Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the gate of the Lin residence.

Ethan carried me out, gently placed me into my wheelchair, and pushed me inside.

Opening the front door, a warm breeze mixed with the scent of flowers rushed to meet us.

The living room, which had been cleaned, was tidy and bright, and the vase on the coffee table was filled with Begonia flowers in full bloom.

In the corner on the table, white chrysanthemums were placed before my parents' portraits.

Ethan silently pushed me in front of the photos of my father and mother.

My eyes turned red, and my trembling hand touched their faces in the photos: "Dad, Mom..."

In an instant, a thousand words choked in my throat, making it impossible to speak.

I missed the days when our family was whole, but I felt even more ashamed that as their daughter, I not only failed to repay their upbringing, but I also let my mother leave in such a hurry, and now I couldn't even manage to bow to them properly.

Tears welled up, choking my breathing.

Ethan was about to wipe away my tears when I said: "Can you... leave for a while?"

At this, he frowned.

But seeing the portrait of my mother, he understood in his heart.

To me, he was, after all, the sinner who had indirectly caused my mother's car accident.

A look of guilt crossed Ethan's face, but he only lowered his voice: "I'll make a trip to the hospital and be back soon. Call me if you need anything."

I gave an "um," without looking at him.

It wasn't until the sound of the car faded away that I finally allowed the tears to fall.

Looking at my mother's portrait, my voice was hoarse: "Mom, I'm sorry... Clara... still hasn't divorced him..."

I had clearly decided to let go, yet there were countless obstacles.

Not to mention that I was now a useless person who often needed help just to drink water or eat...

Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

I froze.

Ethan?

But hadn't he just left? And I hadn't heard the sound of the car.

I asked: "Who is it?"

There was no response; the person outside continued to knock.

After hesitating for a moment, I turned the wheelchair around and slowly opened the door.

Standing outside was a woman in a black overcoat. She was wearing a mask, and her bangs covered her eyes, making it impossible to see her face.

"What’s wrong? Has it been so long that you don't even recognize me?"

As the woman spoke, she pulled off her mask.

The sense of unfamiliarity in my eyes turned instantly into astonishment.

"Melanie?"

Compared to the beautiful and elegant version of her from a few months ago, the Melanie before me had bloodshot eyes, her long, messy hair was greasy, her complexion was sallow, and there were dark circles under her eyes—she had completely lost her previous luster.

Vaguely, an inexplicable sense of unease climbed into my heart, driving me to want to close the door.

Melanie’s eyes hardened; she pressed her hand against the door handle and glared at me viciously.

"I’ve been watching you for so long, and I finally managed to shake off the police tracking me. Aren't you going to invite me in for a cup of tea?"

Chapter 36

Her venomous tone made my scalp prickle. I forced myself to stay calm: "I'm sorry, it’s not convenient for me..."

Before I could finish, Melanie suddenly pressed a wet towel against my face.

The thick, heavy scent of medicine made my heart clench tightly.

Ether!?

Before I could struggle, my vision began to fade to black.

Before my consciousness sank completely into darkness, I heard Melanie laughing by my ear: "I can't do anything to Ethan, but as long as you die, I can consider it revenge."

Hospital.

Ethan had just retrieved my new medication from the pharmacy and was preparing to return to the Lin residence when his phone suddenly rang.

Thinking it was me, he took it out to check, but was surprised to see it was Qi Ming.

He frowned and pressed answer: "Captain Qi, is something the matter?"

On the phone, Qi Ming’s voice was exceptionally serious: "Mr. Ethan, Melanie has disappeared. The last place she appeared was Nancheng Road on East Avenue. Does she have anyone close to her in that area?"

Upon hearing this, Ethan’s heart sank sharply.

Nancheng Road?

Wasn't that the road to the Lin residence?

In an instant, countless horrifying images flooded his brain, stabbing him until his breathing grew labored.

Ethan took a deep breath, trying to remain calm while running toward his car: "That road leads to my wife's home."

Qi Ming had learned something about the conflict between Melanie and me through Ethan.

When he heard this answer, he realized the situation was dire and immediately dispatched men to head there.

Hanging up, Ethan floored the accelerator, racing toward the Lin residence.

The sky was gloomy.

A chilly wind whistled past my ears.

I slowly opened my eyes; what entered my view was the city skyline with its wide, open vistas from atop a high-rise rooftop.

I instinctively wanted to escape, but I discovered that both of my hands were tied tightly to the armrests.

"Well, you’re awake."

A flippant voice came from beside me.

I turned to look and saw Melanie standing in front of the concrete steps, holding a syringe and a small bottle of clear liquid.

She toyed with it, drawing the liquid into the syringe, squeezing out the excess air with the proficiency of a doctor about to perform surgery.

My face turned white: "What are you doing?"

Melanie held the syringe and walked over slowly: "I risked being caught to bring you here—what do you think I’m doing?"

Looking at the glinting, cold needle, I felt as if my breathing were being throttled.

I had no deep hatred for Melanie, and I didn't even know why I had been kidnapped, or why she was doing this to me...

Looking at my gaze, which was filled with a mix of tension and confusion, Melanie gave a cold smile: "Looking at you now, I really don't understand what Ethan likes about you."

As if opening a floodgate, she began to recount the past: "I was still in middle school when I met Ethan. We lived in the same neighborhood back then; even though we weren't in the same school, I would wait for him downstairs every morning, then pretend to bump into him so we could walk together. Because from the first moment I saw him, I fell in love with him..."

"When I decided to gather the courage to confess to him, I discovered he was hiding a photo of you in his backpack, and later I even found the love letters you wrote to him. I wasn't willing to accept it—I had clearly known Ethan longer than you, loved him first—why did it have to be you? So, I swapped the love letters, making him believe that the person you truly loved was actually Julian."

Upon hearing this, my vision shook.

Suddenly, all of Ethan’s coldness toward me over these years found its answer.

Because of that stolen and swapped confession letter, the two of them had been trapped in a misunderstanding for four full years!

Chapter 37

Melanie tilted her head slightly: "Later, when we were attending university in the same city, I often went to find him, and everyone mistook me for his girlfriend. I thought I had already replaced the position you once held in his heart, but that damn old man Ethan kicked me out of the company!"

As she said this, her eyes suddenly turned red, her hatred tinged with grief: "Do you know what kind of life I lived in Las Vegas? Discrimination, abuse, and humiliation. I originally wanted to use a man to make my life better, but I never expected to be schemed against by him, ending up with a massive debt of 20 million. To survive, I had to cater to other men according to his demands, even if it meant selling my body..."

"I finally returned to the country and saw Ethan again. When I realized he no longer loved you, I thought fate had given me a second chance. That’s why I created misunderstanding after misunderstanding, making you think I had an ambiguous relationship with him. But I never expected that for your sake, he would actually have others torment me!"

As she spoke, Melanie unbuttoned the front of her shirt.

My pupils constricted.

Hideous scars extended from Melanie's shoulder all the way down to her lower abdomen. Each one looked like a knife cut; some had scabbed over, while others were still bleeding.

"Isn't it terrifying? Except for my face, my entire body is covered in scars like this." Melanie closed her clothes slowly, her tone vicious. "Ethan revealed my involvement with the executives in the city's business circle to their wives. They found me, stripped my clothes off, and I don't know how many times they sliced me with small knives."