Chapter 2 She's Back

Zelda thought back to the night four years ago, when she'd been found lying in James' bed.

It was supposed to be James and Susan's engagement party. But there she was, inexplicably in his bed. Everyone said she'd set him up.

The way James looked at her-like she was some filthy, worthless parasite.

No one believed her when she tried to explain.

In everyone's eyes, Susan was the pure, noble daughter of a wealthy family.

And Zelda? Just a poor, gold-digging bitch consumed by jealousy of Susan.

After all, they were sisters swapped at birth.

When Zelda was six, she'd found out her parents weren't her biological ones. The two girls were sent back to their real families shortly after.

That's how Zelda ended up in a home filled with violence and abuse.

Susan took everything that mattered to her. And whenever there were people around, Susan would put on this sickening act of fake concern and sisterly love-it made Zelda's skin crawl.

Zelda shook her head hard, trying to shake off those suffocating memories.

Her phone suddenly rang. It was Jian, his voice tight with urgency. "Zelda, get to the hospital-now! Xander passed out!"

By the time she arrived, Xander had already been wheeled into the emergency room. She'd just sat down in the waiting area when she looked up-and locked eyes with someone she knew all too well.

James was sitting on a bench nearby, Susan curled up right beside him.

Today was her birthday. Their wedding anniversary. And Susan's birthday, too.

Zelda's blood rushed to her head, then turned ice-cold in an instant.

James clearly hadn't expected to run into her here either. His eyebrows shot up, and he stood up, walking straight toward her. He smelled of Susan's signature gardenia perfume-the scent pricked at Zelda's heart like a needle.

"What are you doing here?" His voice held a faint, unnoticeable hint of fluster.

Zelda twitched the corner of her mouth, a bitter laugh escaping her. "I brought your brother here because he collapsed. Shouldn't you be off handling that 'important business' you mentioned?"

Her gaze drifted past him, landing on Susan.

Susan's face immediately crumpled into a frightened expression. She hurried over, reaching out like she wanted to grab Zelda's arm. "Sister! What are you doing here? Is Xander okay? I'm so worried about him."

"Don't touch me." Zelda stepped sideways, dodging her hand. Her voice was cold as ice. "If I remember correctly, today's our wedding anniversary. You're out here on a date-with my husband?"

Susan's eyes welled up with tears instantly. She turned to James, her voice trembling with grievance. "Sister, you've got it all wrong! I wasn't feeling well, so James just came with me to get checked out."

"Not feeling well?" Zelda raised an eyebrow, her eyes sweeping over Susan's flushed, perfectly healthy face. "Looks to me like you're doing just fine."

A well-dressed couple walked over. They were Susan's biological parents-or, technically speaking, Zelda's adoptive parents. They went straight to Susan, fussing over her, without sparing Zelda so much as a glance.

Zelda's heart sank completely.

A nurse's voice suddenly cut through the tension. "Xander's family? Please come with me to his room."

Zelda turned to leave-but James grabbed her wrist. His palm was burning hot, his tone sharp and commanding. "Go on ahead. I'll be there soon."

Zelda wrenched her hand out of his grip, her eyes glinting with bitter mockery. "Soon? Are you going to wait until you finish taking Susan to her doctor's appointment? Or until you've celebrated her birthday?"

James' face darkened. He opened his mouth to retort-but Susan suddenly clutched her stomach, letting out a soft whimper. "Oh. my stomach hurts."

His frown deepened instantly. Without thinking, he steadied Susan, his voice softening right away. "Where does it hurt? Let's get you checked out right now."

With that, he didn't even look back. He wrapped an arm around Susan's waist and led her down the hallway. As Susan passed Zelda, she slowed down deliberately, a triumphant smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Zelda stood rooted to the spot, staring at their retreating backs. Her throat felt tight, like it was stuffed with cotton.

She took a deep breath and turned toward Xander's room. But just as she reached the door, she heard a familiar voice coming from inside-her mother-in-law, Helen Ferguson.

