Chapter 4

• Chloe practically crawled back to the Fay family mansion.
• She pushed open the slightly ajar door with a loud bang, startling Victoria, who was arranging flowers in the living room, and the uneasy Arthur sitting beside her.
• "Chloe?" The vase in Victoria's hand fell to the ground and shattered to pieces as water splashed and petals scattered.
• She almost lunged forward as she rushed toward Chloe. "Oh my god! What happened to you? Who did this to you?"
• Chloe seemed like all her bones had been taken away as she collapsed into Victoria's arms. Her body shook violently, and her cries came out hoarse and broken. "Mom... Mom... Help me... Save me..."
• "What's going on? Tell me who did this to you." Victoria's voice trembled with fear as she tried to assess her daughter's injuries, but Chloe held onto her tightly.
• "It's... It's Cora... and Elena."
• Chloe lifted her head abruptly. Her tears, which were mixed with blood, streaked her face while her eyes filled with wild fear and hatred. "It's them! They got someone to hurt me. They hate that I came back, and they want to destroy me."
• Arthur's face turned pale at her words. "What are you saying?"
• "They got a lot of people... in the alley..."
• Chloe's words were incoherent, and her breathing came rapidly, as if she was trapped in an extremely horrifying memory. "They...they...ah!"
• She let out a short, sharp scream, deeply burying her face against Victoria's shoulder.
• With her heart shattered by her daughter's cries, Victoria held Chloe tightly and gave Arthur a deadly glare, saying, "Look at the mess you've made! Get Elena down here."
• Arthur, who was sweating profusely, was too scared to even look up.
• "It's not just that..."
• Chloe suddenly grabbed Victoria's arm, looking up with eyes widened in extreme fear. "Mom... I... I killed someone... I had to defend myself... I beat him to death... The police will come soon... I'll go to jail... I'll die..."
• "You... killed someone?"
• "The one who bullied me... The ringleader..."
• Chloe's gaze was unfocused as she murmured, "I used a metal rod... There was so much blood... He stopped moving..."
• She suddenly became agitated again, gripping Victoria tightly and saying, "Mom, I can't go to jail. I finally came back to you. I only had a few good days. It's Cora and Elena who made me like this! So, why should I suffer?! Why?!"
• Victoria was shaken to her core by her daughter's words, her mind in turmoil.
• Murder? Her daughter had killed someone?
• "Mom, please! Save me." Chloe slipped to the ground, crying and holding onto Victoria's legs. "Only you can save me! Let Elena go. Let her go in my place. She has enjoyed my blessings for eighteen years. Her mother ruined me for a lifetime. Now, it's her turn to pay back. This is what she owes me, what she owes our Fay family."
• "Let Elena go..." Victoria repeated instinctively, the absurd and horrifying idea spreading like wild grass once it was ignited.
• She looked at Elena, who had just come downstairs upon hearing the commotion, standing at the stairwell with a pale face.
• Elena had obviously heard most of the conversation. Her fingers gripped the railing had turned white, and her voice was barely audible when she said, "Mom... I didn't..."
• "It's you!" Chloe accused with a hoarse voice as she pointed at Elena. "It's you and your wicked mother! You're the ones who pushed me to this point. If it weren't for you stealing my life, I wouldn't have met those thugs, and today wouldn't have happened! Elena, you thief, accomplice to murder, you deserve to go to hell!"
• Victoria looked at her own daughter in a pitiful state, then at Elena, still charming in her clean pajamas.
• The balance tipped in an instant.
• Compensation psychology and her anger towards Cora intertwined, devouring the last shreds of reason.