Chapter 4

I stood rooted to the spot, watching the chaotic scene unfold.

The screams, the glint of steel, the desperate threats... it was sickeningly familiar.

Five years ago, when Hailey was taken, it happened exactly like this.

Back then, what had Carter said?

*"Take this woman instead! Hailey is just an adopted daughter, she’s not worth anything! Besides, she has a weak heart—if she gets traumatized, it'll become a murder charge! Take Evelyn instead, and I’ll get you the cash immediately, deal?"*

History was repeating itself.

Back then, he had shoved me forward, whispering in my ear:

*"Be a good girl. Go swap places with Hailey. We’ll rescue you right away! Any minute now!"*

That "minute" had lasted five years.

Suddenly, a hard shove slammed into my back.

Before I could react, someone threw me into the hostage taker's grasp, pulling Hailey away.

The moment Hailey was safe, Carter and my parents breathed an audible sigh of relief, swarming her with comfort.

"Three million is a lot of cash, we need time to withdraw it. Stay calm, we’re going to get the money right now."

They ushered Hailey out of the room without once looking back.

They left. Perhaps to brainstorm a plan, perhaps to call the cops.

Whatever it was, none of them were in a hurry to save me.

I stared at the man holding the knife against me. His hands were shaking. It was pathetic.

"Did Hailey hire you?" I asked plainly.

"Your acting is terrible."

The man flinched, clearly stunned that I had seen through it.

In that split-second hesitation, I struck.

I seized his wrist with brutal precision, twisted his joint, and drove his own blade straight into his abdomen.

*Stab!*

A bloodcurdling scream tore from the man's throat as he collapsed onto the carpet, clutching his bleeding stomach.

Dead silence blanketed the room.

Everyone froze, staring at the dripping blade in my hand as if I were a terrifying stranger.

Calmly, I pulled out my phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, 911? There has been an armed robbery and assault. The address is..."

Right then, Hailey panicked.

Terrified that the truth would come out, she seized the chaos to sneak back toward the fallen man, desperate to silence him.

Seeing her approach, the wounded man saw red.

Furious, he whipped out a concealed folding knife from his pocket, lunging wildly at her.

Hailey shrieked in terror. On instinct, she grabbed me—the nearest shield—and yanked me directly in front of her.

I hadn’t expected the man to have a second blade, let alone that Hailey would pull me in front of it.

*Thwack!*

The sound of cold steel tearing into flesh.

Hailey merely suffered a shallow scratch on her forearm.

Meanwhile, a chilling numbness bloomed in my chest.

The blade had driven straight into my left breast, right over my heart.

I collapsed onto the floor, blood pooling beneath me as darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

As my consciousness slipped away, I saw my parents rush forward, instantly helping Hailey up. Carter dropped to his knees beside her, desperately applying pressure to the tiny scratch on her arm, frantically soothing her: *"You’re safe now, Hailey, you’re okay..."*

No one looked at me bleeding out on the floor.

Only when the police and paramedics burst through the front doors did anyone realize I was dying.

In the ambulance, Carter and my parents' voices drifted into my fading ears:

"Who knew she’d turn into such a monster? Growing up around cartels turns people into vicious animals. Hailey said the guy wasn’t even planning to hurt anyone until Evelyn provoked him! Why couldn't she just stay put as a hostage? She almost got Hailey killed!"

"Carter, you have to think carefully. A woman with blood on her hands... if she snaps one day, who could control her? Marrying her would be inviting a wolf into our home!"

After a long silence, Carter made up his mind:

"I know. I'll make sure the best surgeons operate on her."

"Her body was already ruined by those thugs overseas. If her heart has turned rotten too... I won’t marry her."

I closed my eyes. A warm, metallic liquid welled up in my throat, choking my lungs.

Blood.

My vision plunged into total blackness.

"Blood?! What’s happening... Why is there so much blood?!"

"Don't sleep! Evelyn, look at me! Don't you dare close your eyes! Do you hear me?!"

"Doctor! Doctor!"

...

The red light outside the ICU stayed on all night.

They had never imagined my wounds would be fatal.

No one dared bring up how "vicious" I was anymore.

When the second critical condition notice was handed down, Carter finally murmured in a broken voice:

"If the thugs out there were that ruthless... if Evelyn hadn't fought back with equal ruthlessness... would she have survived those five years at all?"

My parents said nothing, burying their faces deeper into their hands.

At 5:20 AM, I was finally stabilized and transferred to an intensive recovery room.

Before Carter and my parents could catch their breath, a frantic, hysterical woman broke through the hospital security.

She grabbed Carter by his collar, screaming like a lunatic:

"Where is my son?! Your wife, Hailey, hired my son to put on a show!"

"She promised it was just a fake kidnapping! Why did the police arrest him?!"

Not far away, the nurse assigned to my room ran toward them in sheer panic, her voice screeching:

"Code blue! The patient is gone! Miss Vance has been taken!"