Kayla slowly opened her eyes, the harsh white lights stabbing at her vision. Everything felt blurry and distant.

When her gaze finally settled, she saw Darren standing in front of her, looking down at her with a blank expression.

She parted her lips to speak, but her throat was too dry to manage even a whisper. "Mr. Tate…"

With great effort, she reached out a trembling hand, trying to grab the cuff of his pant leg.

But Darren said nothing. After a long pause, he took Winona's hand instead.

"Of course I'd choose you," he said with a helpless, tender smile. "I've never had feelings for Kayla. Please don't test me like this again, okay?"

Winona burst into relieved laughter and threw her arms around him. "I knew it. I knew you loved me the most."

Darren ruffled her hair, wrapped his arm around her, and walked away with her in his arms.

He never once looked back at Kayla.

Still lying on the floor, Kayla stared after them and forced out a bitter smile.

Something inside her cracked wide open, and a sharp wave of pain surged through her chest until her vision blurred to black. She collapsed completely, consciousness slipping away.

…

"You're finally awake." The nurse wheeled in a cart of medications and sighed in relief when she saw Kayla's eyes open.

"You've got over 30 stitches on your head and shoulder. When they brought you in, you'd almost lost too much blood to make it."

Kayla's voice was faint. "Who brought me in?"

The nurse replaced her IV bag. "A bartender from the club. You're lucky. If it had been any later, you wouldn't have survived."

Kayla slowly closed her eyes again.

The scene before she passed out came flooding back—the way Darren had chosen Winona without hesitation and how he hadn't even spared her a glance.

Her chest tightened again as the memory settled over her like a weight. She clutched the bed sheet in both hands to stop herself from crying.

Then her phone vibrated sharply on the bedside table.

She picked it up with weak fingers. The screen lit up with a message from Winona. A string of over a dozen photos filled the screen.

The first photo showed them at Lover's Cliff, watching the sunrise. Darren stood behind Winona, arms wrapped gently around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.

The look in his eyes was so soft, it could have knocked the breath out of anyone.

The second photo showed them at an upscale restaurant. Darren was seated across from Winona, carefully cutting her steak, his focus entirely on her plate.

The third captured the moment Winona tried on a diamond necklace. Darren stood behind her, fastening the clasp with a concentration that made it seem as though he were handling something sacred.

Each image was worse than the last.

In every frame, Darren looked at Winona with a depth of affection Kayla had never seen before.

Then came a video. Kayla hesitated, then tapped to play.

In it, Winona was curled up in Darren's arms. She looked up at him and asked sweetly, "I heard Kayla had to get a lot of stitches. Do you think I was too much?"

Darren chuckled. "A little."

Winona immediately sat up, clearly about to get upset, but Darren pulled her back into his arms and kissed her before she could say a word.

He bit down on her lip, his voice rough with heat. "What can I do? I'm in love with you."

The rest of the video was nothing but breathy moans and kisses. Winona murmured against his chest, "Are you going to check on Kayla?"

"Will you be mad if I do?"

"Of course I'll be mad."

"Then I won't go."

The video ended with the two of them locked in a deep, lingering kiss.

Kayla watched the clip again and again until her phone screen went dark.

She couldn't make sense of it.

Darren already belonged to Winona. He had never felt anything for Kayla—not even a flicker of interest. Yet Winona still treated her like a threat, as if her existence alone was some kind of offense.

Kayla shut her eyes, too drained to fight the ache building in her chest. Tears slipped down her cheeks in silence.

But it didn't matter anymore. She would be leaving Cadville soon and starting over in another country, with no reason to ever cross paths with them again.

Kayla stayed in the hospital for several days. To keep Beatrice from worrying, she lied and said she was spending time at a friend's house.

Beatrice didn't question it. With Kayla set to leave the country soon, it made sense for her to spend time catching up with friends one last time.

That afternoon, Kayla went to handle her discharge paperwork. As she stepped into the main lobby, a commotion broke out behind her.

"Move! Get out of the way!"

She turned around and froze.

Darren came bursting through the hospital doors, carrying Winona in his arms. She was covered in blood. He looked frantic, yelling for the hospital director to come save her.

It was the first time Kayla had ever seen Darren like that—so desperate.

Darren was always composed. No matter the crisis, he handled everything with cold, quiet control.

But now, his white dress shirt was soaked in blood, his hair a disheveled mess. The usual composure that marked him as the poised scion of the Tate family was completely gone.

As if pulled by something beyond reason, Kayla followed them.

