Chapter 3

Harrold clearly hadn't expected to see me.

I should've known better.

At a banquet full of Hawthorne Bay's old-money crowd, of course the Newell Corp CEO would be there.

If I stayed in Hawthorne Bay, running into them was going to be normal.

Annoying, sure.

But I'd survived worse.

Compared to everything else, this was nothing.

I picked Gigi up from Amy. She was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.

On the way home, we passed Hawthorne Hospital.

That was where I lost the last person in the Newell family who'd ever loved me.

Carter.

The Newells' longtime butler.

I still remembered the day Yuna came back. She saw Carter fanning me in the summer heat, even at his age, and looked jealous.

"It must be nice to have someone care about you. At the orphanage, they only hit me and screamed at me."

Later, the man who'd always looked out for me died in what everyone called an accident.

Carter had been healthy. Yuna was there when he fell.

So she was the first person I questioned.

Before I could get the truth out of her, she jumped from an upper floor in front of everyone.

Just like that, she became the victim.

Every sympathetic face around me went cold.

I still remembered Miguel grabbing me by the throat in the waiting area.

"Yuna's fighting for her life, and you're happy? Carter was old. Old people die. You're not grieving. You're just using this to hurt her."

Harrold backed him up.

"He was just a butler. My real sister is the one in there. If she dies, I swear I'll make you pay."

Back then, I was wrecked.

Miguel was one thing.

But Carter had cared for Harrold, too.

How could he say something that cruel?

Yuna survived.

Later, I overheard her talking to Harrold.

"I just wanted to try on one of Nina's dresses. Hers were always prettier than mine. Carter caught me wearing it. I panicked and tried to put it back, but he grabbed it. We struggled, and he fell down the stairs. Harrold, I swear I didn't push him that hard. I swear..."

"I believe you." Harrold patted her head. "Don't tell anyone else. Got it?"

In that second, my blood went cold.

For a second, I even thought Carter had died because of me.

When did I finally give up on Harrold?

Maybe that day.

"Ms. Walker, I think someone's following us."

I snapped out of the memory, my face going cold.

"Let them."

If they wanted to follow me, fine.

I'd have to face them eventually.

Then a car slammed into us from behind.

Through the window, I watched the driver storm toward us.

The second I saw his face, my breath caught.

I'd thought Harrold was following me.

It wasn't him.

It was a murderer I'd helped put behind bars.

I covered Gigi's eyes.

"Don't be scared. It's okay. Mommy's here."

But how could she not be scared?

Even I couldn't stop shaking.

Then the shots came.

Each one hit my nerves like a hammer.

Flames swallowed everything around us.

My vision blurred.

Through the smoke, I saw Harrold, covered in blood, dragging Gigi and me from the wreckage.

"Nina, stay with me. I've got you. I'm right here. Nothing's going to happen to you. Just hold on. The ambulance is almost here."

For one second, looking into his tear-filled eyes, I forgot how much I hated him.

I grabbed his wrist. "Save Gigi first... She's all I have..."

He pulled me into his arms.

His tears soaked my shoulder.

After that, nothing.

I only knew I had a dream.

And in it, I saw someone I'd missed for a very long time.