Chapter 25  Nicole was rushed to the ER, and Chase stood outside, anxiously waiting for news, his face a mask of worry.  The assistant gently nudged him. “Mr. Reyes, I’ve already informed the Kennedy family. Should we head to the airport now? We’ll miss our flight if we wait any longer.” Cloudville was tucked away in the most remote mountain town, with just one flight a day from here.  With the weather acting up lately, flights often got canceled, so the assistant felt it was necessary to remind him. Chase, however, frowned, clearly irritated. “Are you out of your mind? Amanda’s just fine, having a grand time in Cloudville. She’s not at risk. Nicole, on the other hand, could be in serious danger. How can I leave her now?”  The assistant had assumed that Chase’s late–night call, requesting flowers and gifts, was a step toward making amends. Just the night before, he’d said I mattered more than Nicole. Now, here he was, changing tunes so quickly.  I noticed the assistant’s eyes dim with a touch of sympathy for me. He’d seen the journey from me and Chase being so in love to this mess. Deep down, he probably wished we’d patch things up. He bowed his head, hiding the disappointment in his eyes. “I’ll cancel the  ght right away.”  When the Kennedy family showed up, Nicole was wheeled out, and the doctor called, “Family of the patient.”  Chase quickly stepped forward. “I’m here. How is Nicole?”  The doctor, seeing his anxious face, finally responded, “She’s stable now. How could you be so careless? You knew about her heart condition and still let her get stressed! If it weren’t for the timely treatment, she could’ve had a fatal attack!”  “Stressed?” The Kennedy family turned to Chase. “What happened after Nicole went back to your family home yesterday?”  Chase looked puzzled. “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll get to the bottom of it. Nicole’s okay. And that’s all that matters.”  In the hospital room, everyone gathered around Nicole as if she were made of glass, their eyes full of concern.  It took me back to the pandemic when I was in lockdown with the Kennedy family. My brother was stuck at the office, and I took it upon myself to care for him, but once I tested positive for the virus, the whole family dashed out of the villa, terrified of catching it from me.  From then on, I knew Nicole had caused the gap between my family and me and that it was beyond repair. In their eyes, I was insignificant.  Every time Nicole faced even a minor issue, they’d rally around her, leaving me feeling left out.  Nicole’s usual caretaker came in, and Chase, looking stormy, asked, “What happened? How did Nicole get upset again?”  “It seemed like something on her phone upset her. I took a peek, and it was full of abusive messages.”  “Abusive? Who’s behind it?”  “I’m not sure. Her phone’s been ringing off the hook since last night. I suspect someone leaked her number.”  Chase grabbed Nicole’s phone and unlocked it effortlessly. The call log was filled with harassing calls from all over the country.  The messages were endless, spewing vile accusations about her supposedly seducing someone’s husband and causing a scene at a wedding.  As soon as the phone was on, another call came. Chase answered, and a middle–aged woman’s voice spat insults. “You shameless hussy. How dare you seduce someone else’s husband. You’ll get what’s coming to you…”  Everyone in the room, all from privileged backgrounds, had never heard such coarse language. Chase hung up, not wanting to stoop to arguing with someone like that.  “My poor girl. How did this happen to her? Who would do such a thing?” my mother cried, looking at the still–unconscious Nicole, her eyes full of pity.  Chase’s gaze darkened, and he seethed, “It must be Amanda. She’s behind this!”  Without a second thought, my family and husband blamed me.  Like countless times before, Nicole had them convinced I was the villain. I was always in the wrong.  A faint voice came from the bed, “Mom, Dad, Chase, don’t blame Nicole. It’s my fault for making that call and ruining her wedding. If she’s angry, she should be angry at me…”  Nicole’s pale face was tear–streaked, feigning remorse. No matter how often she used it, this act never failed to win her more sympath from the family.  tabad Chase’s sleeve, “Chase, weren’t you supposed to pick Amanda up today? Please go, I’ll be okay. When you get to  “I leave the country and never show up in front of her again.”  Chapter 25  Chase changed his mind. “I’m not going to Cloudville, Grandma’s birthday is in a few days. Amanda will come back for that  I watched the snowflakes swirl outside and had one thought, ‘I won’t make it to Grandma’s birthday… By then, will Chase realize I never went to Cloudville? That I’m already gone?‘