Chapter 2

By the time the police arrived, Nina was already crying so hard she could barely stand. Andrew stayed right by her side the whole time, like he was scared I'd rush over and tear her apart.

I didn't. I just handed the police a backup of the dashcam footage, then played the last voice message my mom had sent me before she left.

My mom's voice came through in a hurry. "Em, Nina coming back to the country wasn't a coincidence. I've got the thing from back then. She seems to know. She's been following me."

When the message ended, the hallway went so quiet all you could hear was the distant beeping of hospital machines.

Nina stopped crying for a second. But that one second was enough.

The officer turned to her. "Ms. Hartley, please cooperate with us and give a statement."

Nina panicked. "Andrew, I'm scared."

Andrew looked at me like I was a stranger. "Emily, are you happy now?"

I gave a small laugh. "Happy? My mom is still in there, and your precious girl hasn't even been taken in yet. What exactly am I supposed to be happy about?"

His face darkened.

The trauma room door opened at that moment. The doctor took off his mask. "The patient is out of immediate danger, but the fracture in her right leg is serious. We'll need to keep an eye on her recovery."

I closed my eyes for a moment. In this life, it was still not too late. I didn't break down. I didn't cry.

I only said to the doctor, "Thank you. I'll sign whatever needs signing. Please use the safest treatment plan."

Andrew suddenly spoke up. "I'll pay for everything."

Previous life, those words would've softened me. I would've thought there was still a place for me in his heart. Now, all I felt was disgust.

I pulled a card from my bag and handed it to the nurse. "No need. Mr. Collins can save his money for Ms. Hartley's lawyer."

Andrew's face stiffened.

Before Nina was taken away to give her statement, she looked back at me. There was no weakness in that look, only pure hatred.

I knew right away that she was panicking too. In my old life, the thing Nina feared most was that dashcam footage. Back then, Andrew had forced me to drop the case, and the video was quickly erased by someone she hired.

But she didn't know my mom had sent me the backup before she left. In my old life, I never got the chance to open it. This time, I wasn't wasting a second.

After my mom was moved into a room, I stayed by her side all night.

At three in the morning, Ethan arrived. He was the lawyer I'd worked with before I got married. In my previous life, I didn't think to call him again until I had already been stripped of everything. But by then, it was too late.

This time, I laid everything out in front of him: the marriage agreement, the ownership records, and the emails proving I'd led Collins Group's projects for the past three years.

This also contains the evidence of Nina using my proposal under her own name to participate in the charity bidding. And my mom's voice message.

The more Ethan read, the more serious his face became. "Ms. Grant, are you sure you want to start divorce proceedings now?"

I looked at my mom lying pale and weak in the hospital bed. "Yes."

He asked, "What about the property?"

"What's mine before the marriage stays mine. What's mine after the marriage, I want back in full. And if Collins Group dares use my work, send them a lawyer's letter immediately."

Ethan nodded. "Mr. Collins may not agree so easily."

I set my phone on the table. On the screen was a message Andrew had sent half an hour earlier—just one line: [Nina can't handle the questioning. You drop the case. I can let today's slap go.]

I stared at it, then laughed. "He doesn't need to agree. I want him begging to sign."

The next morning, Andrew came to my mom's room. And he didn't come alone; Nina was with him too.

She wore a light-colored coat, had no visible injuries, and held a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

My mom had just woken up. The second she saw Nina, her breathing turned tense.

I immediately held my mom's hand. "Mom, don't be scared."

Nina's eyes turned red at once. "Mrs. Grant, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to." She set the flowers beside the bed and bent down as if she were about to bow.

I picked up the bouquet and threw it straight into the trash.

Nina froze.

Andrew frowned. "Emily, she came here sincerely to apologize."

I looked at him. "Before she apologizes, she needs to explain one thing first. Why was she chasing my mom's car?"

Nina's tears came fast. "I wasn't. We were just headed the same way. Emily, I know you hate me, but you can't throw a lie like that at me."

"The same way?" I tapped the screen on the tablet and projected the route map onto the wall. "My mom left the community hospital in the old district and took the side road to my studio.

"You left Collins Group headquarters, went out of your way through three different intersections, and followed her for eleven minutes. Then right outside the hospital, you sped up, cut into her lane, and forced her toward the curb."

I lifted my eyes to her. "Nina, were you just going the same way, or were you out for her life?"