Chapter 3

Evelyn's eyes sparkled with joy.

She quickly climbed out of bed, stepped out of her room, and looked at the familiar living room below and the busy housekeepers hustling around.

The scene felt so recognizable it almost felt unreal, bringing a sudden rush of emotion that made her eyes well up with tears.

Sniffling quietly, she tried hard to fight back the lump in her throat.

The air was filled with a gentle, refreshing scent that helped her nerves slowly settle. She turned back into the room.

Looking in the mirror, she saw a pair of clear eyes staring back at her. Her delicate features still carried the laziness of someone who had just woken up.

But there was a faint shadow of sorrow deep in her gaze.

She gently touched her face, and the corners of her lips lifted in a small smile. "There's still time to fix everything..."

Time to stop Lillian and Nathaniel before things got out of hand.

The thought made a flicker of deep hatred flash through her chest.

"Knock knock knock!"

A soft voice accompanied the knocks at the door. "Eve, you in there? I'm coming in!"

The girlish voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Blinking, Evelyn rushed over to open the door.

Standing there was a young woman in a cream-colored short dress, carrying the latest designer bag.

Clara Wells. The Wells family's eldest daughter, and Evelyn's close friend.

As soon as Clara laid eyes on her, she hurried in, grabbing Evelyn's hand and scanning her up and down with worry written all over her face.

"Clara? What are you doing here?" Evelyn's eyes lit up.

Clara pulled her into a hug, her voice full of concern. "You have no idea how worried we were!"

"Emily was tied up, and I happened to be close by, so when I heard you were awake, I rushed right over."

Looking at her anxious expression, Evelyn couldn't help but let out a laugh.

That laugh made Clara widen her eyes and pinch her cheek with a scolding look.

"You're actually smiling? After getting into an accident because of Lillian?" Clara's tone turned stern. "We've been warning you about her for ages. You kept defending her, saying she was nice. But I checked—this crash? 100% staged by her!"

Evelyn rubbed her cheek, silent under Clara's words, the bitterness in her chest swelling.

In her last life, around this time, she'd gone out with Lillian.

Lillian had pretended to feel sick, pushing Evelyn to rush to the hospital.

Brakes failed halfway there, Evelyn crashed into the curb, and somehow, Lillian walked out without a scratch.

Luckily, Evelyn wasn't seriously hurt—just out cold for a few days.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, watery eyes looking up at Clara. "I was wrong."

Clara froze, clearly confused and a little panicked. "Wait, Eve, are you still feeling off?"

Evelyn shook her head but tears still streamed down. "I'm fine now. I just... made you all so worried."

"Good. Long as you know," Clara huffed with a pout.

But the moment she thought of Lillian again, her voice grew sharp with frustration. "Speaking of her, who knows what she's up to now! Honestly, I think she's feeling guilty. Emily even told me the other day she saw her getting close to Nathaniel. You really need to be careful.

"Every time we bring up Nathaniel, you get upset. But look where that got you. You seriously need to listen to us this time. That guy and Lillian are totally sketchy now. You're the Mitchell heiress! He's not even close to good enough for you!

"You've seen plenty of leeches trying to get close to Mitchell's name, right?"

As she ranted, Clara clenched her fists and gave a little swing in the air like she was ready to hit something.

Evelyn quietly listened to her defend her like always, and couldn't hold it in anymore—she dropped her head and started crying.

"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry..."

She cried, repeating those words over and over again.

Words she never got the chance to say to Clara and the others in her past life.