Her Revenge, His Plot

For days, Isabelle hovered between life and death, only to discover that her fiancé had been involved with her younger sister. When the house caught fire, she jumped from the second floor of the villa to save her life. When she woke up, she found herself in the hospital. While she was writhing in agony from the burns, her sister Selena dragged Isabelle's hand to press her fingerprint on a document. Her fiancé Alexander was there too, and they were apparently oblivious to her awakening. "With this document, the company is mine," Selena said. "Alex, break off the engagement with her tomorrow. She doesn't deserve to be your fiancée," added Selena. "I've been itching to do that. Lena, you're always the person I love," Alexander replied. Their celebratory kiss sounded like a victory chant, and Isabelle's joy at surviving the fire turned to ashes. Their few words stabbed her heart like knives. 'This must be a nightmare, right?' But the excruciating pain reminded Isabelle that it was all too real. 'It seems that Selena and Alexander have been fooling around behind my back for a long time. But for how long? If Alexander loves someone else, why did he agree to the engagement? And why would Selena curse me so maliciously? Aren't we supposed to be the closest sisters?' The betrayal by both her sister and her fiancé left Isabelle's mind in turmoil. She wanted to get up but couldn't move, so she just lay motionless on the bed. Her body burned with anger, as if she were being scorched by flames all over again. Isabelle's lips trembled, and she wanted to scream her anguish out, but no sound came out. Tears soaked the bandages on her face, making her wounds hurt even more, like they were being scraped by knives. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by a giant hand, leaving her gasping for breath. Isabelle couldn't tell which hurt more, her body or her heart. But soon enough, she regained her composure. She had to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. She couldn't let Selena steal her fiancé and her hard-earned company. No way would she let the two scumbags win! After the kiss, Alexander left, and Selena tiptoed to the bedside. After a long silence, she whispered, "The board members are already on my side, thanks to you trusting me so much..." She added, "But it's not enough. In their eyes, I'm always just your sister. Everything you have—your inheritance, the company, your fiancé—should have been mine!" Selena paused, as if she were brewing up something more. "I didn't want to do this, but the doctors say you're healing fast and can be discharged soon..." With a sneer, she continued, "Why couldn't you just die in that fire like I planned? I went to so much trouble to set it up for you." Her voice was soft, but the malice was unmistakable. Isabelle felt her blood turn to ice. The memories of that day flooded back: the thick smoke, the flames cutting off her escape, her desperation. 'It was all my dear sister's doing?' Selena looked down at Isabelle with a sinister glare, pulled a small knife from her bag, and pressed it to Isabelle's throat. "So, do us all a favor and just die." After their parents' deaths, Selena was Isabelle's only family. Isabelle loved her so much. And now, Selena wanted her dead! The cold blade against her skin jolted Isabelle into action. She opened her eyes and swatted the knife away, grazing her neck and leaving a shallow cut. Selena stepped back, startled by the sudden movement. By the time she recovered, Isabelle was already out of bed. Ignoring the searing pain all over, she leaned on the edge of the bed to keep herself from collapsing. Her eyes burned with hatred and determination, a look Selena had never seen before that scared her a lot. Seizing the moment, Isabelle flung the nearby tray of medical supplies at Selena and bolted for the door! She yanked it open and staggered into the hallway, her bare feet slapping the cold floor. Isabelle had hoped for safety outside the ward, but the usually bustling hospital was eerily empty. Only the sound of her and Selena’s footsteps echoed through the deserted corridors. 'I have to survive!' Isabelle ran towards the hospital's entrance, the bandages on her body soaking through with blood. She didn't care and used every ounce of strength to crash through the doors. Selena chased her relentlessly behind. Suddenly, a loud crash sounded. Isabelle's escape was abruptly halted as a car hit her, sending her sprawling onto the pavement. Selena stopped a short distance away with a triumphant grin. 'Am I going to die? I can't accept this...' Through her foggy sight, Isabelle saw a man rush out of the car and run to her side. "Izzy! Izzy!" He grabbed her hand, calling her name urgently. But Isabelle couldn't think straight who the man was anymore. With her last bit of strength, she managed to whisper, "Please... get me out of here."