She had started dancing at five, living her entire life for ballet. If she could no longer perform on stage, it would feel like losing everything.
Lisa’s shoulders trembled, her voice caught in her throat as she fought back tears. No... not her. What could she possibly do to make Adam believe her?
Suddenly, a harsh, female voice cut through the air. "It was this bitch who broke Emilie's leg!"
Before Lisa could react, a forceful shove sent her stumbling away from Adam, and she was slapped across the face. The blow was so strong that she lost her balance, crashing to the ground and hitting her head on the trash can. Stars danced in her vision.
Emilie's mother, Marry Grant pointed at Lisa, her voice venomous. "You stole Emilie's boyfriend and ran her over with a car! A wicked, malicious woman like you deserves to rot in hell!"
Lisa’s ears rang. "I didn’t hit Emilie with my car! Stop spreading lies about me!"
"The evidence is clear, and you still deny it? You shameless bitch!" Marry’s rage turned her into a madwoman. "Let’s see how you escape this!"
Like a wild animal, she lunged at Lisa, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her forward. "Come on, everyone! Look at this woman! She destroyed my daughter's future—she’ll never dance again. Let’s expose her for what she really is!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, reporters flooded the scene.
"That's her! The woman who was behind the hit-and-run!"
"She's the one who ruined Emilie's career and kept her from ever performing again!"
"Someone call the police! Arrest her now!"
...
"Adam, help me!"
Lisa turned desperately to Adam, but he stood silently by, his face devoid of emotion, as if he were a stranger.
The insults rained down, and reporters closed in on Lisa, their cameras flashing relentlessly. Each word felt like a slap, the pressure mounting as she struggled to hold herself together.
The world around her began to blur. Blood rushed to her head, and her vision darkened. In that moment, everything went black, and she fainted.
The day after Emilie's car accident, Lisa’s heart shattered.
She collapsed at the ward's door, overwhelmed by both hypoglycemia and the crushing weight of betrayal. But Adam, cold and unforgiving, dismissed her collapse as an act—an attempt to avoid responsibility. He had her unceremoniously thrown into a hospital utility room, where medical waste was stored.
A compassionate nurse, passing by, noticed Lisa and used her phone to contact her family. They were the ones who picked her up.
Back at home, Lisa fell ill.
The controversy surrounding Emilie’s car accident continued to rage, and soon Lisa was being hunted online. Her name was plastered across social media, inundated with hate and vitriol from Emilie’s fans. The comment sections of her posts were soon flooded with curses, forcing them to be shut down altogether.
Some of Emilie's most extreme fans went so far as to send Lisa dead mice and shrouds in the mail.
Unable to return to her normal life, Lisa took leave from work and retreated to the Hale family home to escape the media frenzy.
Meanwhile, Adam made a public announcement that their engagement was over, and had his assistant collect all the betrothal gifts the Jackson family had previously given to the Hale's.
The large flat in Clear Water Bay, a wedding gift from the Jacksons, had been intended as the couple's new home. Lisa had moved in and lived there for two months, only to be told by Adam to pack her things and leave within a few days.
Lisa was in the yard, sunbathing weakly, when she received the call. Since falling ill, she'd lost her appetite and couldn't keep food down, causing her to lose weight rapidly.
During this time, the police came to the Hale house, taking Lisa in for questioning.
While the surveillance video showed Lisa's car at the scene, the driver’s face wasn’t clearly visible, and there were no other witnesses. It was only confirmed that Lisa’s car had struck Emilie, but there was no solid evidence to prove she was the one behind the wheel. After the investigation, Lisa was granted bail and released.
"Lisa, your brother has arranged for the driver to move your things out of the Clearwater Bay apartment. Once you're feeling better, I'll take you abroad to relax for a while," said Leslie Hale, Lisa's mother's voice, full of concern as she looked at her daughter, who was now looking frail and thin. She tried to hide her discomfort, but it was clear how deeply troubled she was by the situation.
