Selena wasn't planning to tell him the truth just yet.

"I'm a little tired. I'm taking time off from school for a few days to travel nearby. I won't go far."

She turned her phone around and showed him the travel guide she had been reading.

Seeing that she wasn't lying, Ian finally relaxed a little and let go of her arm. "That's more like it. I knew you wouldn't be so petty. It's just a patent. You can always come up with another one."

Just then, his phone rang. It was Ryan from the hospital.

"Ian, where did you go? Vanessa woke up and freaked out when she didn't see you. Her condition got worse, and now she's throwing herself against the walls. She's bleeding a lot. Get back here now!"

Ian rushed to leave, but before stepping out, he turned back to remind Selena, "Go ahead and travel if you want, just don't go too far from home."

Selena smiled without saying a word.

'Don't worry. I won't go too far. Just far enough that you'll never find me.'

As he passed by the pile of burned ashes in the courtyard, Ian frowned, feeling strangely uneasy. But he quickly brushed it off. She had already been so heartless. There was no reason for him to feel guilty about someone like her.

Yet, he still couldn't shake the feeling that Selena was hiding something from him.

'Don't overthink it. Where could she even go? Right now, taking care of Vanessa is what matters. I can't afford to get distracted.'

With that thought in mind, Ian turned away and left Selena behind once again.

-

Over the next few days, Selena joined a tour group and visited all the major landmarks in the city. Everyone around her was her age, and the atmosphere was lively. They watched the sunset from mountaintops, sang songs, and barbecued under the stars.

Here, there was no family to disappoint her and no love to break her heart. The more she experienced, the more she realized that people should live for themselves.

The last stop of the trip was a high-end restaurant by a garden.

Selena found a seat by the window, ready to enjoy a quiet afternoon.

The restaurant doors swung open.

It was Vanessa.

Today was also the day she was due to be discharged from the hospital.

The entire family was here to celebrate.

They took the most prominent table in the room. There were gifts, champagne, and a cake. Everything Selena had never received was now laid out in front of Vanessa. She was like a princess with endless treasures at her feet.

Zachary poured Vanessa a drink.

Ian frowned at the sight. "Zachary, Vanessa just got out of the hospital. She shouldn't be drinking."

"Oh, come on," Zachary scoffed. "If she doesn't drink with me, this wine will just go to waste. If that's the case, why don't you drink on her behalf?"

"Don't worry, Ian." Vanessa leaned in close to Ian, her voice soft. "Zachary is in a good mood today. I don't want to spoil the fun. Just a little won't hurt."

The way she pressed close to Ian made it obvious that they were a loving couple.

Ryan immediately chimed in, "Forget the drink. Why don't you two just kiss instead?"

Zachary's eyes lit up. "Now that's a good idea. If you kiss, I won't make Vanessa drink."

Vanessa's face turned bright red, but she didn't refuse. Instead, she glanced up at Ian, her gaze filled with coy anticipation.

Ian felt his throat go dry under her heated stare.

As he hesitated, Vanessa suddenly leaned in and kissed him.

Ian was caught off guard and instinctively wanted to push her away. But as her soft lips pressed against his, her warm body molding against him, he finally gave in to her advances. His breath quickened, and his resolve crumbled. He kissed her back just as passionately.

Before, Selena had once given him a light peck on the cheek in front of their friends without asking first, and Ian had been so angry that he had ignored her for days.

So, it turned out Ian was never the reserved type. He was only as cold as ice when it came to her.

Selena felt sick.

She got up and walked toward the exit.

As she stepped outside, Ian caught sight of her. Startled, he shoved Vanessa away. Only then did the others notice Selena's presence.

Just as she reached the door, Vanessa caught up and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Selena, it's not what you think–"

"Let go." Selena frowned. She was unwilling to listen to any explanation.

However, Vanessa refused to let go. Instead, her grip tightened.

"Tell me, if I fell down right here, do you think your family would believe it was you who pushed me?"

The moment those words left her mouth, Vanessa let out a piercing scream and dramatically threw herself backward, shattering the restaurant's glass wall.

When the Carter family rushed over, they were met with a gruesome sight. Vanessa lay amidst the shattered glass, blood streaming from her head. Her body was covered in deep cuts.

"Selena, are you insane? Were you trying to kill her?" Ryan shrieked and rushed to cradle Vanessa in his arms.

Selena hadn't even spoken before Zachary slapped her across the face.

"Vile woman."

The force sent Selena crashing to the ground, blood spilling from her mouth mixed with a broken tooth.

She opened her mouth to explain.

But when she met the eyes of her own family, she saw that they were filled with hatred, fury, and an almost desperate desire to tear her apart.

The words got stuck in her throat.

