“Alexander is back?”
Evelyn’s voice was unusually calm.
Claire froze for a moment.
Then delight flashed through her eyes.
Had Evelyn finally come to her senses?
She quickly nodded.
“Yes.
Grandfather Blackwood has already brought Alexander home.
Damien said both of Alexander’s legs were severely damaged.
He’ll probably have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.”
Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat.
In her previous life, even after eleven years had passed, Alexander had still been unable to walk.
By then, the muscles in his legs had withered from years of inactivity.
No wonder he had been only thirty-five, yet the hair at his temples had already begun turning gray.
Alexander had once been a brilliant soldier, a man who had earned his reputation through countless battles and had stood at the very peak of his military career.
Then, in the blink of an eye, everything had been taken from him.
A man who had once commanded the battlefield had been forced to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.
He couldn’t even go to the bathroom without someone’s assistance.
How had a proud man like Alexander endured those eleven years?
A dull ache spread through Evelyn’s heart.
She couldn’t imagine the humiliation he must have endured.
In her previous life, she had been one of the people who made that suffering worse.
Not this time.
Even if she had to search every corner of the world, she would find a way to heal Alexander’s legs.
She would make sure he stood again.
She would make sure he returned to the battlefield and reclaimed everything that had been stolen from him.
She absolutely would not allow history to repeat itself.
In her previous life, Alexander’s sacrifice had become the stepping stone for Damien’s rise.
While Alexander spent eleven years confined to a wheelchair, Damien had risen rapidly through the military ranks.
By the age of thirty-five, Damien had already become a commanding officer.
He had taken everything Alexander should have had.
His achievements.
His reputation.
His future.
His glory.
Evelyn’s eyes turned cold.
Hmph.
Not in this life.
Forget becoming a commanding officer.
She wouldn’t even let Damien get close to a leadership position.
Alexander and Damien were cousins, only a few months apart in age.
Alexander was the son of the eldest Blackwood heir, who had died while serving his country before Alexander was born.
Alexander had never even seen his father.
His mother, Eleanor Blackwood, had never remarried.
She had remained with the Blackwood family and raised her son alone.
Damien and Alexander had eventually joined the same military division.
But there had always been a considerable difference between them.
Alexander was far more talented.
He had earned his place in the elite Special Operations Division while he was still young.
Damien, meanwhile, remained an ordinary enlisted soldier.
The Blackwood family had always lived by a strict rule.
No member of the family was allowed to use the family’s influence to obtain a position.
If they wanted success, they had to earn it themselves.
Every promotion had to be achieved through ability, discipline, and merit.
Grandfather Blackwood had made that rule clear from the beginning.
If you couldn’t rise through your own efforts, then leave.
Don’t use the Blackwood name to cling to a position you hadn’t earned.
That was the Blackwood family’s way.
“Those are the things I told you to say,” Claire’s voice suddenly broke through Evelyn’s thoughts.
“Do you remember them?
Don’t say the wrong thing later.
If you go there today and say everything properly, Mother and Father will come over tomorrow…”
Evelyn slowly raised her eyes.
She stared at Claire.
Then, without warning, she asked, “You and Damien seem quite close.”
A flicker of panic crossed Claire’s face.
But it disappeared almost immediately.
She forced a gentle smile.
“Evelyn, you were asleep earlier.
Damien couldn’t wait any longer, so he asked me to tell you everything.”
She paused before adding sweetly, “Besides, Damien’s feelings for you are obvious.
Even a child could see how much he cares about you.”
Evelyn’s expression didn’t change.
Normally, the moment Damien’s name was mentioned, the old Evelyn would have lit up with happiness.
She would have smiled foolishly.
She would have eagerly asked what Damien had said.
But this time…
Nothing.
Not even a flicker of emotion.
Claire’s smile stiffened.
Inside, she cursed Evelyn for pretending.
This stupid girl was suddenly acting differently.
But Claire couldn’t afford to lose her temper.
She had to keep Evelyn under control.
She couldn’t allow anything to interfere with Damien’s plan.
Claire lowered her gaze and sighed.
“With a body like mine, how could I ever expect anyone to love me?” she murmured bitterly.
“I’m already fortunate enough just to be alive.”
Evelyn looked at her.
Then she solemnly nodded.
“That’s true.”
Claire blinked.
Evelyn continued with complete seriousness.
“I’ve heard that people with weak hearts can become seriously ill even from too much excitement.”
Claire’s expression froze.
Evelyn tilted her head.
“You should probably spend more time reading spiritual texts and calming your mind.”
Claire’s chest tightened.
Her lips slowly turned pale before taking on a faint purple hue.
She immediately regulated her breathing.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
She couldn’t get angry.
Getting angry wasn’t worth it.
Not with Evelyn.
She had to stay alive.
Once she obtained Evelyn’s inheritance, everything would change.
She would have access to the best medical treatment.
She would get a new heart.
And then she would finally be free of this weak body.
Watching Claire’s increasingly purple lips, Evelyn felt a quiet sense of satisfaction.
Claire had been born with a congenital heart condition.
She couldn’t experience extreme emotional fluctuations.
Too much happiness, anger, grief, or excitement could trigger an attack.
She also couldn’t participate in strenuous activities.
Because of her condition, her attendance at school had always been irregular.
Most of her life had been spent inside the Vale estate, surrounded by medicine, doctors, and people waiting for the next crisis.
She lived as though she were simply waiting for death.
Yet Richard had always treated Claire exceptionally well.
He had never complained about the enormous cost of her treatment.
He had never forced her to work.
He simply supported her.
And Evelyn had once thought that was proof of how much her father loved his family.
But now…
Her heart suddenly sank.
There was something she had overlooked.
Something extremely important.
In her previous life, shortly before she killed Claire, Evelyn had overheard a conversation between Claire and Damien.
She remembered every word now.
Damien had originally intended to use Evelyn’s heart.
That was why he had deliberately allowed her to suffer in prison.
He had wanted her body to deteriorate until the time came when her heart could be taken.
But then Evelyn had developed severe liver complications while imprisoned.
Her heart was no longer considered suitable.
So they had changed their target.
They had turned to Ethan.
That memory had always made Evelyn furious.
But now another detail suddenly surfaced.
Her blood type.
And Claire’s.
They were different.
Evelyn was Type O.
The same as Richard.
Claire was Type B.
Evelyn’s expression slowly changed.
Wait.
That didn’t make sense.
Could a person with Claire’s blood type simply receive Evelyn’s heart?
No.
A heart transplant required compatible blood types.
If Damien had originally planned to take Evelyn’s heart for Claire, how could he have made such a basic mistake?
How could someone who had carefully plotted everything overlook something as fundamental as blood compatibility?
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed.
There was something wrong.
Very wrong.
She had spent her previous life believing she understood the entire story.
But now, after being given another chance…
She was beginning to realize that perhaps she had never known the truth at all.