Chapter 5

Joanna's POV

Three days after the press conference, I was cornered by Carter's fanatic supporters outside Evelyn's care facility.

"How dare you show your face here? Carter is a hero, and you're trying to ruin him!"

"Valerie is an angel! How could you lie about her?"

"You're trash!"

Someone yanked my hair. Another person kicked my knees. The paper bag in my hands ripped, and the hand-knit sweater I brought for Evelyn fell into the muddy puddle.

My head hit the edge of a concrete planter. Warm blood began to trickle down my forehead.

By the time security finally showed up, the crowd was still screaming at me.

"Stop acting like a victim! You're just a crazy bitch!"

I dragged myself up against the wall, my ears ringing.

I knelt down, picking up the muddy sweater, trying to brush off the dirt.

My phone rang.

The voice on the other end was quiet and professional. "Is this the family of Evelyn Vance?"

My hand froze. "Yes. I'm her daughter."

"I'm so sorry. The transport vehicle carrying Ms. Vance suffered a sudden engine explosion on the highway. Her remains have been brought to the city morgue. The damage is severe, so please prepare yourself."

The sweater slipped from my fingers back into the mud.

"Whose remains?" I whispered, unable to breathe.

"Evelyn Vance."

When I arrived at the morgue, they only showed me a black body bag.

The coroner wouldn't let me look for long.

But I saw the old silver bracelet on her charred wrist.

I bought that for her with my very first paycheck.

She had worn it for years. The chain had broken three times, but she always got it fixed because she couldn't bear to part with it.

I reached out to touch the metal. My fingertips came away covered in cold, black ash.

Valerie was staying in the hospital's VIP suite.

When I pushed the door open, she was sitting up in bed, sipping water.

The room was filled with fresh pink roses. Carter had just sent them.

Valerie gasped when she saw me, then set her cup down. "Joanna? What are you doing here?"

I locked the door behind me. "Evelyn is dead."

Valerie's eyes immediately welled with tears. "I heard. Such a tragedy."

"You did this."

"Joanna, you can't just blame me for everything bad in your life," Valerie said with a soft sigh. "Your daughter had a weak heart and couldn't handle the training. You blamed me for that, too."

I took a step closer to her bed.

Valerie shrank back slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If the little brat hadn't run around with a bad heart, she wouldn't have died. But of course, you blame me."

I grabbed the glass of water from her bedside table and splashed it directly into her face.

Valerie shrieked.

"Everyone around you dies, Joanna. Maybe you're just bad luck," she sneered, wiping the water from her face. Her sweet, innocent mask was completely gone. "Carter will always protect me. Who is left to protect you?"

I lost control. I lunged forward and grabbed her throat.

Valerie choked, her face turning red as she violently slammed her hand onto the nurse call button.

The door was kicked open.

Carter stormed in. He grabbed my wrist and threw me hard onto the floor.

Valerie huddled under her blankets, sobbing and shaking. "Carter... I'm okay... Don't hurt Joanna. She's just grieving..."

I pushed myself up from the floor, screaming. "She killed my mother!"

Carter blocked Valerie's bed. "Enough, Joanna!"

"Get out of my way!"

"How long are you going to keep acting like a lunatic?" Carter roared.

I grabbed a paring knife from the fruit basket on the table and pointed the blade at Valerie. "I will make her pay!"

Carter's eyes narrowed. He lunged to grab the knife.

In the chaotic struggle, the sharp blade sliced deeply across my right hand.

Blood instantly gushed out.

My fingers lost all strength, and the knife clattered to the floor.

This was the hand that had designed countless safety protocols.

The hand that had built the most precise simulation models in the country.

The hand that had held Carter through his night terrors after his failed missions.

Now, the cut ran from my thumb all the way across my palm, deep enough to show bone.

Carter barely even blinked.

"You haven't worked as an engineer in years anyway," he said coldly. "If your hand is ruined, so be it."

I looked up at him, my heart completely empty.

The last trace of my love for this man died right there.

When I was brought back to our house, my right hand was wrapped in a thick bandage.

Carter locked me in the guest bedroom. His voice came through the thick door. "Stay here for a few days. Don't leave until you've cooled down."

The key turned in the lock.

His footsteps faded away.

I sat on the cold floor and pulled out a small cloth pouch from Evelyn's belongings that I had managed to keep.

Inside was an old photo of me as a baby.

On the back, there was a phone number and a handwritten note:

"Joanna, if you ever find yourself with nowhere left to go, call this number. Find the Aston family in Seattle. They are your real family."

I dialed the number with my trembling left hand.

A woman's shaking voice answered. "Is... is this Joanna?"

I held the phone tight, watching the blood slowly seep through my white bandages.

"I need to escape from Carter."

The phone was taken by a man. His voice was deep, powerful, and steady. "We will bring you home, sweetheart. But you must remember two things."

I looked at the locked door. "What?"

"First, Carter must believe you are dead. Second, the authorities must find zero evidence that the Astons helped fake your death."