Chapter 2: What Is Your Name?
"Watch out!"
Unable to react to the warning in time, Gwenda felt herself being pushed away by someone, a masculine grunt sounding near her...
The wooden beam crashed onto the ground with a loud bang.
Looking back, Gwenda saw Olivier partially kneeling on the ground. The fire had burned the skin on his arm.
She subconsciously covered her face.
How could she forget that this was where her face had been disfigured by fire?
Coming to her senses, Gwenda rushed towards Olivier to examine his wound. "Mr. Petit, are you alright?" She asked anxiously.
"Get going!"
Olivier pushed her away as he felt his consciousness drifting once more. He panted heavily as he held on by sheer willpower. "Don't worry about me..."
"I'm not leaving without you!"
Gwenda gripped his arm tightly as she gazed at him with teary eyes filled with conviction.
He had just saved her.
She would not just leave him alone like that!
Olivier's heart skipped a beat. He stared at the girl's lovely face as conflict flickered through his eyes.
"Trust me! We'll make it out!" Gwenda said with conviction.
...
For some reason, Olivier could not help but nod when he saw the determination in the girl's eyes. "Alright!"
"Let's go!"
Gwenda strained to help him up before staggering forward, braving the flames.
Olivier struggled to stay conscious, gazing at her with half-lidded eyes, asking in a weak voice, "What's your name?"
"I'm Gwenda Evans!"
"Gwenda Evans..."
Gwenda huh.
He remembered it.
Outside the hotel doors, the busy firemen noticed them.
With Gwenda's strong desire for survival coupled with the firemen's complicated operations, the two finally escaped from the fire. After Olivier was carried onto the stretcher, his last bit of consciousness faded along with the noise of the surrounding chaos.
When Olivier regained consciousness at the hospital, it was already the next day.
"Boss, you're awake!"
Otto Roux sounded jubilant. "How wonderful! I'll call for the doctor now."
Moments later, several doctors entered the ward and began conducting examinations.
They came to a conclusion that Olivier was in no further danger apart from the burn on his arm. However, he was to remain for observation for some time.
"Boss, you almost scared me to death! Thankfully, you're alright. Otherwise, I have no idea how to explain it to your mother. You have no idea how panicked I felt when I saw the hotel on fire. Luckily, you're blessed by God..."
Otto rambled on and on.
Olivier, who was leaning against the headboard of the hospital bed, frowned with exhaustion which was evident from his pale face.
"Enough!"
Olivier rasped out hoarsely as he gazed steadily at Otto. "Where's the girl who saved me from the fire?"
"She, um, she's in the ward downstairs. Do you want me to call her up?"
As he spoke, Otto prepared to call for someone.
"No."
Olivier got out of bed and said, "I'll go in person."
"Go in person?" Otto was surprised, "But Boss, your body..."
"I'm fine."
"The doctor said not to let you move about!"
п
Olivier ignored him and walked out of the ward.
Otto was speechless. "Boss, please slow down..."
In the ward one floor down, Gwenda, too, was just finished with her own examination.
The doctor told her that her body's indicators showed normalcy and she could be discharged in the afternoon.
Gwenda let out a sigh of relief.
Having been reborn, she had successfully saved her face from disfigurement in the fire.
Looking upon the flawless face in the mirror, Gwenda's lips curved up into a slight smile. Fortunately, it was not too late.
God had been kind and gave her a chance to start over again.
She would not be as stupid as before, believing the words of her scummy sister and stepmother, placing her life in the hands of others and being at their mercy before dying a tragic death. In this life, she wanted to change it all!
Those who harmed her had to pay the price!
Gwenda exhaled and slowly put the mirror down.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the ward door.
Gwenda paused and looked up.
A tall man in a light blue shirt came in.
Gwenda's eyes narrowed immediately and her eyes flashed.
Martin Morel, her fiancé.
"Gwenda, I heard that something happened to you, so I came back from out of town. Are you alright?"
Martin walked in with anxiety on his face.
Gwenda stared at him, her lips curled into a cold smile.
In her last life, Martin also came to see her after learning that she was hospitalised.
Gwenda would never forget his expression when he saw her injured face.
Surprise, fear, and a barely noticeable hint of joy.
...
But as she was terribly upset at the time, she did not notice these subtle changes.
She only realised later that Martin was pleased with her disfigurement as he had a reason to call off the engagement.
That bloody scumbag!
Back then, she gave up everything for him, not sparing even her remaining dignity.
But in the end, he chose her sister over her.
To humiliate her, he deliberately held an extravagant wedding which turned her into the laughingstock of the public, causing her to live a life that was worse than death. Recalling this, Gwenda trembled with anger as her hands balled into fists under the quilt.
How she wished that she could kill him now!
At this moment, Martin noticed her trembling and thought she was unwell. Reaching out to touch her forehead, he said, "Gwenda, are you okay..."
"Don't touch me!"
Gwenda pushed his hand away in disgust, a rather unusual reaction.
Martin was stunned. "Gwenda, what's wrong with you?"
She stared at his repugnant face, taking a deep breath in an attempt to suppress her rage. "I'm fine. You can go back now."
Martin was confused. Gwenda used to be very clingy.
What was going on with her today?
After a moment of thought, Martin figured that she was mad at him for not spending more time with her and cajoled her. "Gwenda, I know I haven't spent much time with you these days. Don't worry, after the project is finished, I'll definitely take some time off and take you on vacation."
Gwenda felt very uncomfortable. "That's fine. Just work on your project."
She did not want to see him anymore. It was best if he never showed up ever again!
"Don't be mad. I'll follow through with my promise this time."
Martin held her hand as he spoke.
Gwenda only felt a wave of cold disgust and sharply withdrew her hand. She was about to say something when the door opened once more.
It was none other than her lovely sister, Gretchen Evans.
Finally!
Seeing her made Gwenda's blood boil.
In the last life, to get Martin for herself, Gretchen kept playing tricks behind the scenes.
One of her many schemes was to get Gwenda drunk before sending her to a hotel to have an affair with someone. This way, she could frame Gwenda for impropriety. Although Gretchen's scheme failed, Gwenda's face was disfigured from the fire as a result.
If Gretchen had not provoked her by telling the truth, Gwenda would never know that her face had been indirectly disfigured by her stepsister!
With that in mind, Gwenda's hatred caused her to grit her teeth.
"Hey, sis."
Dressed in a white dress, Gretchen bypassed Martin and went straight to Gwenda. "Sis, I came over the moment I got the news. Are you alright?" "Of course I'm fine. I just had a little drink at the dinner party before going back to the hotel. It's not too bad."
Gwenda then looked up at her stepsister with a sarcastic smile. "But why does it sound as if you're hoping for something to happen to me?"☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐
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