The HR manager, one of the few people who ever treated me kindly, looked at me and sighed. “Dahlia, congratulations! You finally got out. I’m serious, you escaped something ugly.”
I forced a small smile. “Yeah… I guess I did.”
And for the first time in a long while, I actually felt a little lighter. Like something heavy had finally loosened its grip on my chest. I didn’t owe them anything anymore. Not the money, not the pain, not the version of myself I became just to survive.
But that feeling didn’t last long.
The moment I walked into the villa that evening, a glass shattered right in front of me.
I flinched as sharp pieces scattered across the floor, one of them slicing into my arm. I barely had time to react before Argus stormed over.
His hand came fast.
The slap rang loud, my head snapping to the side as pain exploded across my face.
“Dahlia!” he shouted, his eyes cold and furious. “Grandpa treated you like his own, and this is how you repay him? You pushed him down the stairs? You tried to kill him?!”
My ears rang, my cheek burning, but none of that mattered.
“What?” I breathed, panic rising fast. “What are you talking about? How did Grandpa fall? What did the doctor say? Is he okay?”
Before Argus could answer, a weak voice came from upstairs.
“Miss Connelly, the butler already said it was you,” Celine said, her tone trembling, almost pitiful. “Are you really going to pretend you’re innocent even now?”
My body went cold.
“Argus, is this really the person you chose?” she added softly, like she was hurt. “She did something like that and still won’t admit it. She’s a coward.”
I staggered back as Argus shoved me hard against the wall. Pain shot through my back, but I barely felt it.
Because I saw her. Celine.
For just a second, her eyes met mine. And she smiled. A small, smug smile.
My scalp tingled. I didn’t need to think twice. She did it. She pushed Grandpa. And now she was blaming me.
Before I could say anything, my phone started ringing sharply. Argus picked it up, and the butler’s voice came through, urgent and panicked. “Sir, the master just had a massive hemorrhage! The hospital’s blood bank is running low, we might not have enough supply—”
I couldn’t hear the rest.Because Celine spoke again, like she just remembered something important.
“Argus, Dahlia’s blood type is the same as Grandpa’s, right?” she said softly.
My heart dropped.