Chapter 3

Before nightfall, Andres had already uploaded the surveillance footage of the engagement party to my cloud drive. As I picked at my hospital meal and listened to my mom's concerned chatter, I suddenly said, "Mom, I want to call off the engagement and hold a press conference."

My mom froze for a moment. Then she asked, "What happened again between you and Vance?"

Then I froze. I recalled Andres' inner monologue from earlier in the day and asked hesitantly, "Did Vance and I quarrel before?"

"You have forgotten it? When you were in high school, Vance got close to a girl, and you weren't happy about it. You even led some people to confront her. If Andres hadn't stopped you, you might've done something illegal."

In my recollection, I got along well with my classmates in high school and rarely had conflicts with others. And I didn't even meet Vance back then.

"And in college, when Vance got trapped on a mountain during one of his wild hikes, you insisted on climbing up to rescue him at midnight, ignoring everyone's advice. If Andres hadn't convinced you to leave it to a professional rescue team, you might have lost your life."

What? I spent my college years either attending classes or working at my father's company to gain experience. When would I have had time to rescue Vance?

Besides, didn't I only meet Vance after graduating when I started following my father to business events?

"Mom?" I was in a daze and asked, "When did Vance and I even meet?"

"You have known each other since kindergarten. You, Andres, and Vance grew up together."

But... why didn't I remember anything?

After my mother left, I called the doctor to request a head scan.

When the results came back, there was no sign of any brain damage.

So why was everything my mother said completely at odds with my memories?

6

The next morning, Vance showed up, carrying an absurdly large fruit basket.

"It is from my mother," he said without even glancing at me. He put the basket on the floor and was about to leave.

"Van, wait!" Hold on. That wasn't my voice. Why did I just call him "Van"? And why did I sound so... sweet? "Van, can you stay with me for a while?"

No! That wasn't right. I didn't want him here. I wanted him to leave as soon as possible.

This time, Vance actually looked at me. "Grace, you'd better figure out your place. I will never love you, and I never could."

I said, "I don't care if you love me or not. I believe that you'll see how amazing I am one day, and when that day comes, you'll fall for me."

"I don't need him to see how amazing I am. I already know it myself!" I actually thought.

Now I started to piece things together. It seemed like the storyline was forcing me to act that way.

I bit down hard on my tongue. As the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, I regained consciousness for a short moment.

I immediately called Andres. But just as Andres picked up, I was controlled again. "Van, I've suffered so much for you. How can you still be thinking about Penelope? What's so great about her?"

"Please, you and Vance can be together forever, and no one can separate you," I thought.

"Penelope is special. She is the best. I only love her," Vance said.

What a jerk! He wanted my family's business support but refused to let go of the woman he loved. He was daydreaming.

It made me sick to see Vance want everything.

"Ugh..." I gagged again. Vance's mere presence was enough to make me nauseous. Thankfully, he was so disgusted by my vomiting that he left in a hurry. So I could have time to think about what to do.

Why didn't the storyline take over yesterday when both Vance and Penelope were there? Why did the storyline take over today when Vance came alone?

Biting my nails, I suddenly remembered Andres was on the phone.

When I was with Andres, I could control myself.

Could this explain why Andres could talk me down every time I was out of my mind due to Vance?

I could figure it out after Andres came.