Chapter 7

Ruby's POV

After Jace finished speaking, he didn't spare me another glance and led Serena out of the restroom by the hand.

Watching them leave, I leaned against the sink without offering a single explanation.

Because I knew explanations were meaningless.

Serena had won.

A moment later, I pushed the door open and returned to the banquet hall.

Guests were mingling at the party, but Jace and Serena were nowhere to be seen.

Some people cast sympathetic, mocking, or curious glances my way. I ignored them all.

When the party ended, I didn't call Jace. Instead, I flagged down a taxi outside the hotel and gave the driver the address of the villa.

The car merged smoothly into the night, driving onto the bridge spanning the river.

Suddenly, blinding headlights shot from behind. A black car, like a beast out of control, suddenly accelerated and slammed hard into the back of the taxi.

Bang!

After three consecutive impacts, the massive collision force caused the taxi to lose control instantly, crashing through the bridge railing and tumbling into the river.

After violent shaking, river water poured in from all directions, instantly flooding my nose and mouth.

I couldn't swim. My survival instinct made me struggle desperately, pounding on the car window.

But water flooded into my lungs. Eventually, suffocating from lack of oxygen, my consciousness gradually blurred.

I don't know how much time passed. The smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils.

I struggled to lift my eyelids and found myself lying in a hospital bed.

...I was still alive.

This realization left me dazed for a moment.

Just then, I heard muffled voices coming from outside the hospital room door.

"How's that taxi driver?" It was Jace's voice, very calm.

Another male voice answered respectfully, "He's fine, just some scrapes and shock. He's already awake."

"Mm. He was innocently implicated. Give him compensation and make sure he keeps his mouth shut."

"Understood, Mr. Monroe." The subordinate hesitated and asked, "But this attack on your wife. Was it also to make your parents agree to let you marry Miss Serena?"

My heart contracted sharply, my nails digging deep into my palms.

Outside the door, Jace's voice was cold and emotionless. "Not this time."

"Then what was it?"

"Serena has a gentle nature. Even if she's hit, she'll just endure it alone. I promised her I wouldn't let her suffer any grievances. Ruby hit her. She had to pay some price."

The other person replied, "I see. Mr. Monroe is truly devoted to Miss Serena."

"She's about to wake up. You leave first. Don't let her see you."

"Yes."

Inside the hospital room, I lay on the bed, my whole body ice cold, as if even my blood had frozen into shards.

Because Serena got slapped by me, he had someone run my car off the road into the river?

What about that kidnapping? What about those rumors that ruined my reputation? What about that brake failure accident?

Did he have people do all those too?

Cold spread from the soles of my feet through my limbs, freezing me to the core.

Click.

The door was gently pushed open.

I immediately closed my eyes, slowed my breathing, and pretended to still be unconscious.

Footsteps approached and stopped beside the bed.

I could feel a gaze fall on my face, scrutinizing.

"Ruby?" Jace called tentatively.

I showed no reaction.

Seeing that I still hadn't woken, he stayed in the room for about twenty minutes before leaving due to a phone call from the company.

Only after hearing his footsteps fade at the end of the hallway did I slowly open my eyes.

My eyes turned ice cold, as if wrapped in the harshest frost, no trace of warmth remaining.

From this drowning, aside from lung infection from the water and some soft tissue contusions, I hadn't suffered more serious injuries.

I stayed in the hospital for three days.

Jace came every day, bringing my favorite flowers and light porridge, sitting by the bed, gently asking about my condition, thoughtfully tucking in my blanket corners. He even personally came to pick me up when I was discharged.

In front of me, he continued playing that devoted husband persona. He also explained that the person who deliberately drove into me had been found and sent to the police.

And even though I knew it was all lies, I pretended not to know and played along.

I didn't want to tear off the mask before getting the divorce certificate in hand.

Fortunately, Catherine was eager to get rid of the stain that was me. She was extremely efficient. A week after my discharge, she had someone deliver the divorce certificate to me.

The butler relayed expressionlessly, "Now that the procedures are complete, Miss Ruby is requested not to claim to be the wife of the Monroe heir in front of others in the future."

"Go back and tell Catherine," I said coldly, "Marrying into your Monroe family was the stupidest decision of my life. I want nothing to do with the Monroe family even more than she does."

After the butler left, I put away the divorce certificate and immediately took out my phone to book a flight out of New York.

Just as I finished booking the ticket, Jace suddenly came home.

His whole demeanor was sharp. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out the door. "Come with me!"

"Jace, what are you doing! Where are you taking me?"

"You'll find out soon enough."