He Risked His Life for Me, Yet I Almost Lost Myself

Chapter 5

Lucy froze completely, her heart skipping a beat. She didn't dare breathe loudly.

Hearing Dany's footsteps drawing closer, Lucy had nowhere to run. She spotted nearby bushes and threw herself toward them, ignoring the stinging pain of branches scratching her face.

"Woof!"

A sudden bark made Dany halt.

He turned back to Nina with a relaxed smile, his voice softening.

"It's nothing. Just the neighbor's dog wandering around again."

Lying on the ground, Lucy's tense nerves finally loosened.

She then circled to the back door and slipped upstairs.

Early the next morning, Lucy had just come downstairs when her eyes fell on a box on the table. She knew at once—it was Dany's usual "compensation."

Right after that, she received a call from the hospital.

The doctor said her mother's surgery had been a success. With a few more days of observation, she would be discharged in two days if nothing went wrong.

After hanging up, Lucy's lips curled up unconsciously. The dark cloud over her finally lifted.

Her top priority now was to sell all the jewelry Dany had given her as compensation over the past six months.

As soon as her mother was discharged, she would take her and leave this place for good.

Lucy picked up the box, hurried upstairs, and stuffed it along with the rest of her jewelry into her bag.

On the way to the state-run store, Lucy daydreamed about her new life, glowing with happiness and excitement. She didn't care about the surprised, curious stares from the clerks after she stated her request.

"Mrs. Hayes, I'm sorry—we can't accept returns on these."

Lucy froze, her smile vanishing instantly.

"I've kept them in perfect condition. Why won't you take them back? I'll even take half price!"

The clerk only smiled politely.

"Mrs. Hayes, please calm down. It's not that we don't want to help. The pieces you have aren't authentic. We can't process returns for counterfeit goods."

Lucy's hands went limp, her eyes empty.

She had suspected the truth deep down, but hadn't dared to believe it. She opened each box one by one, showing the logos inside.

"Look here! You must be mistaken. Dany gave these to me. They can't be fake. Dany would never... lie to me."

Seeing the pity in the clerk's eyes, Lucy's voice faded. Her body went weak, and she could only stand by, leaning on the counter.

She could no longer lie to herself.

"Lucy, it's already been half a year. Only now do you realize they're fake?"

Nina, who had happened to come shopping for jewelry, stepped forward gracefully, having enjoyed the show long enough.

She stood in front of Lucy, arms crossed, a sneer tugging at her lips. After drinking in Lucy's misery, she spoke in a sweet tone that cut like a knife.

"The real jewelry is with me, of course. But don't be mad, Lucy. If I weren't kind, Dany wouldn't even bother giving you fake ones."

Watching Lucy's devastated face, Nina felt triumphant.

She had actually met Lucy five years earlier.

She had fled a boring, decent man her parents had arranged for her and run into danger—only to be saved by Lucy.

But instead of gratitude, she had felt bitter resentment. She hated that Lucy had been born with everything; hated that she had Dany—handsome, powerful, and wealthy.

Watching Dany treat Lucy with such tenderness, Nina had burned to take her place.

But back then, she had been ragged and invisible to him.

Still, she had believed no man could be faithful forever.

From that day on, Nina joined a secret organization, enduring harsh training and learning every trick to trap a man. She had suffered endless humiliation, but never regretted it.

Eventually, she was sent to Dany as a "secret weapon." The moment his eyes lit up at the sight of her, she knew her efforts had paid off.

Now, staring at Lucy, who had lost everything, Nina felt years of pent-up jealousy finally melt away. Her eyes were cold and cruel, and she couldn't resist twisting the knife before leaving.

"Dany has always thought keeping you alive and paying for your mother's treatment is mercy enough. But since you found out today, I won't have to keep ordering fake jewelry for you anymore."

Surrounded by sympathetic stares, Lucy went completely rigid.