Chapter 5
I was just about to ask what was going on when Dad brought his hiking stick down on my other good leg. I crumpled to the ground, the sound of my shinbone snapping echoing, and the pain instantly drenched me in a cold sweat.
Familiar faces blurred in front of me, and I heard my mom’s voice.
“We hid the truth out of selfishness. It was Jessica who wanted to outshine Rhea, so she purposely took your children to climb the mountain.”
Hearing this, a chill ran down my spine, and the scene from that time seemed to replay in front of me.
Henry crouched down in front of me, gently holding me up, his voice low.
“Back then, they thought the accident was an accident, so after you went in, they didn’t investigate further. But now, with everything online, they realize it was deliberate. That’s why they’re angry and came looking for you.
“They couldn’t find you, so they went to Rhea. I was worried something would happen to her, so…”
My vision blurred with tears, and I smiled weakly at Henry.
“So you tricked me into coming here, hoping I’d take the blame for Jessica again?”
“You idiot, what are you talking about?! You killed someone, not Rhea!”
Before I could finish my words, my dad struck my back with the hiking stick again.
My mom held Rhea protectively, coldly staring down at me.
“You should take responsibility for your own mistakes. Do you want to drag Rhea into this? Because of you, Rhea’s been triggered, thinking about what happened back then. If her condition worsens, I will never forgive you!”
Henry gently wiped the sweat off my face, holding my hand tightly.
“As long as we calm them down, we can start a new life. No matter what happens, I won’t leave you. This time, I’ll face it with you.”
My dad angrily slammed the hiking stick in front of me. “If you didn’t get involved in all these messy things, none of this trouble would have happened!”
My mom tightly protected Rhea, crying as she shouted at me, “Jessica, do you have any idea how much Rhea has suf- fered because of you? Now that she’s finally on the path to a hopeful future, do you want to ruin it?”
A hopeful future?
What about me? Was I supposed to live my whole life covered in dirt, unable to wash it off?
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Chapter 5
When I met their guilty eyes, my parents looked a bit uneasy, and Henry’s eyes reddened as well.
“Jessica, once this is all over, we’ll get married.”
Hearing this, Rhea shot me a resentful glance, then closed her eyes and collapsed into my mom’s arms.
“Rhea!”
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Henry immediately turned around. Seeing Rhea unconscious, a flicker of struggle and hesitation crossed his eyes.
“Henry, you’re the only one who can stop Rhea from doing something stupid. Please, come with us to the hospital.”
“But…” Henry instinctively glanced at me. After a moment of hesitation, he squeezed my hand tightly.
“They just want to know the truth about what happened back then. They won’t hurt you. I’ll be back to find you soon. Rhea needs me now; I can’t just stand by while something happens to her.”
As I watched Henry and my parents quickly disappear, I closed my eyes in despair.
When I opened them again, all that remained in my gaze was coldness.
Looking at the family members of the victims, I smiled. “Want to know the truth about what happened back then?”
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