I didn't know what Ashton was planning, so I only nodded.
That was what I always did. I agreed before I even had time to think. Somewhere along the way, it became easier to follow his decisions than to fight them. Even when something inside me resisted, I still obeyed.
It felt like I had learned how to shrink myself in silence.
When the car entered the city, I thought he would take me back to the villa. I was wrong.
He drove straight to the hospital.
The closer we got, the heavier the air felt. The scent of disinfectant was sharp the moment we stepped inside, cutting through everything else. I didn't like it, but I followed him anyway, my steps quiet behind his.
We stopped at Rebecca's ward.
She was already there, lying on the bed with an IV drip in her hand. Her face looked pale, smaller somehow, like she had been drained of everything that once held her together.
When she saw me walk in behind Ashton, her expression changed immediately.
"I don't want to see her," she said after a long pause, her voice low but clear.
Something in her tone felt colder than before. The softness she once carried was gone, replaced by something sharper, harder to reach.
Ashton moved before I could react.
He stepped closer to her bed and pulled her into his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. His hand rested at the back of her head, holding her gently, his chin brushing her forehead as he spoke.
"She's here to take care of you," he said quietly. "That's what she should do."
The words landed deep.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just final.
Rebecca stayed still for a moment, then slowly relaxed in her arms. Whatever she wanted to say, she swallowed it back. In the end, she only smiled faintly.
"Alright," she whispered. "If that's what you decide."
They were talking about me, but I wasn't part of it. I stood a few steps away, watching everything unfold like I didn't belong in the same space.
No one asked me.
No one needed my answer.
Ashton was always busy. The Fuller name weighed on him more than anything else. Even the funeral couldn't hold him in one place for long. Now the hospital became just another place he had to manage from a distance.
And somehow, I was the one left behind in it.
It seemed like the only person available to stay here… was me.
I shifted slightly, my fingers curling at my side. The room felt too small suddenly, like the walls had leaned in closer without warning. Rebecca's gaze flicked toward me for a brief second, then away again, as if I were already part of the background.
Ashton finally stepped back, his attention already moving elsewhere. He pulled out his phone, scanning messages, his mind clearly split between duties and people.
"Stay here," he said flatly, not looking at me. "Do what's needed."
It wasn't a request.
It never was.
I gave a small nod again, even though something inside me tightened painfully at the words. The IV machine beeped softly in the background, steady and cold, marking time I didn't feel part of.
When Ashton turned to leave the room, Rebecca reached for his sleeve lightly.
He paused just long enough to cover her hand with his.
Then he left anyway.
And I stayed.
It was two in the morning when the hospital finally went quiet.
Rebecca had slept too much during the day, so now she lay awake, staring at the dim ceiling light. The ward felt colder at night, like even the air lost warmth after midnight.
There were no extra beds. So I stayed in the chair beside her.
I didn't mind. I was used to staying in uncomfortable places.
After a long silence, I felt her eyes on me.
"Scarlett," she said softly, "you're too inferior."
I didn't answer right away. My gaze drifted down to the ring on my finger, the weight of it suddenly louder than her voice.
Then I looked up. "Isn't love supposed to feel like this?"
She paused, like she didn't understand me at all. Then she smiled faintly.
"Aren't you tired of it?"
I shook my head slowly. Everything in life was tiring. I had only chosen one kind of exhaustion. Loving Ashton.
That was all.
"Can you pour me some water?" she asked, sitting up.
I stood without argument and walked to the side table. The ward was too quiet, only the sound of machines and distant footsteps outside the door.
"Don't mix it with cold water," she added, her voice calm but firm. "I want it very hot."
I didn't respond. I just poured it carefully and returned, holding the glass steady. The heat burned lightly against my fingers, but I ignored it.
I offered it to her.
She didn't take it.
Instead, she looked at me with something sharp hidden behind her calm expression. "I pity you," she said. "You really are pathetic. I don't blame you for the miscarriage… but I can't stop myself from hating you a little."
I frowned slightly, not fully understanding her words. I only held the glass out again. "Be careful. It's hot."
That was when she moved.
Her hand suddenly caught mine, pulling me closer. Her grip wasn't strong enough to hurt, but it was deliberate. Intentional.
I tried to step back, but her eyes locked onto mine, steady and strange.
"Let's make a bet," she said quietly. "Will he care about you?"
A pause.
Then I felt it.
Ashton.
He was at the door.
I hadn't heard him come in. No sound, no warning. Just presence—heavy and still, filling the space like a pressure change before a storm.
Rebecca didn't look away from me. Her voice stayed calm.
"Let's bet," she repeated. "Will he choose you?"
Before I could respond, her hand tilted.
The boiling water slipped.
Pain exploded across my skin the moment it hit my hand. Sharp, immediate, unbearable. My breath caught, but I didn't make a sound.
For a second, everything felt frozen.
I had agreed to the bet without speaking.
Rebecca quickly set the glass down, her expression changing in an instant.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "It slipped. I didn't mean it. It was too hot… are you okay?"
Her voice was gentle again. Almost innocent.
What a perfect act.
I pulled my hand back slowly, forcing myself to breathe through the pain burning through my skin.
"I'm fine," I said quietly, shaking my head.
And I stayed standing there, while the silence between us waited for Ashton's next move.