It wasn’t until a week later that I saw Liam Foster again in the hospital lobby.
Perhaps knowing he’d been far too biased before, he deliberately brought Vanessa Bennett along this time, saying he wanted her to apologize to me in person.
Vanessa clung affectionately to Liam’s arm, her tone light and casual, without a trace of sincerity.
“I’m sorry, Sister. What happened that day was all my fault. I caused you such serious injuries. You’re the bigger person—please don’t hold it against me.”
I lifted my eyes and glanced at her calmly. My gaze was as still as stagnant water, without the slightest ripple. I didn’t respond. I didn’t even slow my steps. I simply turned around and walked straight back to my ward, leaving the two of them standing there.
Vanessa’s expression collapsed instantly. She looked at Liam with wounded eyes, tears welling up without warning.
“Liam… is Sister still angry with me?”
Liam watched my retreating back in silence. There was a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, and his tone was firm.
“No. She’s always been soft-hearted. She never truly holds grudges.”
But when they reached my room and pushed the door open, they saw me lift my hand and toss a familiar USB drive into the trash can beside the bed.
Liam’s pupils shrank abruptly. He strode forward, disbelief lacing his voice.
“Clara Bennett, what are you doing?!”
That USB drive held years of our memories—photos from our first date, videos from our trips together, recordings of him singing me a birthday song. I used to treasure it, keeping it in the deepest pocket of my wallet, never letting anyone touch it. And now, I’d thrown it away like garbage.
Before Liam could say anything else, I slid the engagement ring he’d given me off my finger. My fingertips loosened slightly, and with a soft clink, the ring fell into the trash can after the USB drive.
My tone was flat, utterly calm, as if I were talking about something trivial.
“Nothing. I just think Vanessa was right. Useless trash belongs in the trash.”
After that, I turned and walked away without looking back at either of them, heading straight for the doctors’ offices to complete my discharge paperwork.
Liam’s face drained of color instantly. His fingers trembled, his eyes filled with shock and panic. Vanessa, on the other hand, let out a soft scoff. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered provocatively so only he could hear.
“Liam, look—your sincerity was trampled on so easily.”
Liam stayed silent for a long time. His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he finally spoke, his tone stubbornly reassuring himself.
“No. When she calms down, she’ll pick the USB drive and the ring back up.”
“We’ve been together for so many years. Our relationship runs deep. She won’t really break up with me over something this small.”
As his words fell, I returned holding my discharge papers—and heard every word clearly.
A cold, mocking smile curved my lips. I didn’t stop. I walked straight toward the exit.
Liam Foster, you’re far too arrogant.
No one waits in place forever. And no one will keep compromising endlessly for a relationship that has long since rotted away. Breakups are never caused by a single small incident, but by countless heart-chilling moments piling up until the final straw snaps.
Liam clearly noticed the mockery in my eyes. His expression darkened further. The three of us stood frozen at the ward entrance, none of us speaking.
Not long after, Liam received a phone call—something urgent at the company. He left first. Before going, he deliberately instructed Vanessa to accompany me home properly.
The car held only Vanessa and me. The silence was suffocating, pressing down on my chest. Then, halfway through the drive, a violent explosion of sound tore through the air—
Bang!
A massive impact hit us. The car lost control and flipped violently. The sudden weightlessness made my head spin. I instinctively grabbed the seat belt, but my body was still flung hard. My forehead slammed into the window with a sickening thud, sharp pain erupting. Before I could even react, a runaway cargo truck crashed straight into us. Heat and shattered glass rushed toward me.
My body, barely recovered from severe injuries, couldn’t take it. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness.
I didn’t know how long passed before I slowly came to.
When I opened my eyes, I realized Vanessa and I were tied up with ropes, suspended high in an abandoned warehouse. Beneath us roared a blazing fire. A massive pot of oil boiled violently, splattering scorching droplets that could fall on us at any moment.
My head was still dizzy. I tried to recall the details before the crash, confusion swirling in my mind. But when I turned my head, I saw that Vanessa wasn’t afraid at all. She was smiling, watching me like it was a show.
“Sister,” she said lightly, amused, “I heard that after Dad kicked you out back then, you fell into severe depression. It was Liam who slowly pulled you out of that abyss, wasn’t it?”
Her tone was playful, cruel.
“Now that your last bit of hope is gone… do you feel like giving up and killing yourself?”
The ropes bit painfully into my wrists, as if they might snap them. Yet I felt nothing. My eyes darted around the warehouse, desperately searching for anything that might help us escape.
Vanessa didn’t care about my reaction. She continued smugly, enjoying every word.
“Honestly, I should thank you. Back then, it was you who rescued Liam from human traffickers. That’s how I used it as an excuse to get close to him… and slowly replace you.”
“What did you say?”
My breathing stopped. Every drop of blood in my body seemed to freeze.
My memory was yanked back to a summer more than ten years ago.
On my way home from school, I was abducted by traffickers and locked in a dilapidated shack. Later, when they weren’t paying attention, I secretly untied myself and the other kidnapped children and led them in a desperate escape. We hadn’t run far before my strength failed and I collapsed.
I had always believed Liam found me afterward. I never imagined—
Vanessa looked at my stunned expression, her smile widening, malice spilling from her eyes.
“That’s right. I took credit for it. I told Liam it was me who risked my life to save him.”
“For all these years, you and your dead mother were nothing more than stepping stones for me to climb higher.”
The moment her words ended, the heavy warehouse doors were kicked open violently.
Liam Foster rushed in with a group of people, his voice cutting through the air—
“Stop!”
