Dr. Dale touched the tip of his nose. He lifted his gaze and said, “Although the poison has been neutralized, her organ functions still aren’t completely stable. That’s why she lost consciousness again. However, her condition will improve after she gets some rest. As for why she can suddenly speak again, I’m not entirely sure. Ms. Livia’s muteness was influenced by an intellectual disability and excessive anxiety. Perhaps she’s been under a great deal of pressure all this time. But I don’t know what triggered Ms. Livia to speak again. I’ll continue investigating it.”
Ethan gave a faint nod, then shifted his gaze toward the woman in the bed.
Livia was still lying down, watching the man speaking with Dr. Dale when he suddenly turned his eyes toward her, making their gazes meet.
Although Ethan had perfect features, Blood Shadow’s first impression of him was that he was a bastard.
Several of Livia’s memories made Blood Shadow, who had never had a romantic relationship with any man, feel sick.
‘What a bastard. Even if their marriage was arranged, he shouldn’t have treated his wife like that after she gave birth to his triplets….’
At that moment, Blood Shadow realized something more terrifying than dying on the battlefield.
‘Wait… hold on. Does that mean Livia has children? Not just one, but three? Does that mean I have to deal with those little demons?’
Blood Shadow had never been afraid of dealing with anything except children. Somehow, those little creatures always managed to dig up her panic and drive her crazy. She had never known how to deal with little demons like them.
As she thought about her terrible fate, she felt like crying.
Just then, Bella’s gentle, astonished voice rang out. “Livia, does this mean you were only pretending not to recognize us earlier? Dr. Dale said you’re fine. Did you put on that act to escape the trouble you caused?” Bella’s tone grew increasingly disappointed as she approached the hospital bed, looked at Livia reproachfully, and continued, “Don’t you know how worried Ethan and I were? After the huge mistake you made, no one else in the family wanted to come see you. Only Ethan and I are here. Ethan even left an important meeting for you. And yet you came up with a deceitful plan to trick us? How could you become even more vicious, Livia? Why did you end up like this?”
Bella covered her mouth with one hand, presenting herself as a kind, fragile woman who had just been betrayed by the sister she loved dearly.
Bella’s rambling pulled Blood Shadow out of her wandering thoughts. Despite her reluctance to deal with children, she still had to accept her new identity and live as Livia.
‘All right. There’s no doubt about it anymore. I’m Livia now.’
She then struggled to sit up and lean against the headboard before looking at Bella. Seeing the disappointment on the woman’s face, Livia gave a mocking smile. Based on the memories in her head, Bella was the woman responsible for Livia’s misfortune.
‘Hah! She should win an Oscar. Why bother putting on an act in front of me?’
“Don’t bother pretending. You disgust me.”
Bella had never expected Livia to say something like that. All this time, Livia had always been a timid, obedient woman. Even when Bella openly slandered her, Livia would only stay silent and accept all the blame dumped on her.
Seeing Livia suddenly fight back, Bella felt an urge to threaten the woman, but Ethan’s presence stopped her. She had no choice but to continue her performance.
“What do you mean by that, Livia? Are you trying to pin the blame on me now? Livia, what did I ever do to make you hate me so much?” Bella’s eyes began to glisten, and the next second, she burst into tears.
All this time, she had successfully created the impression that she was a sister who loved Livia dearly, while Livia appeared to hate her deeply.
With a pitiful expression, she approached Ethan and clung to his arm.
Seeing Bella hanging onto Ethan’s arm made Livia unable to hold back a mocking laugh.
‘What a bastard and what a shameless woman. They really are the perfect pair.’
“There aren’t many people here, so stop pretending to impress them. I know perfectly well that you’re only here to make sure I die. Then Livia shifted her gaze to Ethan and said, “You bastard. Are you going to shed crocodile tears here too? If so, get out. I’m not interested in watching a pair of monkeys cry in front of me. I know perfectly well that you’re here because you’re worried I’ll die before being punished for betraying the Quincy family. You must be dying to punish me with your own hands. But too bad—you’re not going to get what you want. I’ll prove that I’m innocent and clear my name.”
Livia knew that Bella was responsible for leaking Quinton Corporation’s confidential data. But she had no evidence at the moment. Speaking without proof in front of Ethan would only make it sound like an unfounded defense. Considering how much Ethan trusted Bella, he certainly wouldn’t believe her if she said Bella was involved. She had to obtain evidence first.
Ethan had been silent and merely observing until then, but he sensed a drastic change in Livia. Previously, Livia had always been afraid of him. She had not dared speak to him, let alone look him directly in the eye. But now, that timid woman was looking at him fearlessly, her gaze challenging. Livia had even called him a monkey.
However, that was not what bothered him most. What troubled him more was what Livia thought of him.
‘Does she really think I asked the best medical team to save her only because I wanted to punish her?’
At that thought, Ethan’s expression darkened. He was irritated, and Bella’s endless whining only worsened his mood.
“Shut up!” he snapped, pushing Bella away before storming out of the ward.
Bella was shocked when Ethan snapped at her and pushed her away. But when she realized how angry he was, a faint smile quickly formed on her lips.
‘Stupid Livia. She made a huge mistake the moment she regained the ability to speak. How dare she insult Ethan like that? Now that Ethan is furious, I won’t even need to put in any more effort to make him hate Livia even more. Hahaha!’
Bella turned toward Livia and gave her a mocking smile before leaving the ward.
The next day, Livia woke up in the hospital bed feeling much more refreshed. As she moved to sit up, the ward door was pushed open and Dr. Dale walked in.
“Ms. Livia, you’re awake. I’m going to perform an examination—”
Dr. Dale couldn’t finish his sentence because Livia immediately interrupted him. “No need for any further examination. I feel much better now. Staying in the hospital is so boring, so I’m going back to the Quincy family residence today.”
“But, Ms. Livia… Mr. Ethan asked me to monitor your condition for the next two days. He’s worried you might lose consciousness again.” Dr. Dale looked concerned as he responded.
However, Livia didn’t care. She had even pulled out the IV needle connected to her hand.
“I already told you I’m fine. So please help me get in touch with that bastard. I want to go home.” Livia insisted, leaving Dr. Dale no choice but to contact Ethan.
A short while later, James arrived to pick Livia up and take her back to the Quincy family residence.
Livia was stunned when she got out of the car and looked around the Quincy family residence. It had a spacious yard and a luxurious modern architectural design.
‘No wonder they’re the most influential family in Azkaria. Their wealth ranks third in the world.’
Livia murmured to herself. When she had lived as Blood Shadow, she had known about the world’s prominent families. She had heard of the Quincy family, but she had never expected to become directly involved with them.
As she walked toward the entrance, her gaze continued scanning the surrounding objects in awe.
James, who was in front, opened the door for Livia.
The moment Livia stepped inside the house, a childish voice instantly shattered her sense of wonder.
She stopped in her tracks and looked at a little girl of about five running toward her. The corners of her lips twitched as she watched the child draw closer and closer.
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”