Chapter 5

"Hiss~"

Vivian's hand was somehow cut by something sharp in the trash can.

Derek's mind went blank. He only cared about her wound.

"Derek, I remember you said you'd take me to the beauty salon for scar removal. How about tomorrow?"

Vivian's eyes immediately filled with tears:

"But you promised to help me water the flowers..."

Derek's expression showed difficulty. I said calmly:

"I'll go by myself."

The next day, as soon as I left the villa, I called my friend abroad.

"Today's the day. Contact them and send a car to pick me up at the airport directly."

I chose a spot without surveillance cameras to wait for the car, not wanting Derek to know my whereabouts.

But within minutes, I was surrounded by a group of people.

"Elena, the beautiful girl returns home and doesn't even tell us old classmates?"

These were the people who had bullied me alongside Vivian back then.

Seeing them, my blood froze. Discomfort instantly swept through my entire body.

With a thread of rationality, I reached for my medication, but just before it reached my mouth, someone nearby snatched it away.

"I heard people with severe depression will kill themselves? We've never seen that before!"

I was surrounded until I couldn't see a ray of sunlight. I curled up in agony.

But someone grabbed the hair on the back of my head tightly, forcing me to display my anguished expression before their eyes.

"There are no cameras here. Even if we played you to death, no one would know."

In the chaos, someone pulled my hair, someone slapped me, someone tore at my clothes, and camera flashes blinded me.

"Stop it!"

Everyone uniformly released me. I saw Vivian pick up my dust-covered medication from the ground and shove it into my mouth.

"Why did you save me?"

Vivian showed me that all-too-familiar smile, like a coiled venomous snake.

Only then did I realize—everyone had been fooled. She never had a mental illness at all.

"Naturally because I'm afraid you'll die."

"I can only be this unrestrained because of Derek's guilt. But if you died, how would I know who he feels more guilty toward?"

"I want you to live consciously and watch how I toy with you."

She helped me up and straightened my clothes and hair.

Before I could react, she grabbed my hand and leaned backward provocatively.

"Vivian!"

Derek finally found the "lost" Vivian and rushed straight to her, completely ignoring my disheveled state.

"They were bullying Elena. I helped her, but she tried to hit me. My stomach hurts so much..."

Derek swept her up in his arms, kissing away the tears at the corners of her eyes tenderly.

He turned his head and glared coldly at me.

"Ungrateful! They should have beaten you to death!"

I stood there thunderstruck. The successive mental shocks left me somewhat dazed.

Watching the car drive away, leaving me alone, I ignored the people watching and laughing behind me and limped away.

Two hours later, carrying only my passport, I got out of the car at the airport.

Before the plane took off, I received a message from Derek:

[Vivian's at her prenatal checkup. Come over and get examined too. Give her a proper apology.]