Chapter 3

I lay quietly in the hospital incubator.

Even though being premature had left my body weak, my mind was unusually clear.

Outside, everything had gone to chaos.

Vance Group's stock hit the limit-down in the first ten minutes of trading, wiping out tens of billions in market value.

The news of Elias's affair and his wife beating a pregnant woman into early labor was plastered across every headline.

For the past few days, Elias had been so overwhelmed he hadn't had time to even visit us.

Evelyn, on the other hand, had spent a full day and night in the ICU before finally being stabilized and moved to a private room.

Late at night.

The hallway outside the incubator room was silent except for the steady beeping of machines.

Suddenly, the door opened a crack.

A figure dressed in a nurse's uniform, wearing a mask, slipped inside.

She'd covered herself well, but I'd recognize those scheming, venomous eyes anywhere, even as ash.

Serena!

She was only sixteen this time around, but she was already a snake with deep, twisted intentions.

In my last life, she'd used that same pitiful, innocent face to win everyone's trust before pushing me off a cliff.

She walked up to the incubator and stared down at me, her eyes full of malice.

"You little bastard, lucky you, surviving all that," she muttered, voice icy.

"You and your shameless mother ruined my family's gala. My dad doesn't even dare come home now, and my mom's getting torn apart online."

"Trash like you doesn't deserve to live in this world!"

As she cursed viciously, she pulled out a tiny syringe from her pocket.

Inside it was a clear liquid.

I sneered inwardly.

This trick again.

In my past life, she loved using all sorts of undetectable drugs to frame me.

This time, she clearly wanted to tamper with my IV line, to make it look like I'd died naturally from being premature and weak.

I lay perfectly still, like a completely helpless infant.

Seeing how defenseless I looked, the satisfaction in Serena's eyes deepened.

She reached out, aiming the needle at the IV port connected to my body.

Just as the tip was about to pierce the rubber membrane—

I snapped my eyes open and stared directly at her!

Startled by my sudden movement, Serena's hand froze.

I threw every ounce of strength I had into swinging my tiny hand, ripping the mini heart monitor right off my chest!

A piercing alarm exploded through the room.

Serena's face went white. In her panic, she tried to pull the needle back, but her hand shook so badly that she stabbed it straight into her own finger.

"Ah!" She cried out in pain, dropping the syringe on the floor.

"What's going on?!"

The on-duty nurses and doctors heard the alarm and rushed in like a stampede.

Serena had no chance to escape—she was caught red-handed.

"Who are you? What department are you from? What are you doing in here?!" The head nurse grabbed her arm, demanding answers.

The lights flicked on bright.

Serena's mask was yanked off, revealing her panicked face.

Right then, the door opened again.

Evelyn walked in, still in her hospital gown, pale-faced, supported by two bodyguards.

Her eyes swept over the syringe on the floor, then landed on Serena's terrified face. Her expression went cold instantly.

All the fragility and helplessness from the gala had completely vanished.