Chapter 13
The next morning, Brandon was getting ready to drive out and look for Evelyn, hoping she might be in one of the places she used to go when upset.
Before he left, he simply said to Vanessa, “Take good care of my mother.”
Vanessa gave him a sweet, obedient nod. “Brandon, are you… going to look for Evelyn?”
He paused for a beat, but didn’t respond.
The moment Brandon’s car disappeared beyond the gates, Vanessa’s sweet expression melted away.
She kicked off her slippers and walked barefoot across the marble floor, calling out toward the kitchen,
“Maria! Get me an iced Americano, now!”
The wheels of Mrs. Caldwell’s chair creaked as she emerged from the study.
“Vanessa, time for rehab,” she called out from her study, her tone brisk but even.
Vanessa rolled her eyes and walked over slowly. “Didn’t Brandon say the doctors confirmed you could walk
again?”
“They said I need to reinforce the recovery,” Olivia frowned, staring at her. “Go bring me the medicine.”
The air was thick with the bitter scent of herbal tonic.
Vanessa pinched her nose, retrieved the bowl from the kitchen, and brought it out. But as soon as Olivia took
a sip, she spat it back out onto the floor.
“It’s scalding hot! Evelyn never—”
“I’m not Evelyn, okay? Stop comparing us!” Vanessa snapped, slamming the bowl down.
The dark brown liquid splattered across the hem of her silk dress. She shrieked, “This dress is a brand–new
silk dress! Are you blind?”
Olivia stared at the stain, dazed. Evelyn would’ve immediately knelt down, cleaned it without flinching, and even prepared candied ginger to mask the bitterness of the medicine. She always knew the exact
temperature to serve it.
“Olivia? Earth to you?” Vanessa waved a tissue around, dabbing at her skirt without care. “Aren’t we doing
rehab?”
In the rehab room, Olivia struggled along the parallel bars, her steps shaky and effortful.
Vanessa sat to the side scrolling on her phone, barely glancing up. “You got this, Olivia.”
Chapter 13
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“Get over here and support mel” Olivia barked, breathless.
With a pout, Vanessa finally rose and shuffled over. The moment Olivia’s hand touched her shoulder, she let
out a dramatic squeal.
“Your nails dug into me!”
“Stop being so fragile,” Olivia snapped. “Evelyn
“Oh my God! Evelyn, again?” Vanessa’s voice suddenly rose, sharp and cold, “If she was so perfect, why
didn’t you make her stay?”
The words hit like a slap. Olivia was stunned into silence,
She stared at Vanessa’s annoyed expression, and for a second, Evelyn’s quiet, calm face flashed in her mind.
That girl never talked back, never complained no matter how much Olivia lashed out.
“Let’s go up to the rooftop terrace,” Olivia said after a long pause. Maybe Vanessa was just still adjusting. She wasn’t like Evelyn, but she could learn. “The doctor said stairs are important for building muscle.”
Vanessa’s eyes went wide, “Ten stories?”
“You’re the one who insisted on taking care of me,” Olivia said, the smile fading from her lips. “Brandon heard you, remember?”
Vanessa muttered a reluctant “fine,” and helped her down the stairs, one painful step at a time. Sweat clung
to her bangs.
When they reached the seventh floor landing, Olivia’s foot suddenly slipped. She pitched forward.
Vanessa’s hand instinctively reached out–but then, in a split–second shift, shoved hard against Olivia’s
back.
“Ahhh-!”
Olivia tumbled down the staircase, landing with a sickening thud. She struggled to lift her head from the cold marble step,
“V–Vanessa… why did you push me?” Vanessa descended the steps slowly, expression eerily calm, as if nothing had happened.
“Old woman,
do you really think I enjoy serving you?” Her tone turned cold, mocking. “Now that Evelyn’s out of the picture, Brandon only needs one woman by his side.”
Olivia’s eyes widened in disbelief. This couldn’t be the sweet, thoughtful Vanessa she had once trusted.
She watched in horror as Vanessa pulled out her phone blinked twice, and summoned tears on cue
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Her voice cracked with perfect timing:.
“Brandon? Olivia fell down the stairs! I–I tried to catch her, I swear… I’m so sorry!”
Rushed footsteps echoed from below.
The last thing Olivia saw before the world faded was Vanessa’s shadowy smirk, victorious and venomous.
And just before darkness swallowed her, a soft voice echoed faintly in her mind:
“Would you like some water… Mom?”
It was Evelyn. Always Evelyn.
