Chapter 4

The moment she called me a cripple, I couldn't take it anymore.

I could ignore her flaunting Nate's love and pretend it didn't matter. But the second she mentioned my leg, it felt like someone had reached inside me and torn my heart apart.

I shouted, "Lucy, what right do you have to call me that? If it weren't for you, I never would've lost my chance to dance! And don't you dare bring up my mother!"

Just as Lucy was about to hurl something else at me, a voice came from outside the room.

It was Nate.

Apparently, he hadn't been able to find Lucy anywhere else, so he came to my ward.

The moment she heard his voice, Lucy collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face like a well-rehearsed performance.

"Nate! Help me!"

Nate burst into the room the second he heard her cry for help.

When he saw her lying on the ground, her cheeks wet with tears, he immediately called for a doctor.

"Thank god you came," she whimpered, clinging to her stomach. "I didn't know what I was going to do..."

She looked at him with pitiful eyes, her voice trembling.

"I really don't know what I did to upset Ruby so much... She pushed me so hard. If I hadn't shielded my stomach in time, who knows what would've happened..."

Nate's eyes flared with rage. Nothing angered him more than seeing Lucy hurt.

"Ruby, why would you hurt her?" he snapped. "She's such a kind, gentle girl."

It was like he wanted to kill me. His hands closed around my neck, squeezing with a force that made breathing impossible. I struggled against him, but his strength far outweighed mine.

In desperation, I yanked out the IV needle from my wrist and stabbed it into his hand.

He cried out and let go.

I collapsed back, coughing violently, gasping for air. And in that moment—gasping and trembling—I understood something with painful clarity.

No one was going to save me. There was no point in waiting for someone else to fix my life. If I wanted to survive, I had to save myself.

After Nate left with Lucy, I picked up the phone and called a private investigator.

All these years with Nate—I'd managed to save a fair amount of money. Enough to pay for the truth.

Today was my mother's death anniversary. And I had decided—I would uncover everything that happened back then.

She deserved that much from me.

Then, I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and dialed my old mentor's number.

"Sir," I said. "I want to come back. I want to continue my training."

There was a pause on the other end, then a soft intake of breath.

"You're sure? If you return, you'll have to erase all traces of yourself from this world. From now on, there will be no more Ruby Randy."

"I'm sure," I said.

"Alright then," he replied. "I'll be waiting."