Chapter 5 Propose Marriage
"How is she? Has she recovered yet?" Ethan twirled a pen between his fingers. After a week, he had returned to the hospital to make sure Ashley was still alive.
Ashley belonged in his hands. No one had the right to hurt her except him. Betty and the other inmates had already paid the price. Ethan had ordered the prison guards to let them go hungry for an entire week because they had dared to lay a hand on his prey.
"Are you here to visit your future wife?" Julian teased as he walked over, drying his hands after coming out of the restroom.
"The grin on your face tells me you actually support this insane decision, Julian!" Victoria snapped, glaring at her husband.
Even after two weeks, Victoria still refused to speak to Ethan, especially after learning that her younger brother intended to marry Ashley.
Julian shrugged and slipped an affectionate arm around his wife's shoulders. "What can I do? He's already made up his mind."
Victoria shot him an exasperated look while Ethan let out a quiet chuckle.
"See? After all this time, we finally got to see your teeth again, Ethan," Julian teased.
Ethan's laughter vanished instantly, replaced by his usual impassive expression.
"Looks like Ashley's been good for you," Julian added, completely ignoring the dark look on his brother-in-law's face.
"But he's been hell for Ashley," Victoria said coldly.
Ethan merely snorted.
"You know I can't argue with that," Julian replied with a quiet laugh.
"What exactly has that woman done for the two of you to become this annoying? Let me remind you, she's a murderer!" Ethan barked.
"She paid Victoria with her car," Julian answered honestly.
Victoria immediately smacked her husband on the arm, trying to silence him.
As payment for all the medical care she had received, Ashley had transferred ownership of her limited-edition sports car to Victoria.
"Wasn't that car destroyed?" Ethan straightened in his chair.
"It's been fully restored by an excellent mechanic," Julian replied with a grin.
"That's pathetically cheap. You're taking her side over your own brother-in-law because of a car." Ethan sneered. "I can buy you one if you want."
"You just wounded my pride," Julian said. "There are only three of those cars in the entire world. The other two belong to the Saudi royal family, and my wife has wanted one for years."
"Bryan owns one too. Don't exaggerate," Ethan interrupted.
"Really?" Julian frowned. "Speaking of Bryan, I heard he's hosting a party tonight."
Ethan nodded. "I know. His business has taken off so fast that it's almost impossible to get hold of him."
"He's been worried about you. He asks me about you all the time because he's afraid your nightmares might come back," Julian explained.
Ethan let out a long sigh, staring blankly into the distance.
"Ever since Chloe died, I've never dreamed about that devilish woman again. Chloe was the only person who could calm me after everything that woman put me through. Now that Chloe is gone, the nightmares seem to have been buried with her. I miss her, but she never appears in my dreams."
The sorrow on Ethan's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a dark, threatening aura.
"And all of this happened because of another devil."
"Ethan..." Victoria whispered sympathetically.
Ethan rose from his chair.
"I don't want to argue with you, Victoria. You know how much I suffered back then, and you know how Chloe saved me. My mother and that woman make me sick."
"Mother wants to see you," Victoria said softly.
"That noble lady with a devil's heart wants to see her husband's illegitimate son?" Ethan replied bitterly. "I was born from my father's affair with his mistress. She abused me and kept me locked away for years until I became an adult. I loved her, but she forced me to hate her. Now that I finally do, why would she want to see me? That's terrifying."
"Tell her I'll never see her."
Victoria nodded. "I'll tell her. But as for your plan to marry Ashley, you should reconsider, Ethan."
"You know you can't change my mind." Ethan fixed his sister with a hard stare.
"Don't be reckless. It's possible Ashley is innocent."
"Enough, Victoria. I don't want to argue."
"You'll regret this!" Victoria warned.
Ethan let out a bitter laugh. "Regret? We'll see about that."
"Good afternoon, Miss Ashley."
Ashley flinched at the unfamiliar voice. Until now, only Victoria, Julian, and two nurses had greeted her regularly.
Noticing her tension, Caleb smiled faintly.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Caleb."
He extended his hand, then immediately withdrew it when Ethan signaled with his eyes, reminding him that Ashley was blind.
"I'm the man who got you out of that cell," Caleb said, proudly announcing his good deed.
Ethan snorted before delivering a sharp kick to Caleb's shin for making such an unnecessary remark. Caleb grimaced, struggling not to laugh.
"Thank you," Ashley said sincerely, repeatedly bowing toward the space in front of her even though Caleb was standing beside her. "No wonder your presence felt familiar. Thank you, sir. I think you're the same man who carried me when I was being tortured in the bathroom. I'm sorry... I recognized your scent."
Damn woman, Ethan cursed inwardly.
Still, he had to admit her sense of smell was remarkably sharp. It had been Ethan who carried Ashley after she lost consciousness during the abuse.
Caleb shot Ethan an amused look before turning back to Ashley.
"Miss Ashley, we're here today to ask for your hand in marriage."
"My hand... in marriage?" Ashley froze.
She was a blind, helpless woman. She didn't know either of these men, yet one of them was proposing to her. Surely the world hadn't run out of perfectly healthy women.
"Yes. Will you marry him?" Caleb asked.
"I... I can't see."
"I know," Caleb answered calmly.
"I'm sorry... I can't," Ashley whispered.
"So you're rejecting me?"
Ethan's cold voice sliced through the room, locking the silence firmly in place.
