"My apologies, Captain Julian. It was my fault for tripping; I didn't see you coming."

Julian gave a cold "hmm" of acknowledgment, then turned to head upstairs to remind Selina that it was time to leave.

I saw the jealous and triumphant gaze Selina cast at me, but I acted as if I hadn't seen it and walked toward the courtyard gate to wait.

In my previous life, Selina often used these kinds of two-faced tactics.

I couldn’t see it before, and I was always jealous, wanting to compete with her for superiority.

The more I competed, the worse my reputation became.

You can never find happiness with someone who doesn’t love you. One should hold onto the people who truly care for you; even if life is hard, it won't feel painful.

I thought that once I had reasoned this out, I would feel at peace, but standing outside the courtyard, an inexplicable sense of unease kept pressing down on me.

Just then, I saw the attendant from the guesthouse rushing toward me: "Comrade Elena! Go to the hospital quickly! Your mother has been beaten until she’s barely breathing!"

Chapter 3

My mother is the only person in this world who truly favors me.

I rushed to the emergency room, my lungs burning as if they were about to explode.

The chaotic noise of the hospital blurred into a dull hum in my ears. I gasped for air and intercepted a doctor: "D-doctor, how is my mother?"

A flicker of sympathy crossed the doctor's eyes: "Are you a relative of Evelyn? Please, try to stay calm; the patient is still in surgery."

My legs went weak, but I leaned against the wall, refusing to collapse.

The staff at the guesthouse said my mother had stepped out in the morning, only to be dragged into a deserted alleyway and beaten.

No one saw who did it. They had already reported it to the police, who promised severe punishment once the perpetrator was caught.

I couldn't fathom how things had spiraled this way.

We had just arrived in the capital; we didn't have any money on us. Who would want to beat my mother to death?

Why were they going after me?

Time ticked away second by second, but the doors to the emergency room remained shut.

Julian heard the news and hurried to the ER. At a glance, he spotted the slender figure against the wall, body tense and motionless, eyes locked solely on the emergency room doors.

His cold, stern face suddenly softened: "Elena."

A massive shadow loomed over me. I looked up belatedly, my bloodshot eyes causing Julian’s heart to soften for an instant.

But before he could speak, I took a step back: "Captain Julian, if you are here to warn me again, please save your breath. Rest assured, I would never harbor any twisted intentions toward you."

This attitude was exactly what Julian had wanted, yet for some reason, the taste it left in his mouth was not pleasant.

"I heard about what happened to your mother. The organization has sent me to assist the police in the investigation. You need to tell me who you’ve been in contact with these past few days."

I nodded, my voice sounding unnaturally hoarse: "Okay."

I remained tense, my legs trembling, yet I stubbornly refused to show any vulnerability, like a bamboo shoot battered by a storm yet still standing straight.

This version of me was a completely different person from the "climbing-into-bed fool" in Julian's memory.

Perhaps the book he gave me had served as a wake-up call?

Regardless, this was how a soldier’s descendant should behave.

"This isn’t the place to talk. Come with me."

I didn't move, turning back to stare at the emergency room.

I couldn't rest easy.

Julian stared at me for a few seconds, then reached out to grab my wrist with a touch that carried a hint of reassurance: "Rest assured, there are people guarding this place."

"The sooner we understand the situation and catch the suspect, the sooner your mother will be safe."

He brought me to the lounge without giving me a choice.

Before the questioning began, Julian specifically poured me a cup of warm water. This was perhaps the first gesture of kindness he had ever shown me in two lifetimes.

But I felt nothing for it now.

My mind was entirely on Evelyn in the emergency room; those short dozen minutes were excruciating.

As soon as the questioning ended, I hurried out of the lounge.

Just as I reached the corridor, a nurse happened to inform me: "Comrade Elena, your mother’s surgery is finished. She is out of danger and has been moved to Room 302 in Zone B on this floor."

After thanking her profusely, I headed toward the ward.

Who would have thought that just as I reached the door of 302, someone would suddenly spring from the stairwell and grab me.

I turned my head and locked eyes with a pair of malevolent, vicious eyes.

It was none other than Victor, my stepfather who was supposed to be back in the village!

Before I could even speak, Victor pointed at my nose and cursed: "You wretched girl! You dumped my son just to get into the city! Because of you, he’s trying to commit suicide!"

Chapter 4

The man dragged me, refusing to let go, banking on the fact that Evelyn was still unconscious to spout lies freely.

"What did my son ever do to wrong you? Whenever there was good food or drink, he was always scrambling to send it your way, and you? You want to kill him!"

"You only listen to your mother, that unkillable hag. Now that you're a used woman who's fooled around with my son, do you really think the General’s son would ever look at you?"

"Come with me! We're going back to the village!"

The people around who had intended to help me all pulled back.

I was trembling with rage.

Victor had the nerve to use his thirty-year-old idiot son—who still wet the bed—to stir up rumors?

If I didn't understand who had beaten my mother by now, I would have wasted two lifetimes.

"Victor! Fine, let's go! Let's go to the police station! You beat my mother into the emergency room; that’s attempted murder! Plus, you are spreading libelous rumors about me. I will make sure you rot in prison for this!"

I stopped struggling, and Victor, feeling guilty, loosened his grip.

At that moment, Selina suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor, acting the part: "Elena, you’ve gone too far. Even I, someone from the same village, can't stand to watch this."

"Uncle Victor is your stepfather. He raised you through all those hardships, treating you better than his own son. How can you even talk about sending him to prison?"

Behind Selina followed Julian.

Selina’s alignment with Victor undoubtedly lent weight to his accusations.

Sure enough, Julian, who had just shown a shred of kindness, now had no intention of helping me.

When pitted against Selina, no matter the truth, I stood no chance.

I sneered: "Selina, aren't you afraid of divine retribution for saying such things?"

Everyone in the village knew that my mother hadn't spent a single good day since marrying Victor.

"You wretched girl, get back here!"

Seeing that Julian wasn't helping me, Victor rolled up his sleeves, grabbed me, and prepared to drag me away.

"Let go of your filthy hands!"

As I spoke, with a "rip," Victor tore my shirt open.

A large patch of fair skin was exposed, and Victor’s eyes instantly locked onto it.

Julian acted with lightning speed, taking off his jacket to cover me, partially shielding me while his sharp gaze pierced through Victor.

Terrified by his stare, Victor instinctively stepped back, not daring to advance further.

Being pulled like that by Victor ignited the nightmares of my previous life.

After Julian divorced me in my last life, I had been forced into a second marriage with Victor’s idiot son.

The father and son had torn my clothes apart with this same roughness. I refused to submit, and in the end, I was beaten to death.

The rage and disgust from two lifetimes merged into an uncontrollable force. I lunged at Victor like a madwoman: "Victor! You animal!"

"You beat my mother every other day at home, and now you’re causing a scene at the hospital! You must be the one who injured my mother! I want you to pay for it with your life!"

But Julian grabbed me firmly: "Calm down!"

"Let go! I don't need your interference!"

My crazed appearance frightened the crowd into keeping their distance. Julian had no choice; he scooped me up by the back of my knees and forcibly carried me back to the lounge where we had spoken earlier, hooking his leg to close the door.

Inside the lounge.

Julian pressed me firmly onto the small doctor’s cot while I kicked and struggled. He picked up a cup of cold water and poured it over my head.