After the divorce, he begged

When Rebecca finally learned it was Andrea in the hospital, her racing heart calmed at last-but an odd, uneasy

feeling lingered.

“Your friend tried to drown herself in the river. Luckily, a good Samaritan happened to spot her and got her out,”

the doctor said, passing Rebecca a stack of papers. “These are her medical bills. Go pay them.”

Rebecca tried to protest, “I'm not—"

The doctor interrupted, urgent. “Just go. She's still in critical condition. | need to check her right now.”

Rebecca stood there for ages, just staring at the payment slip in her hands.

After a long moment, she finally pulled out her phone and called Mark Mason,

“Find out Andrea’s parents’ contact info and send it to me,” she said.

“Got it,” Mark Mason replied.

Half an hour later, Andrea was wheeled back into her hospital room.

Rebecca quickly told the doctor she wasn’t actually Andrea's friend, but since the treatment had already

happened and no one had paid the bill, the hospital staff just shrugged and didn’t bother asking many questions.

“Her phone lists you as her emergency contact. Seriously, how are you not friends?” the doctor said.

“Don’t worry, she’s not in any real danger now. She'll be awake soon,” the doctor added.

“Could you try contacting her family for us, if you can?” the doctor asked.

After a few rounds of back-and-forth, Rebecca was basically stuck there.

Staring at Andrea lying in the hospital bed, Rebecca couldn't help but get suspicious. For a moment, she actually

wondered if Andrea had orchestrated the whole thing, just to make her csee her.

But the more she thought about it, the less likely it sounded.

No one would mess around with their own life like that. If nobody had cto save her, she'd really be dead.

While Rebecca was still mulling things over, Mark Mason sent her Andrea's parents’ contact info. She picked a

number and dialed. After a few rings, a groggy, grumpy-sounding middle-aged man picked up. “Who the hell is

this? You got nothing better to do than call people at this hour?”

“Are you Andrea’s dad?” Rebecca asked.

“Ha, | wish I was that brat’s old man, but she wouldn't haveif | tried,” he sneered, voice dripping with

mockery. “What do you want, huh? Is she running off to get married, or did her real father finally decide to step

up?”

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Chapter 295

Rebecca stayed quiet for a moment, then hung up.

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If he could talk about his own daughter that way, there was no chance he'd ever cto the hospital.

She called the other number. As soon as Rebecca said who she was and explained the situation, Linda Young

erupted, her tone harsh and impatient. “Savethe ! I'm not buying any of her stupid stunts.

Tell her this doesn’t matter if she’s locked up for life or even sentenced to death, she still has to walk down that

aisle for me!

If she wants to die so badly, she can do it after the damn wedding.”

Rebecca didn’t bother replying. She hung up right away.

Back in college, Rebecca knew Andrea’s family was struggling and her parents treated her horribly, but she

never thought it could be this cruel.

While she was still spacing out, a message popped up from Jessica Scott. She wanted to know if Rebecca was

free tomorrow to go shopping and just chill for a bit.

Rebecca replied: [Yeah, I'm in.]

Jessica: [Why are you still awake?]

Rebecca: [I'm at the hospital.]

Jessica: [Wait, what???]

Jessica: [Are you with Jeffrey again?]

Jessica: [Ugh, is he for real? Making you go to the hospital in the middle of the night instead of letting you chill at

home-guy really thinks he’s royalty or something.]

“It's not Jeffrey,” Rebecca replied, honestly surprised by how things had turned out. “It's Andrea.”

She told Jessica everything that had happened that night.

Rebecca had no one else to hand things off to, so she couldn't really leave.

“That's not dumb at all,” Jessica shot back.

Rebecca was speechless.

Jessica sounded totally casual about it. “Just call my dad. Even if Andrea isn’t listed in the official Scott family

records, she’s still his kid by blood. Let him deal with it.”

Rebecca paused.

She'd never even considered that option.

“Eh, you'd probably feel weird calling him anyway,” Jessica said, totally casual about stuff like this. “I'll just do it

16:21 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 295

myself.”

True to her word, Jessica dialed him up right away.

A minute later, she texted Rebecca: He'll be here in about forty minutes.]

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Rebecca almost asked if Jessica ever got bothered by any of this, but then she thought better of it-Jessica was

just straightforward like that. Andrea’s whole situation didn’t faze her. Rebecca was just making it a bigger deal

in her own head.

“You're here,” a faint voice cfrom the hospital bed.

Rebecca turned at the sound.

Andrea had just opened her eyes, looking pale and exhausted,

“Sorry we had to meet like this,” Andrea said, her voice barely stronger than a whisper.

Rebecca sat there, waiting for Jessica’s dad to get there. Seeing Andrea so weak and messed up, she blurted out,

“Weren't you even scared you might just... actually die for real?”

“That was the plan,” Andrea said, her voice empty, eyes lifeless. “But right before | jumped, | figured, if | didn’t

somehow die, somebody’s gotta deal with me. So | set your number as my emergency contact,”

Rebecca frowned slightly.

Hearing Andrea talk about all this like it was nothing, Rebecca suddenly felt this rush of complicated emotions

she couldn't even name.

“So... you actually wanted to die?” Rebecca asked softly.

“Honestly, what's the point in sticking around?” Andrea muttered, numb. “All that’s out there foris nonstop

trouble from my parents, and Jeffrey might as well be handinga life sentence.”

“It won't be that bad,” Rebecca said rationally. “If you just return all the property, you'll probably only get a

couple of years at most.”

Andrea’s tone was completely indifferent, as if none of this mattered to her at all. “Rebecca.”

Rebecca looked up at her,

Andrea gazed at Rebecca, loneliness and a kind of yearning flickering in her eyes. “Do you have any idea how

jealous | am of you?”

Rebecca stayed silent.

“I still remember your first day at college, watching your parents fuss over you, making sure everything was

perfect. That kind of care-those little moments-1've never had that, not once in my life. And that’s not even

talking about how you've always had a good home.”

Rebecca just waited for her to keep talking.

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Chapter 295

It didn’t really stir anything in her.

“If I were you, I'd be even more successful than you,” Andrea said.

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“Maybe,” Rebecca replied. She’d never been one to judge a path she hadn't walked. It's always easy to think

someone else’s life is better-until you actually live it and realize every road has its rough patches.

“Sorry,” Andrea said quietly.

Rebecca looked up at her.

Andrea sounded more peaceful than ever, almost serene. “For all the trouble I've caused you-back then and

now.”

Rebecca stayed silent.

But swounds run too deep for just an apology. That mess with the bullying and all those vicious rumors had

nearly broken her, messing with her head for a long time.

“But honestly, I still can’t help but feel jealous of you,” Andrea admitted, her words cutting straight to the heart.

“You've got loving parents, real friends, and even a husband who cares... and all I'm left with is this endless

darkness.”

It pissed her off, how unfair the world could be.

Why is it that we're both human, but my whole life is lightyears away from yours?

“Did you go to Jeffrey because you wanted him to save you?” Rebecca suddenly realized something.

“Yeah,” Andrea admitted without hesitation. “Only by finding someone powerful enough to shieldcould |

escape my parents and all their endless .”

“But have you ever thought that the person pulling you out of one abyss could easily drag you straight into

another?” Rebecca said, hoping Andrea would really think about it. “In the end, the only one who can truly save

you is yourself.”

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16:21 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 296

Chapter 296

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