Chapter 5

Wendy's POV

After the incident in the cafeteria, the fire in my chest didn't die down—it burned even hotter.

I knew women like Chloe Bennett too well. If you didn't crush them completely into the dirt, they would cling to you like leeches, sucking you dry.

Just after two in the afternoon, I cornered Chloe at the nurses' station.

I folded my arms, blocking the middle of the hallway, my voice low and dangerous.

"Stay the hell away from Clara. Don't think no one knows about the vile things you did."

"During those four years Clara lay comatose, how many times did you intentionally delay turning her over? How many times did you hold back her infection-prevention meds? Do you really think everyone in this hospital is blind?"

Chloe kept her head down, her eyes brimming with tears, drawing frequent glances from passing nurses.

I scoffed, taking a menacing step forward.

"And that girl you popped out—you know better than anyone whose bastard she really is. If Julian wants to play the fool, that's his business. But if you dare use that kid as a weapon against Clara again, I will tear you apart."

Chloe snapped her head up, tears spilling over her cheeks.

"Ms. Carter, you can insult me however you want, but Lily is innocent! You can't degrade a child like this!"

"With a mother like you, she's cursed from birth."

I threw those words at her and stormed off.

I never imagined that the moment I turned my back, Chloe would seize the opportunity.

An hour later, hospital security marched straight into the pharmacy.

Julian had signed an administrative decree suspending me immediately.

Then, under the pretext of an "investigation into suspected intentional assault," security dragged me to a windowless office in the administration building and locked me inside.

They confiscated my phone, bolted the door from the outside, and didn't even offer a cup of water.

Sitting in the dark, the truth hit me: I had walked right into Chloe's trap.

Julian knew that I was Clara's only vulnerability. By taking me down, he could force Clara to crawl back and submit.

Clara's POV

When news reached me of Wendy's unlawful detention, panic seized my chest.

I called Henry immediately.

Henry's voice was frantic: "Julian is claiming this is an internal compliance probe! I've already called the police, but with his deep ties at the facility, even an official intervention will take hours to clear!"

Wendy didn't have hours.

She suffered from severe hypoglycemia and acute gastric ulcers.

Deprived of water and medication, she could slip into shock and face fatal complications within thirty minutes.

Henry quickly briefed me on what his preliminary check revealed.

Right after Wendy left, while the nurses were busy filing shift reports, Chloe took Lily into the east emergency stairwell—a blind spot without security cameras.

She set Lily on a bench at the landing and threw herself down the concrete stairs.

Her forehead smashed against the step edges, tearing open deep lacerations across her limbs.

The child's screams quickly drew custodians and doctors. Rushing down, they found Chloe drenched in blood, panicked, and called the ER while notifying Julian.

When Julian arrived at the trauma bay, Chloe's head was wrapped in thick gauze. She adamantly claimed Wendy had pushed her.

Julian didn't bother checking adjacent hallway cameras or examining the impact angles of her wounds. He immediately suspended Wendy and had her locked away.

Gritting my teeth, I had a temporary orderly wheel me straight to Chloe's private room.

Chloe was propped up in bed sipping hot cocoa. Seeing me enter, a glimmer of smug triumph flashed in her eyes.

Yet in an instant, she switched to a fragile, dying facade.

"Clara, why did you come? My injuries are nothing, don't worry about it..."

Staring at the bandages on her face, I took a deep breath.

Then, I did something that shocked every person in that room.

Gripping the wheelchair armrests with both hands, I threw my weight forward.

My legs, severely atrophied from four years of immobility, buckled instantly. My knees slammed heavily onto the hard tile floor.

Blinding pain shot up through my bones, drenching me in cold sweat.

Yet I didn't pull back. Bracing myself against the floor, I fell to my knees before Chloe's bed.

My body trembled, but my words were razor-sharp.

"Wendy can be harsh with her words, but she would never push you down the stairs."

"I'm begging you. Tell Julian to let Wendy out."

"As long as you let her go, I'll agree to whatever you want."

I bowed my head low, pressing my forehead against the freezing tiles.

The proud heiress of the Vance family, the former director's wife, was now kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.

Chloe froze in shock.

But after that initial surprise passed, sheer, twisted pleasure washed over her face.

Chloe leaned leisurely back against her pillows, her voice dripping with mock innocence.

"Clara, what are you doing? Please get up."

"It's not that I don't want to release Ms. Carter, but Julian is simply furious. You know how protective he is of me."

The door suddenly swung open.

Julian walked in briskly and instantly froze at the sight of me kneeling on the floor.

His steps halted.

Hearing the sound, I turned my head. Still on my knees, I looked up at him.

"Let Wendy go. She didn't push anyone. If you want to settle a score, settle it with me."

Julian looked down at me, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

In all our years together, he had never seen me bow my head to anyone.

Yet that flicker lasted only a second before being shattered by Chloe's soft sobs.

Chloe tugged at Julian's sleeve, weeping breathlessly.

"Julian, Clara is already like this... Maybe just drop it... I can take the pain..."

Julian patted Chloe's hand reassuringly, then cast a cold, dominant gaze down at me.

He was reveling in my absolute surrender.

After a long silence, Julian finally spoke, his voice dripping with authority:

"I can let Wendy go."

"First, muzzle her. She is never to harass Chloe again. Second, you are never to show your face in front of Chloe for the rest of your life."

"Can you do that?"

Kneeling on the floor, my nails dug painfully into the grout between the tiles as I spoke each word clearly:

"I promise."

Only then did Julian pull out his phone, calling security to unlock the administration office.

Hanging up, he didn't spare me a single glance. He sat by the bedside, leaning over to gently tuck Chloe under the covers.

Using my elbows to brace against the wheelchair frame, my legs shaking violently, I dragged my body back into the seat inch by inch.

I whispered to myself: "Clara Vance, remember what it felt like to kneel here today."

"This blood debt will be repaid by this wretched pair a thousand times over."