Chapter 7 That night, Hannah moved into Tori's room without a word of protest. Spencer stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed. "So this is your new tactic? Playing the pitiful act again? If I hadn't seen you attack Bethany with my own eyes, I might've been fooled like everyone else." Hannah no longer wanted to explain herself. She simply lowered her head and continued tidying up in silence. Spencer's temper flared as he barked, "Since you're so eager to play maid, suit yourself then. I need 999 roses for my wedding to Bethany. Go to the garden and pick them." Hannah didn't resist. She turned and headed for the garden. Just as she picked up the pruning shears, Spencer slapped them out of her hand. "Since you're not afraid of hardship, don't use tools. Pick them with your hands." Her interlaced fingers tightened slowly. Roses were full of sharp thorns, and he wanted her to pluck them barchand- ed? She didn't need to imagine the result. A bitter, broken smile tugged at her lips. "Spencer, do you hate me that much? Must you find every way possible to torment me?" He gripped her chin hard, his face darkening. "I gave you a choice. I told you to apologize to Bethany, but you insist- ed on being a maid. If you can't endure this, bow to her. As long as she forgives you, you can stay, and I'll still honor my promise to support you for life." "Apologize? To the woman who killed my child? Impossible!" she thought. Hannah shut her eyes and said with stubborn finality, "I will never apologize to her in this lifetime!" The fire in Spencer's eyes burned hotter. His jaw clenched. "Stay here and pick the roses then. Until you bring me 999 roses, you're not leaving." He summoned a few bodyguards and stationed them around the rose garden to keep her under watch. Hannah knew there was no other choice. She turned into the garden. Once, this garden had been filled with her favorite chamomile. Spencer had planted them himself, filling the yard so she would wake every morning to fresh blooms at her bedside. But later, because Bethany said chamomile looked cheap, he had ripped them all out and replaced them with roses, which were her favorite. Now, Hannah plucked the roses one by one, the thorns piercing deep into her palms. Blood smeared across the petals, but she didn't stop. She kept going, as if punishing herself, until her hands were mangled and bleeding. 0.0 % 09:16 Chapter / By the time she gathered all 999 roses, there wasn't a patch of unbroken skin left on her fingers. Exhausted, she col- lapsed against the wall and drifted into sleep. In dreams, the memories of her childhood and the fleeting moments of warmth with Spencer returned. Tears slipped down her face. She was shaken awake by a bodyguard. "Tomorrow is Mr. Ruiz's wedding. He wants the flowers delivered to the venue." Hannah's mind felt dazed. She had lost all track of time. So the wedding was already tomorrow? "Alright. I'll deliver them." She looked at the roses, their stems still stained with her blood. They seemed even more vivid and alive. She would make this roomful of roses her wedding gift to him. After packing the flowers, she boarded the car to the venue. But on the overpass, disaster struck. A car veered out of control and rammed into hers, sending it spinning twice be- fore stopping at the very edge. Half the car dangled over the rushing river below. In the chaos, Hannah fumbled for her phone and pressed the emergency call. Spencer's voice came through, impatient. "Didn't I tell you to deliver the roses? Where are you? Where are the flow- ers? I'm warning you, this wedding is important. The 999 roses must be at the site now!" Her voice was faint, each word costing strength she no longer had. "Spencer, I've never wronged you. I never drugged you, and I never schemed against you. It's up to you to believe it or not... But for the sake of what we once had, save me..." There was a long silence before his sneer cut in. "Hannah, don't bother playing the victim. Now you're trying to fake your death? Is that your new trick? Even if you really were dying, I wouldn't bat an eye." The cruelty of his words drained what little strength remained in her. The phone slipped from her hand. She shut her eyes as the car plunged into the roaring river below. "So be it. Let it all end here. From this moment, Hannah Kaur no longer exists," she thought. At the wedding, Spencer stared at his phone after the line went dead. His face turned stormy, unease clawing at his chest. He tried to call back repeatedly, but there was no answer. A sudden, uneasy premonition struck him. Could it be that what she said was true? The moment he realized it, he nearly lost his grip on the phone. Just then, a news alert popped up. "Car crash on the Pelham Bay Bridge ten minutes ago. A female driver fell into the river. At the scene, large numbers of roses and a wedding card were found scattered..." Spencer's mind went completely blank as the phone slipped from his hand and slammed to the ground. 46.9% 09:16 Chapter 7 The video froze on the final frame, displaying the card that read, "Spencer, happy wedding." 0: 98.1 %