Chapter 26

Grandma was the only family member who hadn't turned against me because of Nicole's drama. Sadly, her health had deteriorated, and she'd been bedridden for six months. She understood the injustice I faced. During a visit a week before my wedding, she gently patted my head and said, "Sweetheart, if you don't want to marry Chase, then don't. If he's not the one, marrying him will only bring heartache."

At the time, I was determined to expose the truth at the wedding to get my revenge, so I dismissed Grandma's advice. "Don't worry, Grandma, I know what I'm doing. You just focus on getting better."

"Amanda, I promise I'll make it to my birthday. I know you've been through a lot since Nicole returned. You've always been my treasure. On that day, I have a big surprise for you."

Grandma held five percent of the company's shares. When Nicole returned, the family wanted to give her Grandma's shares as compensation, but Grandma refused. I knew she was saving them for me, so I wouldn't be left without anything. Unfortunately, despite her plans, I didn't live to receive that gift.

Chase dealt with the harassing calls and texts swiftly, but his disdain for me deepened. He doted on Nicole, meticulously preparing her soup and feeding it to her with painstaking care, completely ignoring me.

I knew that if the threat against me were genuine, there had been ample opportunity for me to disappear without a trace. My curiosity, however, piqued—how would they react if they heard I'd died? Would they even feel a flicker of regret for their treatment of me?

Worried about Nicole's condition, Chase stayed overnight with her. In the middle of the night, he awoke from another nightmare.

"Did you have a bad dream, Chase?" Nicole asked, startled by his movement.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Chase's face was ashen. "I'm fine."

Nicole approached him. "What kind of dream scared you so much?"

"I dreamt Amanda was dead and bleeding heavily. She begged me to save her."

Nicole patted his back. "Don't worry. Dreams usually mean the opposite. It means she's probably doing just fine."

Chase, looking exhausted, rubbed his temples. "I've had this dream several nights in a row."

"You must be really worried about her. If you're that concerned, why not bring her back home sooner? I'd feel better, too."

Chase hesitated. "Well..."

"I hope she'll cool down soon and stop being mad at me. I got lucky this time, but luck doesn't last forever."

Chase sighed and conceded, ruffling her hair. "Let's leave her in Cloudville to cool off."

The next morning, the Kennedy family collected Nicole from the hospital. I noticed my parents looked exhausted, probably from worrying about Nicole.

"Didn't sleep well, did you?"

My mother rubbed her forehead. "Amanda's been stirring up so much trouble. It's giving me nightmares."

"You dreamt about Amanda too?" Dad asked, surprised. Even Chase paused on his way to work.

"Yeah, she pretended to be dead, and in my dream, she actually was."

One person having such a dream might be coincidence, but multiple people? That was unsettling.

Nicole interjected, "Could Amanda be..."

Chase cut her off sharply. "No way! Amanda can't be dead!"

"Chase, you misunderstood. I meant, why would she go to Cloudville, of all places, with all the cult rumors? I've heard about cultists using witchcraft, and lately, everyone's been unsettled. I barely escaped death myself. Could it be because of her..."

Mom slammed the table. "No wonder I can't sleep. Did she curse us?"

Dad, usually swayed by Mom, surprisingly defended me. "We're family. What good would it do her to harm us? Besides, that's all superstition."

As they left with Nicole, I overheard her sarcastically say, "Mom, I was just talking. Don't take it seriously."

"When Amanda returns, I'll have a word with her..."

Following Chase, I noticed his worried expression. He'd been distracted all day. Things weren't improving; they were worsening. He kept waking from nightmares, drenched in sweat.

He couldn't reach me by phone, and although he wanted to fly to Cloudville, flights were either canceled due to bad weather or fully booked. With Grandma's birthday approaching, he abandoned the idea.

He and the Kennedy family were certain I'd return for Grandma's birthday, but I couldn't.