That night, I went back to the apartment I had once shared with Randall.
I walked straight into the bedroom and began clearing out my things, one item at a time.
A few pieces of clothing he had personally picked out for me were still hanging in the closet.
In the far corner of the bookshelf was a photo of us from the year we first got together.
I didn’t pause.
I didn’t hesitate.
Anything that could be thrown away, I tossed.
Everything else went into boxes.
I was halfway through packing when I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.
Randall walked in—with Samantha.
When he saw me standing in the living room, he froze. His expression stiffened for a split second, clearly caught off guard.
“Why are you—”
He stopped himself and quickly recovered, as if afraid I might misunderstand.
“Samantha isn’t feeling well, so I asked her to stay here for a few days.”
“Her family’s out of town, and the nanny isn’t around. It’s easier for me to keep an eye on her here.”
He added another sentence, his tone carrying a hint of nervousness he didn’t even seem aware of.
“It’ll only be a few days. Don’t take it the wrong way.”
I zipped the suitcase shut, looked up at him, and spoke calmly.
“I understand.”
Randall was visibly stunned.
My composure unsettled him.
“You…”
He opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say next.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Samantha suddenly spoke softly.
“Randall, I’m a little hungry. Could you make something for me?”
He didn’t hesitate for even a second.
“Okay. Sit down and rest.”
It was the first time he had ever cooked in this apartment.
For another woman.
Before heading into the kitchen, he seemed to remember something and casually asked me,
“Do you want to eat something too?”
I took a deep breath.
“No.”
I hadn’t eaten food he made before. There was no reason to start now.
The moment the kitchen door closed, the weakness on Samantha’s face vanished.
She looked at me coldly, her voice filled with undisguised disdain.
“Why are you so clueless? I wanted some alone time with my brother.”
I was exhausted and didn’t feel like engaging.
“I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t bother you.”
She smiled instead. “I don’t believe you.”
“I prefer kicking out people I don’t like myself.”
Before I could react, she suddenly reached out and grabbed me.
I hadn’t even processed what was happening when she yanked me hard backward.
As I lost my balance, she used me as a cushion, slamming me straight into the coffee table.
The vase on the table shattered against my back.
Cold porcelain shards and water exploded everywhere.
I let out a muffled groan. It felt like my back had been torn open, a burning pain ripping through me as blood quickly ran down my spine.
I braced myself against the sofa, clenching my teeth just to stay upright.
“Samantha, are you insane?!”
Samantha, who had been on top of me, was completely unharmed.
She collapsed onto the floor, her voice suddenly piercingly loud.
“Ah!”
“What are you doing, pushing me?!”
“It hurts… my leg!”
She cried helplessly, pitiful and wronged, as if she had suffered some enormous injustice.
The kitchen door flew open.
Randall rushed out.
The moment he took in the scene, his expression darkened to its lowest point.
He strode over, scooped Samantha up in his arms, and checked her injuries, his voice tightly restrained with anger.
“Where are you hurt?”
When he looked up at me again, there was nothing in his eyes but disgust.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
“Tara, how much longer are you going to keep this up?!”
My back throbbed with numb pain as I replied coldly,
“I didn’t push her.”
Randall didn’t want to hear it.
“You make me sick.”
“Tara, let me make this clear.”
“From today on, I won’t pay a single cent for your brother’s medical bills.”
“When you finally realize how wrong you’ve been, I’ll consider restoring them.”
He didn’t know that my brother had already been transferred.
Maybe because I was about to leave, I suddenly felt that if I didn’t say certain things now, I’d regret it.
“Randall.”
I called out to him softly.
“If I say I didn’t push her, would you believe me?”
I reached up and pulled open my coat.
My back was exposed to the air.
The wounds carved open by shattered porcelain were horrifying—blood mixed with water and grime, an appalling sight.
Compared to the faint, deliberately manufactured redness on Samantha, it was like night and day.
Randall’s pupils shrank sharply.
He took two unconscious steps toward me, his Adam’s apple bobbing, a flicker of concern flashing in his eyes.
He was about to say something.
But in the next second, Samantha whimpered softly in his arms.
“Randall… she really did drag me down with her.”
“My stomach hurts so much…”
Randall stopped.
He tightened his hold around her and his voice turned cold again.
“Stop pretending. Do you think this is enough to frame her?”
“I know exactly what kind of person Samantha is.”
He turned and walked out without sparing me another glance.
When the door closed, I suddenly laughed.
My mind went completely blank.
I changed into clean clothes and went straight to the airport, boarding the next flight out.
Everything else, I handed over to Erwin.
As the plane took off, I looked out the window at the city shrinking into the distance, an unexpected calm settling over me.
‘Randall, I hope you’ll be very surprised when you receive the gift I left behind tomorrow.’