Her blood relatives only believed Vanessa, an outsider. No matter what she said, it would be seen as a lie and a crime beyond redemption.

Nestled in Ryan's embrace, Vanessa let out a choked sob.

"Selena, if you hate me, just say so. I'll disappear from this world forever. If you blame me for taking Ian away, I can give him back to you. As long as it makes you happy, I'll do anything. Please just don't hit me again."

Her pitiful performance left the Carter family on the verge of tears.

"Selena, did you do this because you think Vanessa stole me from you?" Ian looked at Selena in disbelief.

Selena stared blankly at him.

Then, she let out a chuckle, spitting blood as she laughed. It turned out laughing was still possible even when one was emotionally numb.

Seeing her laughing at a time like this only deepened Ian's disappointment.

"You know, I don't even hate you anymore," he said. "What I hate is my past self. How blind I was to have ever loved someone as vile as you. You should just die. I hope you drop dead this very second."

With that, he turned away and left, carrying Vanessa to the hospital with the rest of the Carter family.

Selena watched them leave, but her laughter wouldn't stop.

Passersby thought she had lost her mind.

She lay there for a long time and couldn't get up.

Her heart had been torn to shreds and left in ruins. It was so hollow and broken that it no longer felt pain. Her gaze held neither hatred nor anger. Instead, there was only a numb indifference.

It didn't matter anymore.

In three days, they would never see her ever again.

-

When she returned home, the laughter inside immediately fell silent. Everyone turned to look at her with the same expression.

'How do you still have the nerve to come back?'

She was like a stray dog that had been beaten and thrown out, only to crawl back on broken legs.

Selena ignored everyone and returned to the attic—her own small space—where she tended to her wounds alone.

After finishing everything, she lay on the bed and stared blankly at the night sky that was soaked in darkness.

She wanted time to pass faster.

She wanted to leave this cold-blooded family as soon as possible.

-

Over the next three days, the Carter family busied themselves with preparations for Vanessa's college admission banquet.

Zachary truly adored her. He even announced his plans to formally adopt her, saying she was a hundred times better than his own daughter.

On the day of the banquet, even Zachary, who had never once attended a parent-teacher meeting for Selena, dressed up in an expensive custom-made suit.

No one came to invite Selena.

It was as if everyone had forgotten she even existed in this house.

Right before they left, Vanessa knocked on the attic door. Gone was the usual timid, obedient look on her face.

"Selena, get on your knees and beg me. I can make Dad forgive you."

Seeing Selena remain indifferent, Vanessa smirked.

"You know, you're better than me in every way, but the one thing you lack is the ability to calm your ego and fawn over others.

"That's why you can only stand by and watch as I take your lover, your family, and even your patent away from you.

"I truly wonder, why are you even still alive? You're living like a stray dog. Do you actually find that fun? Hahaha!"

Vanessa said a lot. She wasn't afraid of these words getting out. No one would believe anything Selena said now.

It wasn't until Ryan called for her that Vanessa finally left, heading off with the Carter family to the banquet.

After Vanessa left, Selena reached under her bed and retrieved a running voice recorder.

She pressed a button to stop the recording.

Today was the day she would leave this city. Before she left, she wanted the Carter family to see just what kind of wicked person Vanessa was.

Thirty minutes later, a car from the National Medical Research Institute arrived.

Seeing that Selena had only brought along her mother's portrait, the staff member looked surprised.

"We're leaving now. Are you sure you don't need to pack anything else?"

"I'm sure."

She hugged the portrait tightly and nodded. Other than the portrait, there was nothing else she wanted to take with her.

After arriving at the airport, Selena sat in the waiting lounge and basked in the warmth of the sunlight.

This was the beginning of her new life.

Just then, Ian called.

Yesterday, he had gone back to the restaurant and checked the surveillance footage. Only then had he realized that Vanessa had thrown herself into the glass. It had had nothing to do with Selena.

"Let's meet after the banquet. I went too far with my words that day, and I want to apologize.

"By the way, I missed your birthday. I was too busy and forgot. I got you a present to make up for it."

He wasn't worried that Selena would reject him. He knew her too well. In the past, no matter how he upset her, as long as he coaxed her, she would always come back to him without exception.

But this time, Selena remained completely silent.

The eerie silence made Ian's heart clench with unease.

Just then, the boarding announcement echoed through the terminal.

Ian's face turned pale as he heard it through the phone.

"Wait, what was that sound? Where are you right now?"

Selena hung up the call, took out her phone chip, and snapped it between her fingers.

The person she was now would no longer be swayed by false affections.

Whether it was her father, her brother, or the childhood friend she once loved, she no longer wanted to see any of them.

With that thought, she turned and walked away.

She never looked back.