Helen was on the phone, her voice low and calculating, sharp as a poisoned blade. ".Xander's got Rh-negative blood. Regular transfusions won't work. The only way to save him is if Zelda gets pregnant and has a baby with the same blood type-then the baby can be his donor."

Zelda's footsteps froze. Her blood turned to ice in her veins.

"That girl actually thinks James is starting to have feelings for her again?" Helen let out a cold laugh, her voice dripping with contempt. "If I hadn't deliberately poked holes in all those condoms, she never would've gotten the chance to get pregnant. Once she has the baby, the Ferguson family won't need her anymore."

It was Helen who'd poked the condoms!

Zelda's fingers dug into her palms, hard enough to draw blood. The pain was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her chest. So that night had all been a setup. James' angry accusations, her futile attempts to defend herself-every bit of it had been a carefully orchestrated trap.

She'd been so stupid, thinking James had started coming home because he still cared about her.

".Once the baby's born, we'll kick her and that sickly brother of hers out of the house. The Ferguson family doesn't let just anyone in."

Helen's voice droned on, but Zelda couldn't listen anymore. She stumbled backward, hitting the wall with a soft thud.

The voice inside the room fell silent immediately.

Zelda didn't waste another second. She spun around and ran for the stairwell. She needed air. She needed to get away-away from this place, from all the lies and betrayal.

Eighteen years ago, Susan had walked into her life and taken everything from her-her family, her old life, everything she'd ever loved.

And now, Susan was back again.

Zelda couldn't help but wonder-was she going to lose everything all over again, just because of Susan?

She looked up and saw a group of women walking down the street, fresh from a fashion show.

She paused, her gaze fixing on a nearby fashion designer's studio.

She'd loved design. She'd loved fashion shows. Ever since she was a kid, she'd gone to fashion and modeling school. She used to joke that she wanted to be a model someday.

She'd always said, "Instead of modeling other people's clothes, I'd rather model my own designs."

But after she got married, she'd given up that dream.

Her brother had begged her to go back to school, but she'd refused-she'd wanted to focus on her marriage, on making it work.

But everything James had done had shattered her last shred of hope. Now she couldn't help but wonder-was this a sign? A sign that she should let go, and finally get her life back on track?

A sudden gust of wind blew, tangling her loose hair around her face. She raised a hand to brush it away-and her fingers brushed against the necklace around her neck. It was the one James had given her when she was eight years old. Her most prized possession.

She'd never taken it off, not once.

When she was eight, James had been her hero. Her savior. Her father had been beating her that day, and her brother had been forced to take her to the Ferguson estate for help.

It was James who'd carried her into the house, whispering softly to comfort her. "Don't worry, Zee. You'll be okay. I'll take care of you."

Turns out, it had all been a lie from the very start.

Zelda let out a bitter chuckle. She curled her fingers around the necklace, yanking hard, ready to tear it off.

"Miss, are you alright?"

The taxi driver's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked up to find him staring at her, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Zelda shook her head. She pulled open the car door and climbed in. She gave him Jian's apartment address-then realized she'd rushed out of the hospital without her wallet or phone.

"I'm so sorry," she said, flustered. "I didn't bring any money with me."

The driver turned to look at her. His eyes fell on the necklace around her neck.

She removed the necklace and gave it to the driver,

" You can have this. It is worth a lot of money"

The taxi driver took the necklace as he watched her and took notice of her expensive clothes.

" How much can I get for this?" He asked her suspiciously.

"Two to four million dollars" she answered with a straight face. The driver gasped but Zelda tuned him out.

Giving a way the necklace marked as a symbol of her finally letting go.

As the driver continued on his way, he then noticed someone was following them. The person seemed to be signalling for them to stop.

"Miss do you know the person following us" he asked Zelda. Zelda turned around and immediately recognized the car. It happened to be James. She sighed heavily.

"It's my husband. Just pull over, he never gives up ." She told the driver who listened to her and stopped.

James got out of his car and stood outside waiting, but Zelda didn't make a move to get out. While gritting his teeth he came towards the taxi and opened it,

"Get out!" He commanded her with a sharp tone.

"No. I want a divorce."