After eight years as a stand-in, I let go first

On the way back to her room after completing her checkup, Samantha bumped into Lydia in the hallway.

Lydia looked a little stunned when she saw Samantha. She fixed a gentle smile on her face, saying, "Ms. Knott, Harry and Joseph left to buy lunch for me. Do you have some free time? Let's talk."

As Samantha looked at her, she was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to find out what Lydia had to say to her.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky above the yard. Lydia ran her fingers gently through her long hair before she started speaking in a nostalgic tone, "Harry and I went to the same college. At the time, he searched the whole city to buy a limited edition artbook for me.

"When I was down with a fever, he watched over me for three days and three nights.

"When I casually said that I wanted to eat the food from a Frandalian restaurant that was located in the south of the city but was too lazy to travel that far, he acquired the entire store for me. He had the chef personally cook for me whenever I wanted."

Samantha was quiet as she listened to Lydia, but her heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. It turned out that Harry wasn't incapable of loving someone. He just didn't love her.

She had lived with him for 50 years in her past life, but he couldn't even remember her birthday. Lydia had only suffered a small burn on her skin, but he had been so anxious as if the sky was crashing down.

"We lost contact when I moved abroad and only started speaking to each other again recently." Lydia's eyes sparkled gleefully when she noticed the upset expression on Samantha's face. "Don't worry. We're just old friends. We just have a meal together every now and then. Don't misunderstand."

Samantha tempered her emotions before slowly lifting her eyes to look at Lydia. Her voice was calm when she said, "I won't misunderstand. Besides, I've already filed for divorce. It doesn't matter to me if you want to have a meal together, travel together, or get married and have a family together."

She rose to her feet and prepared to leave after saying her piece, but Lydia suddenly grabbed her hand and stopped her. "Listen to me, Ms. Knott. You're misunderstanding—"

Before Lydia could finish her sentence, she suddenly lost her balance and fell backward. She dragged Samantha with her, and they fell into the pond together.

Samantha's entire body was immediately submerged in the icy water. She didn't know how to swim and struggled wildly to stay afloat. Water rushed into her nostrils, nearly suffocating her.

She saw Harry dashing in their direction through her blurry vision. He didn't hesitate for even a second as he dove into the water and hauled Lydia out of the pond.

Meanwhile, Joseph used several tissues to wipe the water dripping from Lydia's face. He didn't spare a single glance at Samantha, who was still struggling with all her might in the pond. "Are you okay, Ms. Yeager?" he asked.

"Help… Help me!" Samantha shrieked, clawing her fingers against the wall of the pond.

Harry only glared at her coldly. His voice was colored with loathing when he asked, "Did you push Lydia into the pond on purpose?"

Samantha was shaking violently.

She tried to explain herself through trembling lips, but Joseph interrupted her impatiently, "I saw what happened, Daddy. She's the one who did it. Leave her be. She's paying for the consequences of her own actions!"

A few good Samaritans tried to help Samantha, but Joseph threw his arms out to stop them. "Don't save her! That's my mother, and she deserves what's happening to her!"

Samantha's heart was frozen to the core. She sank beneath the water's surface, choking on the water rushing into her lungs as she slowly lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she was alone in her hospital room. She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, grabbed her phone, and booked a flight ticket out of the country.

When the airline company called her to confirm her itinerary, she calmly answered, "Yes, I want to leave in a week's time."

The words had just left Samantha's lips when the door was thrown open. Harry and Joseph stood at the entrance, staring at her unwaveringly. "Where do you think you're going?"