Chapter 4

The old woman was frantic. She stayed by my side, wrapping me in a blanket she had found.

However, my breathing kept getting weaker. My arms and legs went completely numb. I could only lie there, stiff and still, waiting for death.

Meanwhile, the man who had destroyed me was showing off. He pulled out his phone and proudly displayed the photos and videos he had taken to the people around him.

"Look at that figure. Pretty hot, right?"

In the photos, my dress had been torn to shreds. My body was covered in bruises and ugly streaks of blood.

Since my face was not visible, they all assumed I was just some low-level escort.

Sean happened to pass by and stopped to take a look. He did not recognize the silver pendant I had worn since I was a child. Instead, he let out a low whistle.

"Not bad. A little too skinny though. Nothing special."

The crowd burst into even more disgusting laughter.

Something inside me broke for good.

I remembered back in sophomore year, a boy from the class next door had looked at me for a second too long. Sean had almost broken his arm over it.

However, he watched a video of me being humiliated and did not feel a thing.

At that moment, I finally understood. The brother I knew had already died the day Wendy came into the Lawson family.

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. I coughed up a mouthful of blood, and my breathing turned into desperate, ragged gasps.

Suddenly, Sean's assistant came running in, flustered.

Wendy had fallen while skiing. She said she felt dizzy and nauseous, possibly a mild concussion, and needed to be taken down the mountain immediately.

The doctor's eyes lit up at once. He turned to me, his voice urgent.

"Ms. Lawson, this is our chance. They're heading down the mountain. If we follow them, we can get you to a hospital. Just hold on a little longer!"

I did not have the strength to respond. I could only let out a faint, helpless breath.

The doctor found a snowmobile used for transporting supplies.

At the same time, Sean was already at the helipad, waiting for the helicopter he had called for Wendy.

Unfortunately, just as the helicopter arrived, the doctor drove me to the entrance of the helipad.

It was the only way down the mountain.

Sean carried Wendy and boarded the helicopter first. His bodyguards blocked our path.

The doctor shouted desperately at Sean. "Move! Please move! There's a critically injured patient behind us. If we delay any longer, she's going to die!"

At first, Sean ignored him. However, the doctor's persistence began to irritate him. Sean slid open the cabin window, his voice sharp with annoyance.

"Wendy's health matters more than anything. No one is more important than her. As for the one behind you, if she dies, then that's her fate. Some lives just don't matter."

He snapped the window shut without another word.

The doctor trembled with anger, but he had no choice. He maneuvered around the bodyguards, squeezing through a narrow gap.

At last, we managed to pass beside the helicopter.

As we moved past it, one of Sean's friends happened to open the window for some air. The moment he saw my pale, lifeless face, he recoiled in shock and fell back into his seat.

He stammered to Sean, "Sean… T-the person on that snowmobile… It looked like Kelly!"

Sean frowned and shot him an impatient glance.

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could she be here? Besides, she's full of tricks. There's no way she'd let herself get into real danger."

Hearing that, his friend swallowed the rest of his words.

Due to Wendy's concussion, Sean stayed by her side in the hospital for three full days.

By the time he had almost forgotten about me entirely, he received a call from our parents. They said they were about to return home and wanted to throw a celebration banquet for my academic success.

Sean did a quick calculation. By his estimate, I had probably reflected enough in the suite and could be let out then.

Just as he was about to call his assistant, his phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number, but he still answered.

The voice on the other end was a police officer.

"Is this Mr. Sean Lawson? We found a female body on a mountain road outside the city. After identification, it has been confirmed to be your sister, Ms. Kelly Lawson."