Chapter 4

The manager of the cemetery shook me awake.

I thought he was going to kick me out, but instead, he sighed impatiently.

"Miss Evans, there’s been a change of plans regarding the plot you reserved. Someone else is offering a much higher price. I’m going to need you to relinquish it."

I froze, staring at him.

It took me a long time to find my voice.

"But... I already paid the deposit. How can you go back on your word?"

"That tiny deposit is nothing," the manager scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We'll give you a full refund with extra compensation.

“Just be reasonable and do not cause a scene here."

I refused to move. This was the closest place to my mother.

I promised her at her bedside. After I had grown old and died, I'll be buried right next to her, looking out at the sea.

I had already lost everything. I couldn't let them strip away my very last comfort.

Seeing that I wouldn't budge, the manager stepped aside and made a phone call.

A moment later, my phone buzzed in my hand.

It was Daniel.

"Chloe told me you bought a plot facing the ocean," he said, his voice casual. "The view is nice, and she wants it.

"Her surgery date is coming up," he continued without waiting for my reply. "Buying it now will bring her good luck. I’ll pay you triple what you spent."

I stayed silent.

Hearing no answer, Daniel resorted to his usual method of brushing me off with vague promises.

"Don't throw a fit. It’s just a piece of land. Giving it to Chloe will give her peace of mind before her operation. I'll make up for everything you've suffered later."

Later.

I let out a dry, bitter laugh.

The laughter turned into silent, rolling tears.

"Daniel... I won't last long enough for you to make it up to me. Do you even know why I bought this plot?"

A sudden, unexplainable wave of panic hit Daniel's heart.

Instinctively, he pressed, "Why?"

Before I could answer, Chloe’s sobbing voice interrupted from his end.

"Daniel, it’s all my fault. If I were dead, I wouldn't be a burden to you anymore...

"I just wanted a place where I could look at the ocean," she whimpered. "You promised me when we were kids that you would always watch the ocean with me..."

Hearing her bring up their childhood promise, Daniel’s heart melted instantly.

When he spoke to me again, his tone was dismissive.

"You aren't even sick. Just let Chloe have the plot this time. Don't make things difficult for me."

He hung up the phone.

Seeing that the deal was secured, the manager called security to throw me out before anything else went wrong.

I clung to my mother's headstone with all my strength.

Even as my fingertips bled, scraping against the hard stone, they tore my hands away and dragged me down the path.

As I stumbled past the gates of the cemetery, my phone buzzed frantically in my pocket.

Dozens of hateful text messages flooded my screen.

Then, an angry crowd blocked my way. People pushed forward, camera flashes blinding my eyes.

"That's her! The homewrecker who went to the hospital to harass Chloe!"

"Let's teach this trash a lesson! Chloe is dying in the hospital, and this club girl still went to crash her wedding!"

"The video of her kneeling and confessing she stole someone's boyfriend is all over the internet! She admitted it herself, so why should we hold back? Get her!"

A live stream named “Exposing the Homewrecker” instantly shot to the top of the trending list.

Fists and kicks rained down on me like a storm.

The metallic taste of blood surged in my throat. I couldn't stop vomiting blood onto the cold pavement.

The world began to spin uncontrollably.

My vision gradually faded into total darkness.

---

Third-Person POV

At the hospital.

Daniel was sitting in the doctor's office with Chloe.

He had only managed to get this appointment by trading away Serena's mother's design sketches to Chloe.

However, the specialist looked annoyed.

"Miss Chloe, do you have your medical records and diagnostic reports or not?"

The doctor tapped his desk impatiently. "I have a waiting list full of critical patients. Stop wasting my time!"

Chloe’s eyes darted around nervously, stuttering an excuse.

She had no idea that a fake medical history could never fool a top specialist.

Daniel stared at her, suspicion creeping into his mind.

Suddenly, for no reason at all, he thought of Serena.

This appointment was originally hers.

Beside them, the nurse couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

"She stole this appointment slot from another patient who waited six long months for it. That poor woman's condition was already extremely severe!"

Daniel's pupils shrank in horror. He stood up abruptly.

Just as he was about to confront the nurse, his phone rang.

It was an emergency call from the police station.

"Hello, Mr. Daniel Miller? We found a female body at the suburban cemetery identified as Serena Evans."

The officer's voice was grim. "You are listed as her only emergency contact. Please come to the station to identify the body.”