Her Turn to Break the Rules

I smirked. “Shawn, what nonsense are you spouting again?”

“Don’t think this is up for discussion,” he replied coldly, a trace of mocking disdain flashing in his eyes.

“If you insist on performing, you’ll deal with the consequences yourself.”

I stopped in my tracks, locking eyes with him and his icy stare.

“Brother, is your precious little angel so lacking in confidence that after ten years of piano lessons, she’s afraid of competing with me on the same stage? What a pathetic loser.”

…

Just a few days before the anniversary gala, Alec came to find me.

“Sierra, what happened last time was my fault. But you’ve blocked me from contacting you, and you refuse to see me.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Sierra. Do you have a misunderstanding about me, or… have you fallen for someone else?”

As he said those final words, his voice carried a distinct trace of pain.

“But you said it yourself that you’d always love me the most.”

A surge of anger, sharp and burning, shot through my chest.

Once, I had loved him with all my heart for so many years.

He said he didn’t like me doing kissing scenes, so I gave up countless opportunities with some of the best directors in the industry.

He said Linda came from a rough background and was bullied in the orphanage, so I should go easy on her.

And I forgave her again and again for every offense she committed against me.

All I ever wanted was to have my sincerity returned in kind.

And what did I get in return? A decade of slander and hatred from both of them.

At that moment, I couldn’t even be bothered to put on a façade anymore.

Grabbing Alec by the collar, I shoved him hard against the tree behind him.

He gasped in pain, sucking in a sharp breath.

Before he could say a word, I slapped him hard across the face.

I didn’t hold back.

His pale complexion instantly flushed red and swelled where my hand had landed.

Leaning in close, I spoke slowly, each word cutting like a blade.

“You’ve known Linda Lowe for a long time. I already figured that out. You like her, don’t you? So why are you here pretending to be devoted to me?

“You just want to string me along, use me, while playing lapdog to your precious little angel. You’re no better than your mother, that homewrecking whore—absolutely pathetic.”

As the final word left my lips, a storm brewed in his eyes, dark and turbulent.

But he couldn’t say a single word in response.

I scoffed, letting go of his collar, and walked away without looking back.

…

That night, I had a dream.

Unusually, it was about what happened after my death in my previous life.

After I stabbed Linda in the chest with the cake knife, I succumbed to the unbearable pain and died.

However, she was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Outside her hospital room, Alec grabbed Shawn by the collar and demanded, “You said you’d take care of everything! You said you’d protect her—”

Shawn shrugged off his hand and replied coldly, “I’ve already agreed to share her with you. Do you think you, an illegitimate son, could control the Wood family without my help? Don’t push your luck.”

Alec stumbled back a few steps, retorting, “Your help? It was—”

He abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his words hanging in the air.

Shawn let out a cold laugh.

"That’s right. It was my sister who helped you. But she’s dead now. And the person who threw the acid on her? That was someone you personally contacted and arranged. Have you forgotten?"

Alec stood silently in place, motionless.

The red light above the operating room door continued to blink.

Moments later, Linda was wheeled out.

The doctor said, "The patient is still in critical condition..."

Alec’s gaze flickered over her pale, bloodless face, his eyes trembling ever so slightly.

Then, with eerie calmness, he said, "I haven’t forgotten, and I’ve never regretted it."

…

I jolted awake from the nightmare, stumbling into the bathroom.

Clutching the edge of the toilet, I dry-heaved for what felt like an eternity.