Chapter 3: David is Awake
The man looked at her with calm, indifferent eyes, remaining silent. His expression was devoid of warmth, and his body stayed completely still, as though he were a soulless robot. After a few seconds of eye contact, Caroline felt a chill creep up her neck and goosebumps rise on her arms. She turned around… and ran!
“David is awake! Someone, quick! He’s awake!” Caroline shouted excitedly as she rushed downstairs. “I saw him standing by the bed! Hurry, get a doctor!” She stumbled into the living room, grabbing the butler. “David didn’t die—he’s awake!”
The butler looked at her in confusion. “Madam, what are you talking about?”
Before Caroline could respond, Richard’s authoritative voice rang across the room. “Why are you talking nonsense this early? You just got married, and now you’re causing trouble. Learn how to behave in this house!”
The doctor had already declared David brain dead. How could he possibly be awake, let alone standing by his bed? Richard thought.
Only then did Caroline realize the living room was filled with people. There was Richard, David’s stepmother Marilyn, and his stepbrother Andrew. They had all gathered at the Ellison residence.
“It’s true, I saw it with my own eyes,” Caroline insisted. “There’s no mistake!”
Marilyn and Andrew exchanged glances, confusion in their eyes. David’s supposed to be dead. His heart’s been failing for days! they thought.
After a brief pause, Marilyn spoke. “Mr. Richard, let’s go see for ourselves, then we’ll know if it’s true or not.”
The group made their way upstairs. The room had long been converted into a high-end hospital room, with a ventilator running nonstop beside the bed to keep David alive. Richard personally opened the door.
David lay quietly on the bed, eyes tightly shut. There was no sign of him waking up at all.
“What… what’s going on?” Caroline murmured.
“I saw him with my own eyes. It was him. There’s no mistake. No one else came to the second floor,” she muttered, her voice trembling. Was I seeing things? A hallucination? Or did he fake his death?
No, I even made eye contact with him. His eyes were dark, like gemstones—hypnotic, dangerous. Caroline’s heart raced as she reassured herself. She felt she had just uncovered a major secret.
Marilyn cleared her throat. “Caroline, I know the marriage between you and David was meant to bring him luck, but that’s just a superstition. He won’t magically wake up just because you married him. If that were true, what would we need doctors for?”
“Exactly,” Andrew added. “We were just getting our hopes up for nothing.”
“Just stay in line, and we won’t mistreat you. Even if you become a widow, our wealth and fame will still be yours,” Marilyn continued.
Caroline bit her lower lip, lowering her head without saying a word. Still, she couldn’t help but steal glances at David. As she stared, she began to notice his profile looked strikingly similar to the man who had taken her virginity at the hotel last night. The way he had stood by the bed earlier.
Caroline froze and quickly shook the thoughts from her mind. I must be going insane. First, I thought he was awake, then I imagined him as the man from last night. But he’s still unconscious. He definitely isn’t the man who bought me.
“Enough!” Richard’s voice rang out. “Caroline, from now on, you’re our daughter-in-law. Luck wasn’t the only reason for this marriage. There’s something more important you need to do.”
All eyes turned to Caroline.
“I need you to have a child, so that David’s bloodline may carry on.”
Before Caroline could respond, Marilyn spoke up. “Mr. Richard, are you out of your mind? How can Caroline and David have children if he’s in this condition?”
“I’ve hired the most well-known reproductive specialists from abroad. They’ll be arriving on a private plane tonight. I believe they’ll find a solution.”
