Chapter 8

Hearing those words from Calvin, Scarlett's face was drained of color. She parted her lips, trying to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Finally, she lowered her gaze, the faintest spark of light in her eyes flickering out. Just then, the psychiatrist arrived for rounds and immediately began pressing again about the psychotherapy plan. Calvin tore the treatment plan apart, his voice icy. "No more treatment. She's eaten up by jealousy. There's no fixing that." Without hesitation, Eugene instructed Olivia to send Scarlett to Swain Manor. "Since you can't stand Sharon, no matter what, it's best if you stay away. From now on, you'll live at Swain Manor. You're not to go near her again." The nurse nearby quickly stopped him. "The patient is seriously injured and needs to remain in the hospital for observation." But Eugene and Calvin acted as though they hadn't heard a word. They pushed Sharon's wheelchair toward the door, saying, "She doesn't need to be hospitalized. Send her off. We don't want her anywhere near us." Scarlett's lips curved into a faint smile of relief as she heard the coldness in their voices. She was leaving, for good, and their paths would never cross again. Once she arrived at Swain Manor, she was left alone, with only the housekeeper bringing her meals. Still recovering from her injuries, she had to tend to her wounds and handle her daily needs on her own. Although it wasn't easy, an unexpected sense of calm settled in her heart. In her free time, Scarlett went to pick up her immigrant visa. Afterward, she went through the belongings the housekeeper had dropped off a few days earlier. Among the items was a jar filled with thousands of paper stars she'd folded when she was 11. It had taken her a whole month to make them, all in the hopes of helping Eugene cope with the loss of Sharon. Each strip of paper had the words, "Eugene will find his sister one day. And I'll always be by his side." Then there were the hundreds of photos she'd taken the summer she turned 16 when she and Calvin had traveled everywhere together. She'd kept them carefully, imagining how she'd look back on them one day when she was older. The year they graduated, Eugene, Calvin, and Scarlett had gone to church together, searching for answers. They'd asked if Scarlett would always be by Eugene's side, and if she and Calvin would stay together forever. Each time they opened the scripture, it offered nothing but warnings. It took dozens of attempts before they finally found a passage that felt like a blessing. Scarlett had written it down and kept it close ever since. She threw everything tied to them into the trash. As she turned, Calvin and Eugene stood there, their gazes fixed on the discarded items. Their hearts dropped. "Why are you getting rid of all this?" "Why keep something that means nothing?" Scarlett's words caused an immediate shift in Eugene and Calvin's expressions. They'd come today hoping she'd come to her senses. If she had been willing to apologize to Sharon, they'd have bought another villa nearby and moved her there. But now, their expressions soured at her attitude. "Don't you realize you did something wrong and should say sorry?" Scarlett studied them for a long moment before finally shooting back with a question of her own. "Alright, then. What exactly am I supposed to apologize for?" Eugene took a deep breath, ticking off what he considered her "sins" over the years. "You pushed Sharon down the stairs, threw her in the pool, and took her place at Berynthia University…" Scarlett's face remained impassive as each accusation landed. When he finished, she answered, "I'm not apologizing. The one who owes an apology isn't me." Calvin's brow tightened at her barely hidden jab at Sharon. "If this is how you're going to behave, then the wedding's off—indefinitely—until you apologize!" With that, Eugene and Calvin turned on their heels and walked out. Before pulling away, they tossed a bulky package out of the car. Scarlett moved closer and realized it was the lifelike corpse she'd ordered. She inspected it carefully, making sure the package hadn't been tampered with, then exhaled softly in relief. By nightfall, she had finished packing up and completed three key tasks. Scarlett first contacted the people managing the downtown billboard. She removed the necklace she had been wearing—the one concealing a pinhole camera—and sent it off to them. She instructed them to play the footage from the camera in loops on every screen in the city for three straight days. The videos showed clear evidence of Sharon harming Scarlett, spreading falsehoods, and damaging Scarlett's reputation. Next, she texted Calvin and Eugene. "You wanted me to apologize, didn't you? Well, I've recorded an apology video. You'll get to watch the heartfelt apology I've made for Sharon right in the heart of downtown soon." Finally, she contacted the airline to arrange a private plane. "Ms. Swain, which flight are you looking to book?" Scarlett was just about to say "tomorrow" when she saw Sharon, stepping out of a car with a group of thugs. They moved stealthily, splashing gasoline all over the manor from dozens of cans. Realizing what was coming, Scarlett immediately asked about flights leaving that night. "There's only one flight to Ethelonia, departing at 1:00 am. Are you sure you want to book the entire plane?" Without hesitation, Scarlett agreed and hailed a cab. Before Sharon could act, Scarlett quickly placed the lifelike corpse on the bed. As the fire broke out, she slipped out the back door, suitcase in hand, and jumped into the waiting cab. The driver noticed thick plumes of smoke in the rearview mirror, and his eyes widened in panic. "Is that your place going up in flames? Do you want me to call 911?" Scarlett shook her head slightly. "No, it's not mine. Just get me to the airport, please. I've got a 1:00 am flight to catch." The yellow cab sped off in the dim glow of the streetlights, gradually disappearing into the night.