Chapter 144

• **Layla's POV**
• It was God who saved me that night from the treacherous hands of Aunt Hamilton. My heart raced just thinking about it, piecing together the events that nearly cost me my life. I was sure it was her. Every move, every plot—it was her doing. She thought she had me cornered, unaware of one simple fact: I’d learned how to swim in my previous life as Miranda. Even though I now lived as Layla, I still carried over skills I had mastered before.
• That night, I was returning from a dinner date with Nolan. He had stopped by the roadside to pick up something, which was why he didn’t walk me all the way to my house. As I walked alone under the moonlit sky, a strange feeling washed over me. Someone was following me. My instincts kicked in, and I glanced through my car’s side mirror. A flashy red car trailed behind me, shadowing my every turn.