Chapter 58  It was clear Chase wasn’t buying the excuse. “If she miscarried, why didn’t you call for help right away instead of letting her crawl out covered in blood?”  “I did call, but my sister refused to listen. She wouldn’t stay in bed and insisted on leaving. I think she wanted to make a scene, maybe as some kind of payback against us.”  Tears rolled down Nicole’s cheeks. “Think about it, Chase. Whether she likes me or not, she’s still my sister. Why would I ever hurt her? I was scared out of my mind when I saw her bleeding. It was my first time dealing with something like that. Oddly enough, when my sister crawled out, the first person there wasn’t a doctor–it was… Derek.”  “I saw him looking all tense and angry, like she was his fiancée, not yours. It was bizarre. He’s been living abroad for ages, and I’ve never heard of him having anything to do with her. Why did he look at her like that?”  Nicole’s questions seemed to ease Chase’s grip. She pressed on, “After the miscarriage, you rushed to the hospital, but she didn’t tell qu’about it. She kept quiet. How could you expect me, just an outsider to bring it up? Wouldn’t that be prying? I’ve been wondering why Derek showed up at the OB–GYN department. Why didn’t she tell you? Was there something wrong with the baby?”  I thought with all the evidence lined up, Chase would catch her in a lie. But I underestimated Nicole. She twisted the truth so skillfully! No guy could tolerate his fiancée being linked to another man, and who knew what Chase was thinking? His expression turned icy, and his demeanor grew colder.  “What else did you see?”  “Besides that hospital incident, I saw Derek and Amanda meeting privately a few days before your wedding. I was too far to hear clearly but I caught bits about not getting married to you and leaving.”  Nicole sneaked a glance at Chase. “Do you think they…?”  “No,” Chase replied, his voice frosty.  I finally understood why Nicole managed to turn the whole family against me in just a few years. She transformed Chase, who once disliked her, into this current version of himself, leaving me defeated every time.  Her skill was frightening–she could easily confuse Chase, turning all the blame on me and Derek, whom I barely knew.  Chase stayed silent, clearly mulling over her words.  Then, out of nowhere, a loud clap of thunder rattled the sky. Thunder in winter was rare, so both of them jumped in surprise.  The room was dim, with just a bedside lamp casting a faint glow.  When the thunder hit, Nicole let out a piercing scream. At first, I thought she was just playing the victim to get sympathy. However, this time, her eyes were locked on me, standing at the foot of the bed.  “Amanda! I didn’t do it!” Nicole suddenly shouted.