Chapter 2

"Charlotte!" Reese's desperate, hoarse scream rang out behind me.

The wind rushed past my ears. I closed my eyes and let go.

Just as I was about to fall, a large hand grabbed me firmly by the collar. A tremendous force tightened around my neck, making it ache.

Reese was leaning halfway over the railing, his wrist striking the jagged edge of the shattered glass. Blood immediately spurted out and dripped onto my face.

He hauled me back with all his strength, and we both crashed heavily onto the cold marble floor.

Beside us, Mom let out a hysterical scream. "Charlotte, have you lost your mind?"

Dad was trembling with rage. Pointing a finger at my face, he roared, "You're going to kill yourself in front of the entire family over a heart? Look at how badly Reese got hurt trying to save you!"

I lay sprawled on the floor like a broken doll, staring at them coldly.

Reese gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He shoved his mangled hand in front of my face and roared, "Take a good look! The tendons on the back of my hand are practically severed from pulling you back!

"Charlotte, if you had even an ounce of conscience, you'd know how much this family has indulged you! How far are you going to take this before you're satisfied?"

I stared at the blood pouring from his hand. It was an almost blinding red, yet I didn't feel the slightest stir in my heart.

Suddenly, I burst out laughing. My laughter grew louder and louder, making my chest heave violently until I started coughing up blood.

"Conscience?" I pried Reese's blood-soaked fingers off me one by one, then disgustedly wiped the blood stains from my hands against my hospital gown.

"Reese, what gives you the right to lecture me about conscience? You cry out in pain over a broken hand, but what about two years ago?"

Reese's entire body jolted.

I stared straight into his eyes, my voice as faint as a ghost's whisper.

"Two years ago, Valerie lost the selection because she wasn't as skilled as I was. She cried and said she'd dreamed of performing in that dance competition her whole life.

"So, to make her dream come true, you ambushed me—the prima ballerina— in a dark alley while I was walking home from rehearsal. You threw a sack over my head from behind, then smashed my right kneecap to pieces with an iron rod.

"You said that only if I became crippled would Valerie naturally take my place as the lead dancer in the performance."

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

The color drained from Reese's face, and his pupils trembled violently.

I turned to look at Mom and Dad, whose faces had also gone deathly pale.

"And you two!" I smirked coldly. "You found the surveillance footage from the entrance to the alley, so you knew perfectly well that Reese had crippled me. But to protect your brilliant son and make it up to poor Valerie, you destroyed the footage with your own two hands."

They thought they had covered their tracks perfectly, and that I knew nothing.

Mom's legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed onto the floor. Her lips trembled for a long time, but not a single word came out.

"Valerie has had such a hard life, whereas you already have so much. What's the harm in giving up one performance for her?" I mimicked Dad's earlier tone, delivering each word with deliberate mockery.

"And now, you've even taken my life and given it to her. The three of you really are such noble, devoted people."

I pushed myself up from the cold floor and gave them one last look, as though I were looking at three corpses.

"Now that you've repaid the kindness, it's time for me to die. I wish you all a lifetime of nightmares."

With that, I turned and walked away.

Reese scrambled toward me on his hands and knees, desperately trying to grab hold of me.