All Chapters of The Rest Is Light: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

The agony of the iron rod through my chest still lingered, and each breath felt like it tore me apart from the inside.Just then, Rebecca Smith's voice, sweet and pleading, filled the room."Dad, I have someone else in my heart. Marrying him–I just can't do it."In my previous life, I had fallen for her Oscar-worthy act and stepped in to take her place without a second thought. In this life, though, I refused to fall for it. I simply watched her perform, my lips pressed firmly in a tight line.The room tensed up for a beat.Dad–Nash Smith–knitted his brows, his mind obviously racing through the odds.I braced myself for a repeat of the past, but then Calvin Porter's icy voice cut through the quiet.He moved closer, his eyes briefly softening as they passed over Rebecca, then turned icy again when they landed on me."Mr. Smith, I didn't come here to talk about weddings."Rebecca let out a relieved breath.I blinked in surprise. Was it possible Calvin had a second chance at lif

Chapter 2

Calvin then tenderly lifted Rebecca. Halfway up the stairs, he paused, turning to give me a look loaded with unspoken words.As his silhouette vanished, I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, and pushed down the ache in my heart.I turned to Nash with a steady gaze. "Dad, I'm thinking of getting some experience at the branch office. Isn't the new company in Zephyr City understaffed?"Dad's attention finally snapped back to me, and he swiftly nodded. "Sure, I'll have Mr. Wallace arrange everything necessary."..."Jo," Dad's voice was tinged with a weariness he tried to soften, "I'm sorry for being useless, for the hardships you've faced. Your sister has always been delicate. You're her younger sister… Could you maybe be a little more patient with her?"He paused before adding, "I promise I'll make it up to you."I kept my eyes downcast, concealing the scorn that flickered within them.Make it up?Such a hollow word.I took his words to heart in my previous life, always stepping as

Chapter 3

Rebecca shot me a venomous look before staggering out of my room.I set the porcelain doll down on the table, my fingers trembling uncontrollably....In the dead of night.I was yanked from my bed with brute force and slammed onto the freezing floor.My knees and elbows screamed with pain.I looked up to find my father's furious eyes on me, his words a torrent of anger."How vicious you are despite being so young, Joanna. You know your sister's allergic to acrylic; she can't even touch it."How could you leave that dirty thing in our home?! Were you trying to off her?!"He was holding my porcelain doll."No, Dad," I pleaded, crawling toward him, pain forgotten in my desperation."It's not the doll. I swear it doesn't have any acrylic, it really doesn't!"Please, just give it back to me, please? It's the only thing I have left from my mom!"I tried to grab it, but he shoved me back hard, and I tumbled to the floor once more."No excuses!" Nash's fury was boiling over as h

Chapter 4

Calvin's grip on my hand vanished instantly.I did not even want to spare them a second glance, so I turned and walked away.I could feel the sting of Rebecca's glare on my back.Soon enough, their laughter was a mere echo behind me.…The next morning, I grabbed my bags, ready to hit the road.However, the moment I stepped outside, the world went pitch black, and I was out cold.When I came to, I was tied to a chair."Awake?" asked one of the guys, flashing a grin.I forced myself to stay cool and think fast.After mentally crossing off everyone else, I deduced this had to be Rebecca's doing.I looked up at my captor, my voice edged with suspicion. "Did Rebecca put you up to this? How much did she pay you?"The two kidnappers locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. Their gaze was shifty, and they did not say a word, just let out a creepy chuckle before slamming the iron door shut.I wriggled my wrists frantically, ignoring the searing pain as I worked my

Chapter 5

Elliot scooped me up with surprising gentleness and settled me into the back seat of his car.It took a moment for me to gather enough strength to barely crack open my eyes."Can I use your phone?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.He raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that, but he did not ask questions. He unlocked his phone and handed it over.I quickly accessed my cloud account, my face a blank mask as I hit the send button.The information I had was explosive, and within moments, it was lighting up the inboxes of every major media outlet and influencer in Cascade City–including Nash, Rebecca, and Calvin's personal emails.Meanwhile, Rebecca was walking into her house, obliviously smiling with a shiny new necklace around her neck.Nash was waiting for her, his expression dark as a storm cloud."Dad, you're back early today..."She noticed the dangerous glint in his eyes, and her smile stiffened. Trying to keep the mood light, she sat down next to him and tried to be

Chapter 6

"Too bad, the goons you picked are just as pathetic as you.""Enough, Joanna!" Calvin burst in, gasping for air.He spotted Rebecca crumpled on the floor, groaning, and made a beeline to help her. However, her bitter look froze him in his tracks.He turned to face me, his voice laden with blame."I already cleared up the whole kidnapping mess, didn't I?! Rebecca just got carried away, wanting to give you a little scare!"She's too sweet and naive to actually want you dead! Look at you, perfectly fine! Not a scratch on you, so why are you being so confrontational?""Ha..." I snorted. Sometimes, when words failed, laughter was all that was left.I stared at him, at the guy who once made me risk everything without a second thought.What was I thinking in my past life to be so blind as to give him my all?"Calvin, I've got to know: are you just playing the fool so well you've fooled yourself? Or are you really that clueless? Even now, you still think she's all sugar and spice?!"

Chapter 7

"It's all lies, a setup by Joanna and that Reynolds guy."They're trying to pin this on me. They must have switched the samples!" Rebecca pointed at Elliott with venom in her eyes. "He's behind this. He did it!"Elliott finally looked up, a smirk playing on his lips."Me, mess with things? As if you're on my level."Behind him, his stoic bodyguard whipped out a tablet and tapped the screen.A crisp surveillance video popped up on the lounge's screen.There was Calvin, all sneaky-like, switching the samples with Rebecca and Joanna's names on them.When the video stopped, the room went dead quiet."Jo, hear me out, I just got mixed up, okay? Think about the good times we've had..." Calvin pleaded."The good times?"Right then, the door flew open, and in marched the staff, uniforms and all.The head cop, a middle-aged guy with a serious vibe, said, "Ms. Smith, you're under suspicion for a whole list of nasty stuff: planning a kidnapping, hurting people on purpose, and even hiri

Chapter 8

Nash stumbled back, his face ashen."Retribution… Retribution…"Ha, haha… Retribution!"I coolly watched him shuffle away, a broken man. Any love between us had crumbled away, just like that busted ceramic doll....It was not long after Nash's exit that Calvin showed up.I had just gotten back from some errands when Calvin was suddenly there, waiting."Jo, I've been waiting for you. I–""What are you doing here?" I cut in.He brushed off my frosty tone and babbled on, "Jo, you have to hear me out. It was all Rebecca's fault. In our past life, she lied to me and claimed all the credit, making you out to be the villain, saying you were all schemes and tricks..."Now I get it, Jo. I know you've always cared about me, that your feelings never changed. We..."He reached out, trying to pull me in. "Let's wipe the slate clean, forget all the hurt, and start fresh. We can leave this place, go somewhere no one knows us, and have the life we deserve, okay? I promise, I'll make it up

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