“I'm going to check on her,” I said, pulling the door open when Frade stopped me.“You don't want to see her like this.” Frade closed the door. “I've called an ambulance. You'd better stay in the car at this time.”The sound of an ambulance rang out in front, and the passers-by in front of them immediately dispersed to make way for the medical staff. My heart felt like it was being pulled up. Although I don't like Margaret, I never thought she would die.“Should we follow the ambulance to the hospital?” I looked uneasily ahead as two men in ambulance uniforms prepared to carry the wounded to the ambulance bed.“No,” said Frade decisively. “The rest will be taken care of. We should get out of here.”There was an air of evasiveness in his words, and even if Margaret's accident had nothing to do with us, it was hard to imagine what they would have written in the newspaper the next day if we had been caught on camera.“Hans, go home,” Frade ordered.The car turned around and changed direc
The next morning, Frade went to work as usual, and when I was sleepy, I remember he kissed me goodbye. It was Liv's phone that woke me up. She told me that she had sent some messages to my email.So I got up and opened my laptop after washing my face. I opened my email. The latest email was filled with computer code and pictures I couldn't read."Liv, honey," I said as I picked up the phone. "You'd better explain to me what all these codes and pictures mean. You know I'm not IT.""I'm sorry.” Liv chuckled at the other end of the phone. "I knew sending these to you wouldn't work, but Mark insisted. He said there was evidence we found.""So?""The picture of Margaret in the nightclub was posted by an Australian internet user, but we looked up the IP address and found that it was just a virtual address. So it could have been a hacker. You know, the harder the question, the more it gets my attention.""Go on.""We cracked the firewall and broke into the hacker's computer. Then we found ou
At Castle Peak Nursing Home, I sat quietly in the living room and waited for Mia to arrive. I told Ian about my plans ahead of time, and he agreed to help me communicate with the director of the nursing home and give me an afternoon visit.“Why meet here?” A receptionist leads Mia into the living room, where she removes her oversized sunglasses and places them on the table.“I'd like a glass of ice water, please,” she said to the receptionist.The receptionist nods to get ice water for her, and Mia takes a sip from the glass.“What do you want me to do here?” Mia looked out the window at the green grass. “Don't tell me you wanted me here to see the scenery.”“There's someone I want you to meet,” I said, raising my voice. “Someone you know.”“Who?” Mia looked at me quizzically. “I don't remember any of my friends living here.”“Of course you do,” I said, waving to the receptionist. “Ruby, we can go.”“What the hell are you doing?” Mia grumbled as she reluctantly followed us.Ruby led u
I was knocked to the ground by Mia and fell against the glass coffee table, hurting my back. A teacup slid from the table and onto the ground.Mia was still holding onto me despite the teacup breaking practically simultaneously with my agony cries.“You made me do it.” Mia stared at me with wide, red eyes. “Why? Why do you always have trouble with me?”“Don't...” my voice cracked. “My baby... Don't kill it...”Would she kill my baby like Gina did? My sister, to this moment, I still hope to awaken her conscience. I didn't think she would actually kill me, but I was wrong.“I'm sorry, you have to die.” Mia tightened her grip. “Only when you die can I be the unique one. I don't want another face in the world that looks exactly like me.”Once again, I felt death coming. Like in my last life in prison, when Gina's dagger was thrust into me, the darkness slowly enveloped me. Will I die this time?“Stop!” The door burst open with a roar.Someone grabbed Mia's shoulder, and another man in whi
In the hospital, the door of the ward was violently pushed open, and then I heard Frade's voice.“Where is she?”“Calm down, Frade,” Liv said softly as she walked over to Frade. “Eva's right here. She's fine.”When the taxi driver took me to the hospital, the doctor couldn't get through to Frade's phone. Fortunately, Liv and Mark were nearby. The doctor then contacted Liv. In less than 20 minutes, Liv and Mark arrived at the hospital. Liv was with me until Frade arrived.“What happened?” Frade squeezed my hands. He tightened his facial muscles. “Who did this?”“I think I'll leave it to you two” Liv said, gesturing away at Mark, who was sitting on the couch.“Honey, are you okay?” Frade asked frantically. “I'm sorry I couldn't pick up the phone at a meeting. I came as soon as I got the message. Tell me what happened.”“I'm fine.” I put my head on his shoulder. “The baby's fine, too. But the doctors need me in the hospital for observation.”I didn't dare tell him that I was bleeding. He
“Do you have to go to the inauguration?” Frade asked as he peeled the apple. “The doctor told me your due date is coming up.”The skin he cut off with a knife was attached to the flesh of the apple, and less than two-thirds of the whole apple was left in his hand. I stared at the silver knife in his hand and asked, “Do you have a problem with apples?”“I hope this knife didn't cut apples, but...”“Stop,” I reminded him. “Watch your mouth.”“I don't want you to go to a crowded place,” Frade said, handing me a peeled apple. “In that case, all eyes are on the new president. If you're not feeling well or...”“Ian will have a nurse with me,” I said. “Besides, I only promised to be at the inauguration, and as soon as it's over, I'll be home.”“I'm going with you,” Frade said, “Or I won't trust you.”“Sure,” I readily agreed. “I'll tell Ian and get him to set you up.”“All I have to do is stand next to you.” Frade walked to the bed and brushed my cheek, then put a hand on my belly.“She's mo
“What does a newborn baby get him?” I stared at Ian. “He's already president.”“The president just wants to show his concern for you,” Ian explained patiently. “This baby is his granddaughter. You're family.”“What an official statement,” I said. “Just this once. I need at least three months off for the rest of the year. During that time, neither I nor my baby could be seen in any media.”“Deal,” Ian readily agreed.“I'll give you some time to get ready,” Ian said. “I'll let you know when the president is arriving at the hospital.”After Ian leaves, Frade gently places the baby in her own crib, where she falls fast asleep without crying or fussing. Frade walks to the bedside, his eyes brimming with anger. I knew he was unhappy with my decision, and as I prepared for his wrath, he just lowered his voice and said, “Why did you agree to his request?”“Because I can't say no.” I looked at him. “Ian's right. Mickle is the baby's grandfather. I have no reason to say no to him visiting his g
During my stay in the hospital, I received many greeting cards and gifts from strangers. They piled gifts for the baby in front of the hospital or at the nurses' station, and a few fanatical fans even pretended to be nurses sneaking into the ward to see the baby. Fortunately, the fanatics were spotted by the doctor on duty and called the police, who quickly took them away.To prevent this from happening, Frade picked me and my baby up from the hospital in the middle of the night and took us back to the manor. Frade also put guards around the manor to keep out outsiders, leaving Mark in charge of all security, and Liv came to accompany me.Frade was on the move for us to leave the United States. This time he didn't entrust anyone but himself. He didn't tell me that he had met with those people. But from his tired face after each return, I can guess that our departure would become a distant dream.When Vickie learned of Frade's plan, she decided to go to Italy herself, because most of t