He
said Elena was just a lovesick girl who’d pull any stunt to keep him around. I… I thought she was lying…”
The pain from the wound on my face stung fiercely, and before I knew it, tears were streaming down my cheeks.
It felt as though the raw betrayal from a man I’d once loved so deeply had carved this pain even deeper. Once, Silas had chased after me, his affection loud enough for everyone to see. And now, he dismissed me as some obsessive annoyance.
We had met in grad school, later working our way together into this research institute.
Five years of my life were thrown into a shadow by a woman he once loved.
Back then, he’d told me she was a closed chapter, that I was his present and future.
But when this woman, Nadia Stanton, reappeared, she came with tear–stained eyes and a stage–four cancer diagnosis, claiming, “I left because ! found out I had cancer and didn’t want to burden you… Now, with so little time left, all I want is to hold onto some beautiful moments for myself.”
From then on, Silas became her shared boyfriend, running to her side at her beck and call.
In my last life, after he chose to save me during the lab fire, Nadia passed away that very night. Her death left him with a jar of ashes and a heart full
of resentment for me.
I had jumped from that rooftop because he later told me my parents, exhausted by the public harassment my scandal had stirred, had succumbed to heart attacks with no chance for recovery.
Under the crushing weight of his accusations and my own grief, I eventually ended my life.
As I recalled my past life, the tears came harder.
Yet nothing Brielle said would change her guilt this time. She was still responsible for abandoning her post.
Everett, both furious and shaken, hung up and tried calling Silas next, but the line was busy. Just moments later, however, my phone rang.
Seeing his number, Everett pressed answer for me, ready to berate him, but Silas‘ impatient voice cut him off first.
“Elena, are you out of your mind? I told Brielle not to tell you where I was, and you had to drag Everett into this?! What are you trying to prove? I can’t believe I didn’t see how petty you could be! Do you have to make everyone miserable just to satisfy yourself? I’m warning you, go clear things up with Everett, and then apologize to Brielle!”
He was on speaker, his words ringing loud and clear in the ambulance.
Everett’s frustration was palpable as he clutched the specimen I’d saved.
“Silas, you absolute idiot!” he shouted, his voice a mix of anger and disbelief.
Instead of feeling guilty, Silas shot back, “Mr. Sterling, you’re here! Perfect timing. I need to tell you that Elena is just causing a scene. Don’t buy into her drama!”
out!”
Everett’s face twisted with rage. “Is she just making things up? Do you even understand that there was a fire in the lab? Elena nearly didn’t make it
Silas paused, clearly taken aback, but quickly regained his composure.
“Mr. Sterling, don’t let her fool you! There’s no flammable material in the lab, and we had extinguishers. There’s no way a serious fire could happen!” Silas wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, the lab was designed to be safe, with no flammable materials that could spark such a massive fire.
The previous incident had played out similarly when he arrived and unlocked the lab. The flames were extinguished almost instantly, and the fire department wasn’t even needed.
Therefore, he was convinced that I was just trying to create drama to drive a wedge between him and Nadia.
“Sir, Elena is just jealous that I’m spending time with a terminally ill friend. She’s orchestrated this whole drama just to get to me. Don’t fall for it!” Before Everett could unleash a verbal onslaught on this oblivious man, a soft voice interrupted from the other end of the line.
“Silas, don’t be mad at Elena. She’s just acting out because of me… Once I’m gone, everything will be okay…”
Hearing Nadia talk about dying threw Silas into a frenzy.
Without a second thought for Everett, he blurted out, “I can’t talk right now, sir. We’ll talk later!”
Everett was left stunned, unsure of how to process the situation.
He had been our advisor and the one who had brought Silas and me together. He never imagined that while I was fighting for my life, Silas would be with another woman.
A jolt from the ambulance sent a wave of pain through me, and I lost consciousness.
When I finally came to, I was lying in a hospital bed, my face wrapped in bandages.
Colleagues swarmed around me, their faces a mix of relief and concern.
I attempted to move, but a sharp pain shot through my limbs.
“Elena, don’t move!” Grace urged, her voice panicked. “You jumped from the third floor. Your arms and legs are broken!”
“Wh–What about my face?” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper.
The room fell silent as they exchanged worried looks, each reluctant to speak.
Finally, Everett sighed heavily. “Elena, you’ve got some serious cuts from the glass. They had to stitch you up. Fourteen stitches. Your face might…”
I didn’t need to hear more. It was clear I was likely disfigured.
Noticing my silence, Grace hurriedly tried to comfort me. “Elena, don’t worry! With modern medicine, scars can be fixed. It’s nothing you can’t overcome!”
Just then, someone asked, “Where’s Silas? Why hasn’t he come yet?”
As soon as the question hung in the air, the atmosphere turned heavy.
The door suddenly flew open with a loud bang, and there stood Silas, his expression furious. “Elena, haven’t you made enough of a scene?!“
