Chapter 7 The Imposters triumph

​In the hospital, Elena Vance felt waves of intense pain coursing through her body, as if someone was operating on her abdomen. She could not move, could not speak, and could not open her eyes. She felt as if she were being burned alive, unable to fully lose consciousness yet unable to wake up. Every second stretched into an eternity of torment. After what felt like forever, she finally drifted into a deep, unconscious sleep.

​When she woke up again, she found herself in a small, cramped hospital room. The sounds of chatter, children crying, and women scolding filled the air. Cillian Thorne's status could have easily afforded her a high end private room, but he had not done so. In his eyes, she did not deserve it.

​Elena woke with a start and touched her lower abdomen. A nurse was nearby, changing her IV drip. She did not ask any questions. The baby must still be there; otherwise, she would not have woken up. During lunchtime, everyone else in the ward went to the cafeteria to eat. She was alone in the room, slowly eating a bowl of the cheapest plain rice porridge because she did not have much money.

​"Elena Vance, long time no see."

​Just as she took a couple of bites, a sharp, mocking voice echoed from the doorway. Elena looked up, and her face instantly paled. It was Daphne Vance.

​It had only been a month since they last saw each other, but seeing Daphne again brought back all the memories of the bullying she had endured. Daphne's eyes sparkled with amusement as she walked towards her, step by step. Elena took a deep breath, suppressing the terrifying memories, and slowly reached for the call button on the headboard. Her eyes were cold as she glared at Daphne, saying, "This is not the ward I used to be in anymore. If I press this button, someone will kick you out. You cannot hurt me anymore."

​"Really?"

​Daphne approached her, snatched the call button from her hand, and shouted, "Elena Vance, you ran away. How dare you come back? Why did you come back?" With that, she reached out and violently knocked over the bowl of plain porridge. The porridge splattered everywhere, scalding Elena's skin. Her skin was already thin and delicate, and it turned red from the heat.

​"Daphne Vance, what is wrong with you?" Elena glared at her coldly.

​"Did you not promise me you would not come back? Why did you come back!" Daphne was furious, grabbing Elena's shoulders tightly. Elena had just woken up and did not have much strength. She only felt a sharp pain in her shoulders.

​"I did not want to come back either. It is all thanks to my dear sister and wonderful father, who insisted on marrying me off to Cillian Thorne. Do you think I wanted this?" Elena hoped to scare Daphne away by mentioning Cillian's name, but then she realized something did not add up. "Daphne, why were you so kind to let me go in the first place? And why are you so afraid of me coming back?"

​"You shameless bitch. I will beat you to death!" Daphne was even more enraged by the question and tried to drag her off the bed.

​In desperation, Elena noticed the half eaten bowl of porridge on the pillow beside her. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and threw it directly at Daphne's face.

​"Ah! It is hot! You bitch!" The scalding porridge covered Daphne's face, causing her pain and discomfort, and she screamed in shock. Daphne frantically tried to wipe off the porridge. Although the temperature was not enough to cause serious burns, it was still very hot. Moreover, her makeup was ruined. Daphne was furious and, after cleaning her face, she raised her hand to slap Elena.

​Elena dodged the blow and grabbed Daphne's hand tightly. "You better not lay a hand on me, or Cillian will not let you get away with it." With that, she forcefully pushed Daphne away.

​Daphne glared at her, her eyes filled with jealousy. "Really? You think marrying Cillian will make him help you?"

​A month ago, Daphne had let Elena go, thinking she would never return. In the days that followed, she had been closely monitoring news from the Vance family. Sure enough, Elena had never returned. Then, she began to carefully plan. She wanted to take her place. However, despite all her calculations, Cillian had found Elena himself and married her. She thought she had lost all hope, but then after returning, she learned that Cillian had no idea Elena was the woman from that night. They had not recognized each other.

​"I am his wife, of course he will help me," Elena retorted, trying to sound confident despite her nervousness. "You better get out of here right now, or when Cillian comes..."

​"Hahahaha," Daphne burst into laughter. "Elena, it has only been a month, but your bragging skills have definitely improved. Let me tell you the truth, even if I beat you to death, Cillian Thorne would only applaud. Do you know? You were almost dead before you came to the hospital, but he did not even glance at you because he wanted to see me. I am the one he loves."

​Elena's heart skipped a beat. When she was unconscious, she could feel someone holding her. It was not Cillian, so it must have been a bodyguard. Why would Cillian care if she lived or died? Besides, Cillian could not even stand up, so how could he have held her? Elena composed herself and scoffed, "Really? Then why has he not married you?"

​"You, you bitch!" Daphne, enraged, lunged at Elena, ready to fight. Elena was not about to just stand there. She slightly sidestepped and kicked Daphne.

​As soon as her foot landed, Daphne dramatically fell to the side, even bumping into the cabinet next to the hospital bed. The items on the cabinet fell with her, crashing to the ground in a very exaggerated manner. Elena frowned. She did want to kick Daphne, but she did not have that much strength.

​Just as she was wondering, a cold voice came from the doorway of the room: "Elena, what are you doing to her?"