Chapter 3 A Place to Stay, A Road to Break

He took a deep breath, then turned to the guards standing nearby.

"Escort this man out. Starting tonight, he is no longer allowed to set foot in this house."

David stood frozen, but two household guards were already moving to lead him away.

Evelyn tried to follow, but Hendry stopped her with a calm yet firm voice.

"You stay here. You need protection, and your child is part of this family. But don't ever expect me to forgive what you've done."

Steffy stood there, still holding her suitcase. She turned to Hendry.

"Dad... may I stay at the villa for a while?"

Hendry looked at her for a long moment, then nodded.

"You may go wherever you need to heal. But remember, this house will always be open to you."

Steffy chose to leave. The villa would be her refuge-for now, at least, she wouldn't have to see Evelyn.

She drove away, leaving behind the chaos that might only grow worse.

But along the way, her head began to feel heavy, and nausea had been building for several kilometers. Steffy closed her eyes briefly, trying to steady her breathing while keeping her hands on the wheel.

"I need to pull over for a moment," she murmured.

She spotted an empty roadside area wide enough to stop. But just as she turned the steering wheel to the left, her vision blurred. Her

stomach churned violently, and cold sweat trickle

d down her temples.

CRASH!

A loud impact echoed.

Steffy's car slammed into the rear of a black SUV parked at the side of the road. The collision wasn't severe, but enough to dent the front hood of her car and jolt the SUV's rear bumper.

Steffy gasped. She pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead, trying to stay conscious.

Before she could fully gather herself, a tall, broad-shouldered man in a blue shirt jacket stepped out of the SUV with quick strides, his expression filled with anger.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" he shouted, knocking hard on her window. "YOU JUST HIT MY CAR!"

Startled, Steffy lowered her head. Her body still felt weak.

She rolled down the window.

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Didn't mean to?!" The man raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over her pale, trembling figure. "If you can't drive, then stay off the road! You could get someone killed!"

Steffy lowered her head even more, one hand clutching her increasingly unsettled stomach. She swallowed hard, trying to suppress the nausea rising within her.

"I'll pay for the damage... I just wanted to pull over... I wasn't feeling well..."

Her voice was barely audible.

The man scoffed, but his tone began to soften. He studied her more carefully-the pale face, the trembling hands, the cold sweat on her temples.

"You're sick?" he asked, his voice calmer now, though his expression remained tense.

Steffy nodded faintly.

"All right... get out of the car. Sit down for a while. Don't force yourself to drive in that condition."

The man glanced around. There were no other vehicles passing by.

"Sit here first. We'll talk about the car damage later."

Steffy didn't protest. She knew her body wouldn't be able to continue the journey in this state. With unsteady steps, she got out, and with the man's help, she sat on a bus stop bench.

He remained standing, opened a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to her.

"Drink first. You look like you're about to faint."

"Thank you..." Steffy took the bottle and drank slowly. At least she could breathe a little easier now.

"My name is Daniel Jones," the man said after a few seconds of silence. "And you... who are you?"

"Steffy..." she replied softly. "I'm sorry about your car..."

Daniel nodded, glancing at Steffy's car, which was still running with its front hood slightly dented.

"We'll check the damage later. But honestly, I'm more worried about you. You could've passed out in the middle of a curve-that would've been far more dangerous."

Steffy slowly turned to look at him for the first time. His face was firm, but there was a trace of concern behind his earlier harsh tone. Not someone warm at first glance-but not cruel either.

"I just have a lot on my mind," Steffy murmured.

She looked at him with mixed emotions. She hadn't expected that from such an angry start, this man would show a side of care she hadn't anticipated.

Once she felt a little stronger, Steffy decided to continue her journey.

Before leaving, she handed him her business card.

"You can contact me for the repair costs. Once again, I'm sorry."

---

The next day, at the Willson family's private villa.

When Nadine arrived, she found Steffy crying alone. Her eyes were swollen, as if she hadn't stopped crying since yesterday.

Without saying a word, Nadine immediately embraced her tightly-a long, warm hug filled with restrained love.

Steffy was startled. But it didn't take long before her tears began to fall again.

"Maybe the DNA test is right. But my feelings as a mother can't be wrong, Steffy. I know... I'm sure... you are my daughter."

The embrace tightened. Nadine trembled as she cried, while Steffy remained still, letting the warmth of that hug sink in.

"Mom..." Steffy's voice broke. "I'm happy to hear that... but I also know reality isn't that simple."

Nadine slowly released her, looking deeply into Steffy's face. Her eyes were filled with both love and pain.

"I won't force you to believe it," Nadine said softly. "But please, remain my daughter."

Steffy nodded. "Of course, Mom. But if I'm not your biological child, then we need to find out who was switched."

Nadine looked at her, deeply moved. "You don't have to do that..."

"I want to," Steffy cut in firmly. "I want us to find that woman. If she's still alive... she deserves to know who her mother is. And you deserve to embrace your real daughter."

Silence fell for a moment. Only the ticking of the wall clock and the sound of their breathing filled the room.

"Thank you, Stef..." Nadine said, her voice breaking. "God knows how grateful I am to have known you, even if this truth is painful..."

"I'm also grateful I was raised here... with love from both Mom and Dad. I don't want everything to fall apart because of someone else's mistake."

Nadine gently wiped Steffy's cheek. "You are truly kind."

Unbeknownst to them, Evelyn was listening from behind the door.

She couldn't accept that Nadine had gone to see Steffy, so she followed her. She had just failed to get rid of Steffy. And now, she had to be ready to face another woman who might become her next rival.

"I have to move fast. They must not find that woman first," she whispered to herself. "I'll pretend to accept Father's decision... so they focus

on searching for her. I'll meet David in secret."