Outside the operating room, Darren's closest friends were trying to console him.

"Darren, stop blaming yourself. This wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, Winona insisted you take her to that mountain highway to watch the sunset. That road's practically a death trap."

"You shielded her during the crash and still got injured yourself. You did everything you could."

Despite the flurry of voices around him, Darren said nothing. His eyes remained locked on the operating room door.

Then a doctor burst out in a rush. "Her liver's ruptured. We need an immediate transplant."

Darren shot to his feet. "I'm a match. Use mine."

"No way! You're the heir to the Tate family. Your parents would never agree to this." His friends rushed to block him.

"Exactly. Look, we get that you love Winona. But in the end, she's just one girl. Your life's worth too much. First loves don't usually last. Don't throw it all away—"

"I'm not marrying anyone else," Darren said sharply. His voice was low, unwavering. "It's here or no one."

He pushed past them all and followed the doctors into the operating room.

From around the corner, Kayla stood silently and watched it all.

She was reminded of a rainy afternoon when they were kids—how Darren had waited outside for three hours just to help an injured stray cat. Even back then, she had known he was the kind of person who would love someone deeply, without hesitation.

Now, all that devotion belonged to Winona.

He truly loved her so much that he was willing to sacrifice his health, abandon his responsibilities to the Tate family, and give up everything for Winona.

Just like he had chosen Winona that night, leaving Kayla bleeding on the floor without a second glance.

She whispered to herself, "Darren, I hope you find your happiness."

That single sentence had been her final farewell—a quiet, resolute end to a decade of unspoken love. From that moment on, Darren's joy or sorrow would have nothing to do with her.

Afterward, Kayla kept herself busy with preparations for her upcoming departure. She filed for a leave of absence from school, packed her luggage, and handled all the miscellaneous paperwork and arrangements.

Now and then, while scrolling through her phone, Winona's Instagram posts would pop up.

Photos of Darren lying pale in a hospital bed after donating part of his liver. A video of him gently feeding Winona chicken soup. Another clip showed him brushing her hair with the utmost tenderness.

Kayla barely blinked as she scrolled past, feeling nothing at all.

Three days before she was set to leave the country, she returned to campus to finalize the last of her paperwork.

The moment she opened the front door of the Tate residence, deafening music blared from inside.

The living room was a mess. Winona and her friends had turned the place upside down.

Red wine was spilled across the white rug, snack wrappers were scattered on the floor, and Darren's cherished model aircraft were carelessly tossed into a corner.

"What are you doing?" Kayla switched off the speakers, her voice trembling.

Winona spun around with a wine glass in hand, her smile indulgent and smug. "Isn't it obvious? It's a party.

"Darren's busy today, so I thought I'd celebrate. He said I could use the house. Got a problem with that?"

Kayla froze.

Darren had always been obsessive about cleanliness. He never allowed noise in the house, let alone anyone touching his models or books. But everything in front of her now made one thing painfully clear—he was willing to toss all of that aside for Winona.

She stood there for a long moment. Then she bent down, carefully picking up the broken pieces of a model plane. She gently wiped the dust from the wings before placing them back into their display case.

She said softly, "This one was his favorite. Please just be careful with it when you're playing around."

She turned to leave, but Winona suddenly grabbed her arm.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you his girlfriend? Or am I? Are you telling me how to act now?"

Kayla didn't want to argue. She opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, the butler, Dominic Woolridge, came rushing in, out of breath.

"Ms. Wolfe!" Dominic was sweating through his uniform. "It's scorching outside. Beatrice's already waded into the pond more than ten times and picked nearly nine hundred water lilies. Please let her come inside. She's going to get heatstroke!"

Kayla's head snapped up. "What water lilies?"

Winona tilted her head with an innocent smile. She swirled the wine in her glass.

"We were craving lily seed pods, so I asked your mom to fetch some. She's the housekeeper, isn't she? Picking a few flowers shouldn't be too much to ask."

Kayla felt a chill run down her spine.

In that unbearable heat, her mother had waded into the pond over ten times, picking nearly nine hundred water lilies.

She bolted out like a madwoman, and when she reached the edge of the pond, the sight she saw shattered something deep inside her.

A group of girls had their hands on Beatrice's head, forcing her under the water. One of them cursed as she pushed harder.

"Not enough! Winona didn't say you could stop! You're just the Tate family's housekeeper, and Winona is the future lady of this house. If she tells you to do something, you do it!"

