Chapter 3

After taking a few pictures, I was about to walk over when someone clamped a hand over my mouth from behind. They dragged me into a secluded corner and beat me viciously.

My vision slowly blurred. Just before I lost consciousness, I thought I saw a familiar pair of high heels.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed.

Luke and Vanessa were arguing about something. The moment he noticed I was awake, Luke came over with red-rimmed eyes.

“Danielle, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death. Thank God you’re okay!”

I struggled to sit up and caught the faint smile on Vanessa’s face. She definitely had something to do with this!

Before I could speak, Vanessa immediately put on a tearful expression.

“Danielle, thank goodness you’re all right! I wouldn’t have known what to tell your father! Those bastards. I’ll find them for you and make sure they’re punished!”

She squeezed out a few tears. “Luke just told me about your situation. He’s a good man, and you two are a good match. But you know what his family’s finances are like. If he goes to grad school, he’ll need you to help shoulder the burden!”

I lowered my head with a faint smile, then raised my bandaged hand. “Vanessa, look at me. It’ll probably take months for me to recover!”

She took a business card from her purse. “Danielle, this is my friend’s number. I already asked, and you can work there part-time. It isn’t physical labor or anything. Give him a call when you have time!”

I glanced at it. Livestream sales! Rage flooded through me, and I clenched my fists.

In my last life, I’d asked Vanessa for help finding work. She’d given me this same card and told me to become a livestream host. But when I got there, I discovered it had nothing to do with selling products. They forced me to do whatever they said. If I refused, they beat me. They even took nude photos to blackmail me.

I fought to keep my anger under control. “Vanessa, you should offer this to Luke. He’s the one who desperately needs money. Don’t get us mixed up!”

“That’s the wrong attitude! Why draw a line between you two? Aren’t you both working toward the same future?” Vanessa began lecturing me.

“You don’t need to worry about our business. Maybe you should spend more time figuring out how to pay off your debts!” I blinked at her.

Vanessa’s expression changed instantly, and she shot Luke a look.

He immediately grabbed my hand. “Danielle, what are you talking about? Stop imagining things. This is the first time I’ve met your aunt!”

I shook him off. “You know perfectly well whether that’s true! Anyway, Vanessa doesn’t need you. She’s been through more men than you can count!”

Luke’s face stiffened. Vanessa couldn’t hide her embarrassment anymore. Anger took over, and she dropped the act.

“Danielle Bennett! No wonder you’ve been acting so strange today. I suppose even someone as stupid as you could figure it out eventually!” Her face was full of contempt.

I looked at her. “Vanessa, don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done. All that pretending to care about me… You were just trying to quiet your own fear, weren’t you?”

“What are you talking about? Did that beating damage your brain?” She rolled her eyes.

“You killed my mother, didn’t you?” I stared straight at her.

Vanessa panicked. She glanced around, then grabbed the water from the bedside table and threw it over me.

“Danielle, what the hell are you saying? You’re just jealous because Luke loves me, not you! You’re petty, cheap, and unreasonable. Of course he doesn’t like you!”

I looked at Luke, standing there as though none of this concerned him, and shook my head. I really had been blind.

“Stop pretending. If you hadn’t secretly thrown away my mother’s medication, how would she have died?” I hated Vanessa with everything in me.

Shaking with rage, she pulled a razor blade from her purse. “You little bitch! Keep running your mouth. I’ll kill you!”