The phone nearly slipped from Olivia’s fingers. Her blood ran cold.
“What did you just say?” Her voice was eerily calm, but there was an underlying tremor.
Alina shrugged. “I said she had a photo of the same guy, but with a girl next to him.”
Olivia’s eyes widened, her body stiffening at once.
Why would Ellie have this picture? Everything was already burnt down when the house was set on fire three years ago. There was nothing left—no memories, no evidence. Olivia had made sure of that. She had ensured that no pictures from the past were recreated, let alone displayed in the house with the old Olivia’s face on them.
So how could Ellie have that picture?
Unless… the real Olivia wasn’t dead.
And Ellie—Ellie was the real Olivia.
“Shit. Shit. Shit!” Olivia slammed her hands on the car, her eyes widening in a crazed panic. Even Alina flinched, fear creeping into her expression.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
But Olivia wasn’t listening. Her mind was racing, her thoughts spinning wildly.
‘No, it can’t be her. I burned her down three years ago! How can she be here?’
But the police never found a body in the remains. They had said there were traces of burned skin, evidence that Olivia had been reduced to ash. But no body was found.
Had she escaped?
“That fucking bitch,” Olivia scoffed, running her fingers through her hair frantically. “That fucking, fucking bitch!” she screeched.
“It’s her. It’s definitely her,” Olivia gritted out, her eyes rolling like a mad woman, her breath uneven. “I have to get rid of her.”
Alina sat frozen, watching Olivia unravel before her eyes. She had never seen her like this before, and the more she witnessed, the more terrified she became. But she didn’t dare say a word.
***
Inside the hospital, a man in a crisp suit paused mid-step in the corridor, his sharp gaze settling on a familiar figure.
Damion had come for a business-related meeting, but his gaze landed on Ellie, pacing restlessly in the hallway. She looked distraught, worry written all over her face.
Frowning, he turned to a passing nurse. "What’s going on with her?"
“There’s an old patient, Tony, who is undergoing surgery,” the nurse informed him. “He had a stroke. This girl has been here since evening, waiting anxiously. But he’s alright now. The operation is almost done.”
The nurse then explained everything about Tony to him, including him adopting Ellie not long ago and the car accident that made him fall into a coma.
Damion’s eyes darkened. He glanced back at Ellie, taking in her anxious expression.
Alone, desperate.
Without another thought, he pulled out his phone and made a call.
Chapter 17 A Call
“Your girlfriend is at my hospital right now,” he said the moment the line connected.
There was a sharp silence before a chair scraped against the floor.
“What?” Sawyer’s voice was immediately sharp, demanding. “Is she alright? Is Ellie hurt?”