It was Brenda... who had killed her in her previous life.

Lana exhaled slowly before finally speaking.

"I understand that you’re a good person," she said, her tone calm but distant. "But that doesn’t mean I can ignore what you’ve done."

Her eyes met Brenda’s directly.

"You’re not entirely evil," she continued, "but you’re not innocent either."

A faint bitterness lingered in her voice.

"I can’t reconcile those feelings," she admitted. "So it’s better if we... keep our distance from now on."

Brenda’s face turned pale, her lips parting slightly.

"I’m sorry..." she whispered again.

But Lana simply shook her head and walked away, leaving her standing there alone.

............

Meanwhile, far away, Thessy was waiting anxiously for news from the Almond family.

The moment her phone buzzed, she grabbed it immediately.

But as she read the message, her face drained of color.

"So... the Perry family failed," she murmured under her breath. "And Lana already knows the truth..."

Her fingers curled tightly into fists.

"No," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I can’t let her continue like this. If this goes on, she’ll start digging deeper..."

Yet something did not make sense.

If Lana truly knew everything... why was she still so calm? So composed?

’She should have made a move by now...’ Thessy thought, unease creeping into her chest.

Just as her thoughts spiraled, a knock echoed at her door.

She froze for a brief moment before quickly adjusting her expression, smoothing out any trace of panic. Walking over, she opened the door.

Lucian stood outside.

Her face immediately lit up with a practiced smile.

"What happened?" she asked sweetly. "Why are you here?"

But before she could say more, Lucian spoke, his tone unusually serious.

"Are you okay?"

The question made her frown.

Instinctively, she reached for her phone, but Lucian stepped forward and took it from her hand.

"I know you’re curious," he said gently, "but you shouldn’t check the internet right now. It might affect your mental health."

Her heart began to pound rapidly.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice tightening.

Lucian looked at her with a hint of hesitation, then sighed.

"I didn’t want to keep this from you," he said quietly.

He handed the phone back.

Thessy’s fingers trembled slightly as she looked at the screen.

Trending searches. Her name... everywhere. Her breath caught in her throat.

Someone had exposed her.

Her so-called identity as a musical prodigy...

For years, she had built herself up as someone extraordinary, talented in music, design, even cultivation, ensuring that she would always have a way to survive, even without external support.

And now... Everything was crumbling.

Her vision blurred slightly as shock washed over her.

Lucian quietly took the phone from her trembling hands.

Thessy looked up at him and forced a smile, though her lips felt stiff.

"Trust me," she said quickly, "this isn’t true."

Lucian nodded, his expression softening.

"I believe you," he replied, patting her shoulder lightly before turning and leaving.

The moment the door closed, her smile vanished.

Rage surged through her.

With a sharp motion, she slammed the phone onto the ground.

"Why?!" she shouted, her voice shaking. "Why is everything going wrong?!"

Her carefully maintained image... Her identity as the "musical princess"... Ruined.

Completely destroyed.

Breathing heavily, she forced herself to calm down, her mind racing.

’Who did this?’ she wondered, her eyes narrowing.

One name surfaced almost instantly.

Lana.

’She must have found out...’ Thessy thought, her expression darkening. ’She must have known I was there that day.’

Her thoughts spiraled further.

’What if she goes to the Peterson family next? What if she exposes everything?’

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.

"It has to be her," she muttered.

Quickly, she picked up her phone and checked her messages.

And then... An unknown number.

Her fingers hesitated before opening it.

The message was short.

"I’m watching."

The moment she read those words, a cold chill ran down her spine, spreading through her entire body.

Her grip tightened.

"Who...?" she whispered.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

Lucian leaned against the wall, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

’Did you really think you could get away with it?’ he thought coldly.

He already knew everything.

About the Perry family. About the Almond.

About how Thessy had orchestrated everything behind the scenes.

And most importantly... how she had tried to drag Lana into trouble.

His eyes darkened.

’If you wanted to play games,’ he thought, ’then you should be ready for the consequences.’

He had decided long ago,

He would make sure Thessy understood exactly what it meant to fall.

And yet, by evening, the situation took an unexpected turn.

The storm that had once targeted Thessy began to shift.

Where there had been accusations, now there was sympathy.

Slowly but surely... the tide turned in her favor.

The reason behind the sudden shift in public opinion was, in fact, Thessy herself.

She stepped forward and accepted everything.

With a fragile smile and a trembling voice, she said, "When I was young, I was very talented at singing... and I still love it."

Her eyes lowered slightly, as if weighed down by painful memories.

"All the songs you’ve heard from me... those were pieces I composed myself," she continued softly.

The online audience fell silent, watching her every word.

"No one opposed me back then," she added, her voice growing weaker. "But those compositions... they were meant for me to sing."

She paused, her fingers tightening slightly as she spoke the next words.

"But... someone maliciously attacked my throat."

Her voice cracked.

"And after that... I could never sing again."

The confession hit like a stone dropped into still water, sending ripples across the internet.

"In order to not fall into depression," she went on, forcing a faint smile, "I hired a mimicry artist... someone who could recreate my old voice."

For a moment, silence. Then, one by one, she released videos as proof.

Clips of her singing as a child.

Medical reports.

Behind-the-scenes footage of the mimicry artist.

Everything was carefully arranged. Sympathy replaced suspicion.