Chapter 3

Just that one sentence, and I believed him.

I convinced myself that all of Everet's actions were just normal behavior for someone treating a younger sister.

Then, on my birthday, I suddenly started hemorrhaging in the middle of the night and was rushed to the hospital.

I clung to life for an entire night, barely making it.

But my baby was gone.

When I opened my eyes, Everet wasn't there. Instead, his and Chloe's voices drifted from the bathroom.

"Everet, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it."

"I didn't know pregnant women shouldn't have turtle soup. I just wanted to make Cassidy stronger, I didn't mean to..."

Chloe's self-reproaching words were cut short by Everet.

He comforted Chloe softly, his voice impossibly gentle.

"It's not your fault, she brought it on herself."

"She drank the turtle soup, not you. You had nothing to do with it."

Then, the sounds of heavy breathing, unmistakably male and female, drifted from the bathroom.

The sounds stabbed deeply into my eardrums.

I lay in the hospital bed, tears streaming from my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt like laughing.

That soup? Everet had brought it to me earlier that day.

I'd seen the broken shells in it and asked him, confused, "Everet, what is this?" Seeing my hesitation, his tone had hardened. "It's soup I bought just for you. Don't be silly, drink all of it."

Turns out those broken shells were from a turtle.

He knew it was turtle soup. Why didn't he tell me?

Perhaps he didn't want that child either.

My phone rang in the silent room, pulling me from my thoughts.

Snapping out of my memories, I saw a work assignment for an on-site photoshoot tomorrow.

I typed back "Okay."

The next day, I arrived at the outdoor photoshoot location with my department's crew.

To my surprise, the person in charge of the partner studio was Chloe.

"I can't believe *you* actually got into photography."

"Well, I guess with how you look now, you wouldn't make it on a runway anyway."

Without Everet by her side, Chloe dropped her facade, revealing her true self.

Her eyes were filled with undisguised hostility.

I focused on my work, having no desire to engage with her.

Chloe, unbothered by my indifference, watched me with even greater smugness.

"Look at these models, their skin is so smooth, it's just enviable."

"Cassidy, you lost three years ago, and you're going to lose again today."

The next second, Chloe screamed, and a sharp tug sent me plummeting into the icy river.

Everet, arriving late, saw both Chloe and me struggling in the water.

Without a moment's hesitation, he dove in.

To my shock, he went for *me* first, even though I was further away.

Seeing this, Chloe's face twisted in fury.

Everet held me, his voice soft as he comforted me.

I just found it amusing.

Three years ago, during the fire, Everet had stepped right over my trapped body, pinned beneath a fallen beam, to save Chloe. He hadn't even spared me a glance.

The cold river water engulfed my mouth and nose, my throat, and vocal cords constricting.

The pressure of the water crushed my chest, a dull ache spreading through me.

Darkness enveloped me, and I passed out.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

My mother, Eleanor, walked in and immediately slapped me across the face.

Pointing her finger, she unleashed a torrent of abuse.

"You wretched girl! You've ruined Chloe's baby!"

"Chloe's still in surgery fighting for her life! How could you ever take responsibility for this?"

Mom's hateful words blurred, taking me back three years.

Three years ago, when I discovered Chloe's award-winning photographs were actually stolen from me, I publicly challenged her right there at the awards ceremony.

I demanded that my own submissions be displayed.

But when my intimate photos were projected onto the huge screen, a bucket of ice water couldn't have shocked me more.