Melissa gradually regained her composure as she noticed the cold look in Ashley’s eyes.

Realizing what she had done, she quickly released Ashley’s wrist.

She saw that Ashley’s wrist was already bruised from her grip. “Ashley, I...”

The butler, seeing that, pulled Melissa away to allow Ashley to rest.

“Ashley, if you don’t want to eat the food from home, it’s fine. Just ask Jane to get something from outside,” the butler advised Ashley, unable to stand by without saying anything.

He kept on, “You need to eat, or you won’t recover well enough to deal with other problems.”

Ashley responded with a soft “I know.”

But the butler wasn’t sure if she meant it. He could only sigh and leave.

Jane soon came over and found Ashley lying on her side, staring blankly out the window.

She went to feed her.

“I’m not hungry,” Ashley weakly smiled at her. “Jane, you can have it.”

Jane looked at the nutritious meal, but didn’t want to touch it.

However, Ashley had already closed her eyes, clearly determined not to eat.

Jane had no choice but to eat it herself.

At noon, the doctor came to check Ashley’s wound.

“How did it reopen?” The doctor frowned when he saw the blood on her back. “Did the patient move?”

Jane hesitated, then claimed that Ashley had accidentally turned over in her sleep.

The doctor frowned again, “The wound is slightly infected, and she might develop a fever tonight. Just be careful.”

Jane nodded.

Ashley didn’t eat again in the afternoon.

Jane called her, but Ashley kept saying she was tired and refused to open her eyes.

Jane grew anxious.

Although the IV of glucose and saline could maintain some intake, she knew that not eating wouldn’t allow Ashley to recover quickly.

She went out to buy some soup and brought it back, but Ashley still refused to open her mouth.

As night fell, Ashley indeed developed a fever.

Jane prepared hot water to wipe Ashley’s body and noticed her lips were dry and cracked.

She used a cotton swab to moisten them. “Ashley, you can’t go on like this. You need to take your treatment seriously and eat properly. You...”

Ashley pressed her lips together. “Jane, I am sleepy.”

“You’re not tired; you’re hungry!” Jane guessed what was happening just by looking at her. “You’re probably hypoglycemic.”

Ashley chuckled softly. “Maybe.”

Jane noticed it was almost eleven o’clock. “Wait a moment, I’ll go out and get you something to eat.”

“Come on...”

“Hey!” Jane gritted her teeth. “I don’t know what happened, but Ashley, life is yours. Nothing’s a big deal.

“You only live once, and you can’t go through life feeling so weak and defeated.”

Ashley heard the words “weak and defeated“ and smiled. Wasn’t that exactly how she felt?

Jane went out to buy food for Ashley, and Ashley curled up under the blanket again.

Her back was aching and itchy, her body was both hot and cold, and Ashley felt like she was lying on a volcano in a frozen wasteland.

After a while, footsteps suddenly echoed from the doorway.

Ashley tried to open her eyes but found her vision blurry.

“Jane?”

There was no response.

Ashley tried to lift her hand to rub her eyes, but after a day of fasting and a high fever, she had no strength left in her body.

She could only close her eyes. “Jane, I don’t want to eat anything, you...”

Her voice grew quieter until it trailed off completely.

Brian sat down on the edge of the bed. “Have you figured it out?”

Ashley, though unable to see, could hear the voice.

She was surprised and glanced in the direction of Brian. “Mr?”

“You could have avoided this beating.”

Ashley’s breathing grew softer. “Just because I refused to admit my mistake?”

Brian raised his hand, his cold fingertips brushing against her eyelids. “Do you realize your mistake now?”

“...I was wrong.” Ashley’s voice softened.

But the fever had made her throat hoarse, and her voice had none of its usual tenderness.

“And what was your mistake?”

Ashley took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have provoked Miss. James, I shouldn’t have defied Mrs, I shouldn’t... I shouldn’t have disobeyed you.

“Huh, I am a dog of the Quinn Family, a servant. Whatever Mr says, I should do. I shouldn’t have...”

As she spoke, tears suddenly streamed down her face.

She quickly closed her eyes. “I was wrong.”

Brian looked at her.

These were indeed the words he wanted to hear, but hearing them now, he found no satisfaction.

Brian gazed at Ashley’s face. “I know you didn’t steal anything.”

Ashley’s eyes flew open, filled with shock. “You... believe me?”

“There’s no engagement ring,” Brian’s fingers brushed against her long eyelashes, the touch leaving a tickling sensation. “She made it up.”

Ashley began to tremble uncontrollably.

There was no ring?

Why had Olivia framed her?

And if Brian knew everything, why had he treated her so cruelly?

Ashley opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Grabbing Brian’s hand, she clutched it tightly, desperate to say something.

But all that came from her mouth was heavy breathing; she couldn’t form a single word.

Brian touched her cheek. “All you have to do is what I tell you.

No boyfriends; don’t leave the Quinn Family, and when I ask you to come upstairs, just do it.

“Ashley, it’s simple. I believe you can do it.”

Ashley’s tears continued to fall.

“You’ll stay by my side forever, won’t you?” Brian wiped away her tears. “Huai University is in turmoil because of you; you won’t be able to continue your studies.”

Ashley’s body trembled.

“Drop out. Stay by my side. I can give you more money than you could ever spend in a lifetime.”

His words felt like they were coming from the depths of hell, completely destroying Ashley.

She clung tightly to Brian’s fingers. “Mr, I want to go to school.”

“Hmm?” Brian brushed the hair from her forehead. “What?”

“I want to go to school.” Ashley grasped the hand on her forehead. “Please, Mr, I want to go to school.”

Brian’s expression grew colder. “You still wanna go abroad?”

Ashley quickly shook her head. “No, not abroad, I won’t leave you, Mr, but I want to go to school!”

Ashley eagerly grabbed Brian’s hand, kissing his fingertips, his hand.

She didn’t even care about her injuries, propping herself up on her arms and throwing her bare body into his embrace.

“Mr, please, I want to go to school.”

Her tone was firm as she tried to please him, ignoring the wound on her back that had torn open again.