"Mom!" Kayla screamed as she sprinted forward. She shoved the girls off with trembling hands, panic driving her.

The pond water was murky, and Beatrice was barely floating. Her face was ghostly pale, completely unconscious.

"Mom! Please, wake up…"

Kayla's whole body trembled as she dragged her mother onto the grass. She clutched her hand and called her name, again and again. Beatrice coughed up a few mouthfuls of dirty water but remained unresponsive.

…

The sharp smell of antiseptic hit her the moment they entered the ER.

"She inhaled a dangerous amount of filthy water. You brought her in just in time. A little later, and she might not have made it. She'll need to be monitored for a few days," the doctor said, removing his stethoscope.

Kayla sat by Beatrice's hospital bed, her hand wrapped tightly around Beatrice's. Her eyes stung, and tears streamed down in silence.

Once she calmed down, she picked up her phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, I'd like to report an attempted murder," she said, her voice low but steady.

The next morning, Beatrice finally woke up. Her eyelids fluttered open, and her voice was faint.

"I'm sorry, Mom…" Kayla's voice cracked as tears splashed against the mattress. "It's all my fault…"

Beatrice reached up with trembling fingers and wiped Kayla's tears. "Don't cry, Kayla. I'm fine…"

"We're done with the Tates," Kayla said, gripping her mother's hand tightly. "I'm taking you with me. We're leaving the country."

Beatrice shook her head gently. "You've got school. You'd be all alone, and dragging me with you would just make things harder. If I stay and keep working for the Tates, I can still save up some money for you—"

"No!" Kayla's tears surged again. "You almost died, Mom! Do you even realize that? If you stay with the Tates, I won't go abroad. I'll stay and make sure you're safe."

Beatrice looked into Kayla's reddened, puffy eyes. After a long silence, she finally gave in. "Alright… I won't stay. But I'm not going overseas either. I'll go back to Teginia, maybe open a small shop or something. I'll wait for you to come home, alright?"

Kayla wiped her face and nodded, finally pulling herself together. She soothed her mother to sleep and quietly closed the hospital room door behind her.

As soon as she turned around, she ran straight into Darren, who had rushed over in a hurry.

He stood tall in a crisp white shirt and tailored slacks, composed as always. But the first thing out of his mouth when he saw her was, "Did you report Winona for attempted assault?"

Kayla quietly shifted her arm away from his touch. "Yeah. I did. What about it?"

Darren paused. He wondered if he was seeing things.

This girl—who used to sneak glances at him, who had once looked at him like he held the world—was now staring at him like he was a stranger.

"Did it really have to go this far?" he asked quietly.

"This far?" Kayla's eyes were bloodshot, but she still let out a hollow laugh.

"She nearly killed my mom. Yes, my mom's a housekeeper—but that doesn't mean she's a slave to be humiliated at will."

She took a shaky breath, then said firmly, "We've already talked about it. She's getting older, and her body can't take this kind of work anymore. She's leaving the Tate residence tomorrow and going back to Teginia."

Darren froze.

The first thought that crossed his mind was, "If Beatrice leaves, is Kayla going with her?"

But before he could speak, he reminded himself she was still studying at Sterling University. She wouldn't be leaving Cadville.

He shook the thought off and said, "I know Winona was in the wrong. She's spoiled and headstrong, but she's not a bad person deep down."

He pulled a check from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to her.

"This is compensation for Beatrice. If she wants to leave the family, that's fine. She's worked hard all these years. This should be enough for her to live comfortably from now on."

He paused, then added, "And you—you once said your birthday wish was to spend a whole day with me. I've been caught up in family business lately and didn't have the time. I'm free now. Let's do it."

He looked at her with calm detachment. "So let's stop this from blowing up."

Kayla felt her heart wrench in her chest.

He wasn't busy. That was just an excuse. He had seen how she felt about him and chose to stay away.

But now, because of Winona, he was offering it like a reward, like a favor tossed from his high horse.

Kayla looked up. Her eyes were rimmed red, but her voice was steady and cold. "What if I say no?"

Darren's gaze darkened, and his tone cooled. "Kayla, this isn't a negotiation. Even if you refuse to drop the charges, you know my family has ways to make it happen."

Kayla laughed. It was soft, but sharp enough to sting. Her chest ached.

She reached out and took the check. Her fingers trembled, but her voice was calm. "Well then, thank you, Mr. Tate."

She turned away. Behind her, she heard Darren call her name.

But just as he took a step forward, Darren's phone lit up—Winona was calling.

And in the end, he didn't follow.