Chapter 8

"It wasn't me," Lila's voice trembled. "It was Chloe. I saw her with my own eyes—" "Enough!" Evan cut her off sharply. "You need to pay for what you've done." He snapped his fingers. Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and grabbed her. "Evan!" Lila struggled. "Believe me. Just this one." Evan let out a cold laugh. "Take her to the amusement park." It was just before dawn in late autumn. The amusement park was deserted, the air bitterly cold. Lila was dragged to the top of the free-fall ride. The wind cut through her thin clothes, and she trembled uncontrollably. "Strap her in," Evan ordered coolly. Lila's face went pale. "No, Evan! You know I'm afraid of heights." "That's exactly why you won't forget this lesson." He fastened the harness himself. "You'll come down when you're ready to tell the truth." The ride began its slow ascent. Lila squeezed her eyes shut. By the time the machine reached the top, she was trembling like a leaf. "Ahh—!" The drop came suddenly. The freefall yanked her stomach into her throat, and her heart felt like it stopped midair. She screamed, tears tearing into the wind. Once. Twice. Three times. When the sky began to lighten with the first streaks of morning, Evan finally called it off. When the guards unstrapped her, Lila was barely conscious. Her lips were bloodied from biting down too hard. "Had enough?" Evan asked, looking down at her coldly. Lila opened her mouth, then suddenly vomited blood and collapsed. In the haze before she blacked out, she thought she heard Evan calling her name. But then everything went black. … The sharp scent of disinfectant made Lila's temples throb. She opened her eyes to see Evan standing beside the hospital bed, holding a plane ticket between his fingers. "Lila, you've stirred up enough trouble. First you bullied Chloe, then you hurt Grandpa. I'm done looking at you." His voice was cold as he placed the tickets on the bedside table. "Go and cool off overseas. When you've learned your lesson, maybe I'll consider bringing you back." Lila stared at the ticket and suddenly found it laughable. In her previous life, he'd cut off his fingers for her. In this one, he couldn't wait to send her as far away as possible. She didn't say a word and just silently took the ticket. Seeing how compliant she was, Evan frowned. "That's it? Not gonna protest? You have nothing to say?" Lila slowly looked up. She wanted to say a lot. That he'd trusted the wrong person. That he'd broken her heart. That Chloe was the one who hurt Franklin. But in the end, she just shook her head. "Mr. Carter." A nurse knocked lightly on the door. "Ms. Carrington says her chest hurts. She's asking for you." "Got it," he replied. "Tell her I'll be there soon." He then turned to Lila and said flatly, "To make sure you don't try to run, I'm driving you to the airport myself." On the way there, Lila quietly texted her parents. "Dad, Mom. Meet me at the airport, and please bring along my divorce certificate. We're leaving now." After sending the message, she glanced at Evan's reflection in the window. His side profile looked sharper, colder than ever. Back when she had first been reborn, she had been overjoyed. All she wanted was to make things right with him, to love him as fiercely as he had once loved her. She'd followed him around like a shadow, desperate to give him everything she had. Back then, she used to watch him drive, thinking even the way he gripped the wheel was impossibly sexy. Now, she looked at him and felt nothing at all. "We're here." Evan pulled over. "I'll walk you in." The airport terminal was crowded. Evan stayed close behind her, planning to watch her through security. But just then, his phone rang. "Chloe?" He answered, his voice instantly soft. "Don't worry. I'll be right there." He hung up and walked away, not even giving Lila so much as a glance. Lila stood there, watching his figure disappear into the crowd before she turned to meet her parents. "Lila, here's your divorce certificate." Richard handed her a document. "Thanks, Dad." Lila took it, and a faint smile of relief appeared on her face. She ripped her ticket to Rosienne into pieces and tossed them into the trash. Then she walked to the counter and bought three tickets to Bellmoire, Brisborne. "Dad, Mom, let's go." Bathed in the last light of dusk, the three of them walked through the departure gate, their backs straight, their hearts resolute. Meanwhile, Evan arrived at the hospital as fast as he could. Just as he stepped out of the elevator and was about to enter Chloe's room, a nearby TV suddenly blared with breaking news. "This just in. Flight MU587 from Marseillea to Rosienne has crashed shortly after takeoff. All 132 passengers on board didn't survive." Evan froze. The blood drained from his face. MU587—wasn't that the flight he'd booked for Lila?