Chapter 4

Lena took the slap, her head tilting slightly to the side. Her eyes were dull.

Leah quickly walked over to Margaret's side to soothe her. "Mom, I'm really fine. There's only 160 thousand dollars on the card. I was afraid Lena would continue spending recklessly like before, so I didn't prepare too much."

Lena's throat felt sore. She abruptly opened the door of the taxi parked next to her and said, "Could you please go to..."

But she couldn't recall any place names in her mind, so she could only watch the family of four slowly walking inside through the car window.

The driver said, "Are they your family or your enemies? You didn't even say anything just now, how did you get slapped? I don't want the money anymore. You can get out of the car now."

Tears welled up in Lena's eyes and fell in an instant. She also wanted to ask, were they really family or were they enemies?

Leah, who had walked away, held Hayden's hand. There was a trace of pride flickering in her eyes.

"Mom, Hayden, what if Lena really has lost her memories? Let's invite her in."

Margaret's face darkened as she spoke about her daughter with nothing but disgust. "If she really has lost her memory, she won't be able to find her way here! Hayden, it's better to break off your engagement with her sooner rather than later. Don't make Leah suffer anymore. Ah, as her mother, how can I bear to see her suffer again?"

"Aunt Margaret, don't worry. I'll make Leah happy for the rest of my life."

Although he had had a good relationship with Lena since childhood, he had indeed been a bit annoyed with her in recent years.

A few years ago, when Lena and Leah went out together, it was Leah who got kidnapped.

Five years ago, Leah was found, and everyone only then realized that Leah had been protecting Lena at that time. She had asked Lena to run to report to the police first.

Lena ran away, but did nothing, leaving her own sister to be kidnapped.

Lena had always been bad since she was a child. After Leah was found, Lena even bullied her sister all the time, thinking that she had been robbed of affection.

As long as Hayden showed even the slightest inclination to defend Leah, Lena would throw tantrums and cause chaos. Everything that had happened up until now was nothing but her own doing!

***

Lena sat alone by the roadside, still wearing her patient gown. She looked frail and weak.

A car stopped beside her.

"Lena?"

Lena heard the voice of a young woman and looked up. This woman gave off a somewhat familiar feeling but Lena was unable to recall who it was.

"Were you fighting with Hayden again? Why didn't you get changed properly before causing a scene and running away from home?"

"Who are you?"

Joanna rubbed her forehead and opened the passenger door. "Why don't you come in first? Sometimes, I can't blame everyone for saying that you are annoying. Using the same trick too many times is indeed quite irritating. I don't even know why you are so nice to Hayden."

Lena got in the car and sat in the passenger seat without saying a word.

Joanna drove the car to the residential area where she currently lived. "Stay at my place tonight. You will wake up tomorrow morning and rush to find him again anyway."

Lena followed in, politely changing into slippers at the entrance.

Lena was familiar with the layout of this house. It seemed that this person was Lena's good friend.

She sat down on the sofa and Joanna poured her a cup of warm water.

As she held the cup, Lena finally felt that her body had warmed up a lot.

Joanna seemed tired and yawned, "I'm going to shower. You can sleep in the usual room. When you leave tomorrow morning, remember to take the clothes you previously left with you."

"Sometimes, I really wish you had some dignity and didn't give in to Hayden so easily. But every time you run away from home, you never last more than three days. The moment Hayden so much as waves his hand at you, you go running back to him, eager to be humiliated. No wonder neither he nor his friends think highly of you. Have some self-respect. Lena, if you ever really lose your memory one day, I'll set off firecrackers to celebrate."