Don’t Grieve for Those You Hurt

The night the Oscar for Best Actress was awarded, my twin sister Jennifer Johnson took the stage in my place to accept the award. And there I stood below the stage, my face ruined by an accident, watching her take everything that should have been mine.

I rushed forward, trying to snatch the trophy from her hands.

But before I could get close to her, before my hand could even touch that shiny golden trophy.

My mother, standing beside Jennifer, quickly shielded her, and then several bodyguards swiftly restrained me.

"You've turned into a monster. If those fans saw you, they'd have nightmares."

"Besides, your sister has always been better than you. As an actress, she'll be more successful than you, too."

Jennifer walked up to me, her eyes smiling but without a trace of warmth.

"Stop scaring people from now on, okay?"

She whispered in my ear, in a voice only the two of us could hear.

"Dear Stella Johnson."

1

My mother Bianca Davis had the bodyguards throw me out of the venue.

She kicked me angrily, "You shameless bitch."

"How dare you disrupt your sister's award ceremony!"

I scrambled on the ground like a dog, gritting my teeth in protest, "It was MY award ceremony!"

"Why did you steal what's mine!"

Why!

Why, Mom, won't you even help me?

Bianca looked coldly at my face with disgust, "Look at yourself now, how ugly you've become."

"Those fans would be scared out of their minds if they saw you! Better to let Jennifer take your place."

"Besides, Jennifer has always been better than you. As an actress, she'll be more successful than you, too."

With that, she turned and left, rushing to comfort the frightened Jennifer.

And I covered my face and cried in the cold wind.

No.

I wouldn't let Jennifer steal my life. I wouldn't let her enjoy the fruits of my years of hard work.

My agency had already written me off as a lost cause and had long been working with Jennifer to stage this scam.

The media and the fans all thought I was mentally ill.

But there had to be one person in this world who would believe me.

And that was Ethan Brown.

My boyfriend of many years is also in the industry.

I called Ethan's private number many times, but he never answered.

Left with no choice, I had to wait for him outside his place.

It was early morning when Ethan finally drove home.

As soon as I saw him, I calmly explained who I was and everything that had happened.

I even revealed secrets that only a few people knew, to make him believe I was Stella.

"Your first leading role came from resources I got in exchange for appearing in Brandon Robinson's movie for free."

All these years, I'd been so good to him, feeding him resources without asking for anything in return.

That's how a nobody like him became a top celebrity so quickly.

But surprisingly, Ethan took a wary step back.

He pointed at my mask, saying impatiently, "Cover up better. Seeing your scary face makes my heart uncomfortable."

My expression froze instantly.

A woman's clear laughter rang out.

Jennifer slowly got out of the Porsche and winked at me playfully.

"Why are you scaring my boyfriend in the middle of the night?"

Ethan quickly took her hand, then said coldly to me, "Stop talking nonsense. I know exactly who my girlfriend Stella is."

Yes, he knew exactly.

But he still made the choice that benefited him most without hesitation.

Their intimate pose stabbed at my heart.

Jennifer snorted coldly, "I was going to let you go, but you keep popping up like a rat. It's disgusting."

She pulled out her phone to call Bianca, her words full of complaints about me.

Bianca quickly coaxed, "I'll be there with bodyguards right away to take Stella to the mental hospital. I won't let her get in your way!"

All color drained from my face. Without hesitation, I turned to run.

But it was useless.

Before I could even leave the complex, several cars stopped in front of me. Bianca got out with several strong bodyguards.

Jennifer and the others had clearly been prepared all along.

But I couldn't just give up. Once I ended up in a mental hospital, I'd never be able to turn my life around.

I took a deep breath and rushed toward the side gate of the complex.

But they chased after me relentlessly.

Until they cornered me by the dark riverbank.

All the bodyguards surrounded me, with only the wide river behind me.

Bianca frowned, her voice softening, "Stella, you almost drowned when you were little. You've always been afraid of water."

"Come here. I'm your mother. I won't force you to die."

"Just stay in the mental hospital with good food and care. Isn't that okay?"

I laughed coldly.

Why don't you give that good life to your precious Jennifer?

"Jennifer, remember this - I won't let you go even if I become a ghost!" I glared at her and turned to jump into the rushing river.

In that last glimpse, I only saw Bianca's shocked face and Jennifer's relieved expression.

I was dragged into a swirling current, sinking deeper and deeper.

The river water was freezing cold, numbing everything inside me.

In the last second before losing consciousness, I hazily saw someone swimming toward me.

He grabbed my waist, seeming to try hard to pull me to the surface.

Who was this person saving me?

I tried hard to open my eyes wide, but could only catch a glimpse of a familiar piece of clothing.

When I woke up again, I was on the shore.

The person who saved me had already left, but seemed to have given me emergency treatment.

I got up, clutching my wildly beating heart.

There wasn't a soul around; everything was completely silent.

My phone lay on the ground, emitting a dim glow.

It showed a text message from an unknown number.

"Go find Dr. Andrew Jackson. He's the best plastic surgeon in the country and can change your fate."

Below was a detailed address.

This was most likely a message from the mysterious person who had saved me.

But.

Could my fate really change?