She was certain now. It was like time had truly rewound two years...
"No, you're overthinking things..." Annabelle said, her expression placid.
'I can't say too much right now,' she thought. 'What if this is all a hallucination?'
The person on the other end of the line seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "PHEW... That's good. You scared me to death. I'm heading to class now, but I'll come see you when I have time. You have to be okay!"
"Okay..."
After hanging up, Annabelle's mind was in complete turmoil. She barely dared to breathe.
'What in the world is going on...'
Suddenly, she felt a warm touch on her hand. Annabelle looked up to see her grandfather's concerned face.
"Oh, Annabelle," her grandfather said, patting her hand sympathetically, "did you suffer a great deal this time?"
Annabelle stared at him blankly, a pang of sorrow piercing her heart.
She remembered that in her past life, after the incident where she was framed, she never saw her grandfather again.
Vivian Yates had told her that Grandfather had been hospitalized out of desperation while looking for her, and even claimed that Annabelle wanted to kill him...
Looking at her healthy grandfather before her now, she grew even more certain. Time really had rewound two years.
She had been locked away in a cold basement, barely clinging to life. But even after everything that had happened, her grandfather had never stopped believing in her, had never stopped trying to find a way to save her.
Annabelle threw her arms around her grandfather, tears instantly streaming down her face. She sobbed in anguish. "Grandpa, you're always so good to me. Even when no one else would believe me, you always stood by my side without a second thought, protecting me, caring for me... What did I ever do to deserve a grandfather like you?"
Patrick Grant patted her back and said gently, "It's alright, Annabelle. It's all in the past. I don't blame you, but you can't do this again. You really scared me to death."
"I won't..."
"Hah."
Annabelle hadn't even finished her sentence when a cold, mocking laugh echoed from the doorway.
She looked toward the sound and saw him: Leona Grant, supporting Vivian Yates with both hands while staring at her with an icy expression. Vivian's head was wrapped in gauze, and she wore a loose hospital gown.
The sight of them sent a sharp pain lancing through her heart.
Leona Grant was wearing a white shirt, his chiseled face etched with a hint of fatigue. He looked as though he'd been up all night taking care of Vivian Yates.
His icy eyes held undisguised disgust and mockery.
Vivian Yates's eyes, however, were filled with deep concern.
She and Leona Grant had been engaged since they were children. For as long as she could remember, she'd known she had a fiancé.
Although he had always been cold, even hateful, toward her in her memories, he was the only man she had ever considered for a husband.
They were married the year she turned twenty-one. He and Vivian Yates had vehemently protested the union, but her grandfather had adamantly refused to yield.
He was forced to marry her.
But this only made Leona Grant hate her even more.
She, Leona Grant, and Vivian Yates had all known each other since they were children, but the way Leona Grant treated her and Vivian was like night and day.
Wherever Leona Grant could be found, so could Vivian Yates. They were so close, it was as if they were joined at the hip. If he had so much as a bite of bread, you could be sure she would have a bottle of water.
But perhaps due to a deep-seated sense of inferiority, she never felt what you would call jealousy or hatred toward Vivian Yates—only envy.
Later, as if possessed, she started trying to get close to Vivian Yates, to become her friend, all in the hopes that Leona Grant might spare her a second glance.
She had no idea that this very desperation was leading her straight into Vivian Yates's trap.
As they spent more time together, perhaps because Vivian Yates was such a phenomenal actress, Annabelle became utterly devoted to her after Vivian seemingly risked her own life to save her on several occasions.
She never imagined that from that point on, her life would be turned completely upside down!
Every time Vivian Yates was hurt or felt wronged, it was somehow connected to Annabelle. From then on, nobody believed a word she said.
The impression became deeply ingrained and unshakable. In everyone's mind, she was the master of playing innocent, a manipulative schemer, a two-faced bitch!
It became common knowledge that she was a deeply manipulative person who frequently attempted to harm Vivian Yates, but always failed. Meanwhile, Vivian always played the role of the magnanimous one who refused to hold a grudge.
But Vivian Yates's tolerance only seemed to make Annabelle's behavior escalate!
From that point on, whenever something went wrong, not a single person was willing to believe her.
For example, the way Leona Grant was looking at her right now—he was looking at her as if she were the very definition of a manipulative fake!
A manipulative fake, putting on a piteous act for her grandfather!
Hah!
Thinking of her miserable death in her past life, and of how she had once even tried to kill herself for him, Annabelle couldn't help but despise herself!
Just then, Vivian Yates took a few unsteady steps and hurried over to her. Her pale complexion added a touch of fragile beauty to her sickly appearance.