Chapter 5

After tending to my wounds, I somehow made it to the hospital where I fell into a deep coma.When I regained consciousness, I was in a hospital bed. A nurse was changing my IV bottle. She sighed softly when she saw I was awake."You've been unconscious for three days. The concussion from the explosion combined with blood loss... the doctor says you need rest."I tried to move, but every wound protested. The nurse pressed my shoulder down. "Don't move. The whip marks on your back have reopened."

The door opened and Elena walked in. She wore a silk robe and looked concerned, but her eyes gleamed with triumph."I heard you woke up, so I came to see you," she said, sitting beside the bed. "Such a terrible accident, wasn't it? Thankfully, Vincenzo saved me in time."I didn't respond. She continued in her sweet but sharp voice: "Father has signed the papers, transferring all the family’s downtown shop rights to my name. After all, I'm marrying Vincenzo now—our families are merging, and I need to hold onto the key assets to match our status."

She leaned in, lowering her voice: "You have nothing left, Lena. No family support, no share of the business, not even the man you love. He belongs to me now. Why are you still here?"I closed my eyes, refusing to look at her triumphant face. She was right. I had nothing. It was time to leave.

That night, ignoring the pain, I got out of bed and made my final preparations. My passport, some cash, and the family jade pendant my grandfather left me. That was all I would take.I heard footsteps in the hallway and quickly hid behind the door. It was Vincenzo and Elena."The final agreement will be signed tomorrow," Vincenzo said. "The cooperation between our two families on the suburban development project will be unbreakable.""Father is very pleased you're handing over the construction material supply rights," Elena said with a smile in her voice. "After we're married, all the profit channels in the eastern district will be under our control."

Their voices faded down the hall. I leaned against the wall, my back wounds throbbing. None of this concerned me anymore.

For the next two days, I rested alone in the hospital room.Just before my discharge, my parents appeared. They weren't there to check on my injuries; they were here to give me instructions."Elena's engagement dinner is soon," my father said. "Since you promised to leave, do it quickly."I nodded calmly. Seeing how compliant I was, their expressions softened."For Elena's sake, you need to step aside." My mother handed me a bank card. "Once Elena and Vincenzo stabilize the family business and the development project starts making money, perhaps we'll come get you. The money is already on the card. Don't show your face around us again. This should be enough to live on in Chengdu."

After speaking, they turned and left, their footsteps hurried—Elena was trying on her engagement dress and needed their approval.I watched their backs. I took the ticket to Chengdu from my pocket and slowly tore it to shreds.Then I took out my phone and booked a flight to Xiamen. I would leave as they wished, but in a way they could never find me.

After leaving the hospital, I met with the family’s old advisor to sign a declaration of dissociation from the family."Miss," I placed the papers on the desk, my voice flat. "I want to cut ties with the Lin family."The senior paused, then sneered. "You're making the right choice. Once you're officially disowned, you'll have no access to any Lin family resources. If our business rivals target you, don't expect us to help you."

I signed my name on the documents and placed them in a wooden box.Along with it went the family jade pendant that had accompanied us through countless tough nights in the old workshop. I had wanted to show this token to Vincenzo countless times, but he never gave me the chance.Now I was leaving. None of it mattered anymore. Whether he wanted to hear the truth or not was no longer my concern. I would disappear completely and never be found.

That night, the noise from the engagement dinner preparations downstairs was deafening. I slept poorly.At dawn, I got up, ate a simple breakfast, and put my suitcase in the car.Just as I was about to leave, I ran into Vincenzo and Elena.I looked at Vincenzo in his tailored suit and gave a slight nod, calling him by the title for the first and last time: "Brother-in-law."

Vincenzo visibly froze. He glanced at the car behind me and frowned. "You don't need to attend the dinner. Just stay in your room."I knew they were worried I would cause trouble at the dinner. I shook my head and handed him the wooden box, my voice calm: "I'm not going to the dinner, and I won't bother your lives again. I wish you happiness. Goodbye."

I turned and got into the car, closing the door. Vincenzo watched the car start and looked uneasy. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Elena in her engagement dress cut him off."Vincenzo, help me adjust my veil!"Through the car window, I saw him casually hand the box to an assistant before turning and smiling as he reached out to fix Elena’s veil.

I took out my phone—blocking everyone's contact information. Everything related to the Lin family was deleted.The car slowly drove out of the villa area. I rolled down the window and threw my phone out. From now on, my old self was dead.And I, the new me, would have a completely different life.

As the plane took off, I looked out the window at the familiar buildings growing smaller. I felt no attachment, only relief. I was finally leaving this so-called "family."I had wanted to leave since I was a child because I clearly saw how my parents treated us differently. Whether it was in life or emotions, I always felt like an outsider in their eyes.I even wondered if I was their real daughter, but the fact was I was. Elena's sister. That reality was even more painful—the only explanation was that they simply didn't love me.Because they didn't love me, they could sacrifice me without hesitation. Just like when they made me take the fall for Elena without a second thought.

As for Vincenzo, I had thought he was my salvation. When he was blind and abandoned by his family, I secretly visited him in the old warehouse every day. What attracted me wasn't his status as the heir to the Zhou family’s business, but the fragile yet gentle soul I found in the darkness.So I fell for him without reservation, even anonymously donating one of my corneas so he could see again.But now he firmly believed the person who had been with him was Elena. No matter how I explained or proved it, he refused to believe.

The plane hit turbulence, shaking slightly. A sharp pain shot through my back. The wounds from the whipping hadn't fully healed. I couldn't help but gasp. Since Elena had pushed me into the pool, I had become especially sensitive to cold. Even under two blankets, I still felt chilled.I instinctively pulled the blanket tighter, but it didn't help much. Just as I was about to ask a flight attendant for another one, the man beside me handed me his blanket.I froze for a moment."I won't be using it," his voice was warm and pleasant. "You can have it."He wore a clean white shirt and a mask, revealing only a pair of exceptionally beautiful eyes."Thank you." I took the blanket and felt much warmer. As fatigue washed over me, I fell asleep.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport..."The announcement woke me. I was surprised to find I had slept for nearly two hours; my back and legs were numb.Thirty minutes later, I glanced at the time while holding my luggage. I had arrived earlier than planned. Looking at my empty message list, I had already grown accustomed to it. Even if I did disappear, no one would probably notice.Now that I was in a new place, I didn't want any connections to my past. People, things, memories—I had let them all go.Walking out of the airport, Xiamen's sun was bright and dazzling. The sea breeze in Xiamen was warm, just like my gradually healing heart.

Meanwhile, the wedding of the Coleone family was absolute chaos.

My sister, Elena, was about to marry the man I'd once loved deeply—Vincenzo Coleone.

Just as the ceremony was about to begin, a small boy playing nearby bumped into Elena, slightly dirtying the bottom of her dress. It was barely noticeable and could have been easily wiped clean.

Yet Elena let out a sharp cry. "My dress!"

There was little panic in her voice, mostly a sense of being offended. She shoved the stunned boy hard, her eyes scanning the room. "Whose unruly child is this? Who let them in? Get them out of here now!"

The innocent child froze, terrified on the verge of tears.

At the commotion, Vincenzo strode quickly over. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit with the Coleone family crest pinned to his lapel.

But when he saw the blatant, almost harsh impatience on Elena's face, his footsteps stopped dead in their tracks.

In his memory, the girl who had stayed with him during his blindness had always been gentle, quiet, and kind. She would never be so volatile.

He stared at Elena, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.