit your mistake , and apologize to Carolina in writing ! " After saying that , he called in two bodyguards dressed in black suits . Ignoring her struggles and protests , they dragged her out of the room and took her to a remote apartment owned by the Fidgett family . They even posted guards to keep an eye on her . Bang ! The door slammed shut and she was basically under house arrest now . The apartment was beautifully decorated but cold , with just one window giving a tiny glimpse of the outside . Braelynn was thrown hard onto the icy floor . Her wound hit the ground , and it hurt so much she almost passed out . " Zachary ... you jerk ... " She curled up in the corner , crying helplessly , her whole body shaking from the chill . No one came to check on her , no one brought her any medicine , and nobody seemed to care about her injuries . As time dragged on , her untreated wound started to swell and get inflamed without any anti - inflammatory care , making the pain even worse . The agonizing pain tortured her day and night , making it impossible for her to sleep . She felt hot then cold again . Her mind slowly faded under the strain of being sick . " Water ... I'm so thirsty ... it hurts so much ... " She moaned involuntarily , her lips dry and cracked . If this kept going , she was going to die . The thought scared her to death . She hadn't been reborn to die in such a cold , confined apartment . Finally , after being stuck inside for who knows how many days , the door swung open again and there stood Zachary with his icy demeanor - he tossed a pen and paper right in front of her - and all her determination and pride just crumbled when faced with the instinct to survive . She reached out with her shaking hand and grabbed the cold fountain . pen . Tears dripped onto the pricey paper , smudging the ink everywhere . Every stroke felt like it was tearing apart what little dignity she had left . She had no choice but to admit to something she didn't do and lower her head in apology to the person who set her up . After writing that last word , it felt like all her strength just vanished , and she collapsed onto the floor . -as if Zachary picked up the self - criticism letter that was filled with humiliation . He took a quick look at it , his eyes cold and indifferent- to say , " If you knew this would happen , why even bother fighting in the first place ? " He looked down at her from above . " Just remember this . Carolina is my line in the sand . If you ever touch her again , I won't show you any mercy like I did today . " With that , he turned and walked away without a second thought . The guards came in , helped her up , and took her to the hospital . She couldn't hold back her tears anymore . It felt like her heart was being ripped apart by a knife . After years of being married , their bond was actually as fragile as a piece of paper when it came to Carolina - easily torn apart and worthless ! Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!