MK had been unconscious for over a week.
The bullet had pierced her right chest.
During surgery, doctors worked carefully, inch by inch, to remove it without causing further damage. Later, they told her family the truth plainly—if the bullet had entered from the left side, it would have gone straight through her heart. She would have died instantly. There would have been no surgery, no waiting, no hope.
Pain was what pulled MK back to the world.
It spread through her chest in a sharp, burning wave, stealing the air from her lungs. Her fingers twitched slightly. Her eyelids fluttered, heavy and uncooperative, her vision nothing but blur and white light.
Slowly, shapes began to form.
A hospital room.
White walls. Pale curtains. Machines humming softly beside her bed, each beep a reminder that she was still alive. Her body felt weak, unfamiliar, as if it didn't belong to her anymore.
Beside her sat a woman she didn't recognize. She looked composed, but exhaustion sat heavily on her face. At the far end of the room, slumped awkwardly in a chair, her mother slept.
Ruth.
Her head rested against the wall, her arms crossed tightly over herself. Dark circles framed her eyes. She looked like she hadn't rested properly in days.
MK shifted slightly, a quiet groan slipping from her lips.
The woman beside her noticed immediately. She leaned forward, eyes widening.
"Ruth," she called softly but urgently. "She's awake."
Ruth startled awake and rushed to MK's bedside. Relief flooded her face, followed quickly by familiar concern.
"Oh, thank God," she said, gripping MK's hand tightly. "I told you to stay out of trouble. What were you doing getting shot, huh?"
MK's lips curved into a faint smile despite the pain.
Well… that's my mom alright.
She let Ruth scold her, knowing it was the only way her mother knew how to show fear and love at the same time.
"This is—this is…" Ruth paused, suddenly realizing she didn't know the other woman's name.
"Scarlet Robertson," the woman said gently. "Shriya's mother."
The name hit MK like a second wound.
"Shrii—ah—Shriya…" MK murmured, her voice weak. "?"
Ruth frowned slightly. "Is she the friend you brought along?" she asked, recognition settling in.
MK bit her lower lip and turned her face away, Shriya wasn't her friend.
Scarlet noticed immediately.
She understood.
She knew the truth of MK and Shriya's relationship because after the incident, Jesse had been summoned to the Robertson mansion—invited was too kind a word. They remembered Jesse clearly from the wedding. From the chaos. From the moment everything fell apart.
---
Jesse had sat rigidly across the long dining table, her hands clenched tightly together.
The room was heavy with silence.
Steven Robertson sat at the head of the table, his posture straight, his uniform pristine. Beside him was Scarlet, composed but visibly strained. Michael and Ethan Robertson sat nearby, their expressions unreadable.
They weren't angry.
They were waiting.
They needed the truth before they could move forward. As soldiers, they would not step into battle blind.
Jesse began at the beginning.
She spoke of the day Shriya met MK. Of how something simple grew into something impossible to ignore. How they became each other's refuge. How, even when things were hard, they still chose each other.
Then she spoke of Silas.
Of the threats.
Of the blackmail.
Of the warning—marry me, or she dies.
"She was terrified," Jesse said, her voice trembling. "Silas told her if she said a word to anyone, MK wouldn't live to see another day."
The family exchanged looks.
"She changed," Scarlet whispered. "She became distant. Weak. Sometimes… we heard someone crying alone.that was Shriya?"
Steven closed his eyes briefly.
"We thought she was pulling away from us," Michael said quietly.
"She was protecting someone," Jesse replied. "At the cost of herself."
Jesse told them how Silas had taken MK, hiding her so she wouldn't appear at the wedding. How they tracked her down. How the bullet meant for Shriya struck MK instead.
"And when Shriya saw her fall," Jesse continued, voice breaking, "she didn't hesitate. She shot Silas. One clean shot."
Silence filled the room.
The family sat frozen, understanding settling heavily on them.
They hadn't known how deeply their daughter loved.
Scarlet insisted on meeting MK.
She wanted to see the girl who had made her daughter happy. The girl who had saved her life. If nothing else, Scarlet wanted to meet the woman her daughter loved.
While the men worked to confront the Miller family and fight for Shriya's freedom, Scarlet traveled with Jesse to the city.
There, she met Ruth.
Ruth, worn thin with worry, agreed to let Scarlet stay. They took turns watching over MK, sitting quietly at her bedside, listening to the steady rhythm of the machines.
Jesse came by in the evenings, balancing hospital visits with running the company in MK's absence. She looked exhausted, stretched thin from carrying too much alone.
Scarlet stood beside MK's bed as she introduced herself.
"I'm MK," MK said softly, meeting her gaze. "Shriya's… friend."
Scarlet smiled warmly, the resemblance to Shriya undeniable. The same eyes. The same gentleness.
Warmth spread through MK's chest.
I think… she would have accepted me, MK thought, her fingers brushing the ring she still wore.
The door slid open quietly.
Jesse entered with a bag of supplies, her shoulders slumped, her face tired. The weight of the company and MK's condition had taken its toll.
She paused when she saw MK awake.