Chapter 2 Escape

I saw the firefighters who had come to rescue us, and my tense nerves finally relaxed. My legs gave out, and I quickly collapsed. I was saved. And this time, I hadn't sacrificed myself to save anyone else. I thought I was the first to catch feelings in our friendship. But clearly, Linden had been smitten with Rosalind for ages. He would give me trendy gifts that were popular that season, because he knew I'd always give him something more expensive in return. But everything he gave Rosalind was handmade—gifts that cost both time and money. He would toss me his sweaty basketball clothes to deal with, but he'd always dress up clean and fresh when meeting Rosalind. I thought he was just comfortable around me, but really, he was using me as free labor while treating Rosalind like she was precious. He never openly declared his feelings, but every action showed how much he treasured her. In our three-person dynamic, Rosalind effortlessly sat at the top of the food chain. It was ridiculous that it took a near-death experience for me to see the truth. The firefighters lifted me onto a stretcher, and just as I was about to be loaded into the ambulance, someone grabbed the stretcher. "Wait!" It was Linden's sister, Leona Rothwell. Leona gripped the edge of the stretcher tightly and asked me frantically, "Aurora, where's Linden? Wasn't he with you? Why are you the only one who made it out?" I shook my head without saying a word. My throat was damaged from the smoke, and I couldn't speak for a moment. Linden had lost his mother at a young age, and his sister Leona had raised him. As the eldest, Leona had always acted like Linden's mother, taking care of every detail of his life. In my previous life, she really didn't want me marrying into the Rothwell family. Even though my family had wealth beyond the Rothwells' imagination, Leona thought I was useless because I was disfigured and was unable to have children after the skin grafts. She had cursed me to die early more than once in private, so Linden could remarry and inherit my family's fortune. Now, I didn't want to spare Leona even a glance, so I closed my eyes. The Rothwells had always struggled financially. After their mother died young and their father became disabled, Leona dropped out of school to support the family and put Linden through his education. He was their ticket out of poverty—their one shot at a better life. Now, facing the possibility that he might not survive, Leona was falling apart. When the doctors told her to let go and stop interfering with the rescue, she jumped onto the stretcher and wouldn't let go of me. "Everyone, look at this murderer!" she screamed. "My brother went in with her, but she came out alone! He could be dead for all we know, and this murderer gets to go to the hospital even though she's barely hurt! It's not fair! "Aurora, say something! Why are you the only one who made it out? What did you do to Linden?" Her screaming drew a crowd, and people started pulling out their phones to film me. This was exactly what Leona wanted. If something happened to Linden, she'd make sure I suffered too. She had plenty of ways to ruin the rest of my life. Just as the doctors were about to forcibly remove her, firefighters emerged from the scene carrying another stretcher. "We need an ambulance! These two are in critical condition!" Leona spun around and saw Linden, blackened from head to toe. The sight of his mangled, bloody hands broke her heart.