Chapter 3 No Way Back to the Past

Diana watched Teresa with concern, her mind swirling with confusion and unease.

Teresa, usually so lively and cheerful like a little ray of sunshine, was now as wilted as a flower hit by frost, completely unlike herself.

"Teresa, are you hiding something from me?"

Diana hesitated for a moment but couldn't hold back the question, her tone cautious.

Teresa's eyes snapped open, her gaze flickering with panic as she vehemently denied, "No, Diana, I'm really fine."

"Don't lie to me." Diana didn't believe her at all, her tone firm. "Did something bad happen to you last night?"

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed possible. After all, Teresa had come back very late last night, and now she looked completely out of sorts, which was highly unusual.

Teresa's body trembled violently, as if Diana had hit a sore spot, her face growing even paler.

She clutched the blanket tightly, her nails almost digging into it, shaking her head forcefully, her voice pleading, "Diana, please don't ask. I'm really fine. I just want to sleep, sleep and everything will be okay."

Diana looked at her, feeling heartbroken at her pain and resistance.

She knew Teresa must be hiding something terrible, something so awful that she didn't even have the courage to talk about it.

She sighed and decided not to press further.

"Alright, I won't ask anymore. Just rest well and don't think about anything. But Teresa, remember, I'm always your best friend."

Teresa nodded gratefully, closing her eyes again, forcing herself not to think about those terrifying images, not to think about that nightmarish evening.

Diana gently tucked the blanket around her, tiptoeing to the corner of the room, picking up her phone, hesitating whether to call Teresa's boyfriend, Liam Evans.

She felt Teresa's condition was too abnormal, maybe Liam should come and check on her.

Just then, Teresa, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, her voice still weak, "Diana, could you run a warm bath for me? I want to soak for a bit."

"Sure, just wait a moment." Diana quickly put down her phone and hurried to the bathroom, turning on the hot water.

Teresa struggled to sit up from the bed, slowly and stiffly removing her disheveled clothes, as if shedding a layer of filth, then walked into the bathroom like a zombie.

She stood blankly in front of the bathroom mirror, raising her head to look at the haggard, empty-eyed stranger staring back at her.

Her once smooth and delicate skin was now covered in shocking bruises, spreading from her neck to her shoulders, and down to her chest... each mark silently accusing the violence of that night.

Teresa could no longer hold back her inner collapse, tears streaming down her face, blurring the image in the mirror.

She trembled as she turned on the shower, the scalding hot water pouring down, washing over her battered body.

She scrubbed at the horrific marks almost frantically, as if trying to erase them from her skin, to wash away all the shame and filth.

But no matter how hard she scrubbed, the marks remained like brands, deeply etched into her skin, impossible to remove or forget.

She couldn't hold on any longer, collapsing in despair on the cold tile floor, hugging her knees tightly, burying her head and sobbing uncontrollably.

Her suppressed cries echoed in the small bathroom, filled with helplessness and despair.

Meanwhile, Unity smirked with satisfaction, dialing a number, her tone light and triumphant, "Did you delete the hotel surveillance footage from last night?"

The person on the other end replied obsequiously, "Don't worry, Ms. Lewis, it's all taken care of, no trace left."

"Good." Unity hung up, smiling smugly, putting her phone back in her bag. Then ,she tidied her disheveled hair in the mirror, making sure she looked somewhat like Teresa before leaving the presidential suite contentedly.

She wanted everyone, including Gabriel, to firmly believe that she was the one who had spent the night with him.

Early in the morning, Liam, who had been anxiously waiting all night, finally received Diana's call, learning that Teresa had been missing all night, had just returned to the hotel, and was in a very bad state.

He was frantic with worry, rushing to the hotel, and hurriedly making his way to Teresa's room.

The room was dimly lit, filled with damp air.

He immediately saw Teresa lying weakly on the bed, her face pale, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, looking exhausted and fragile.

"Teresa!" Liam's heart clenched painfully, quickly moving to the bedside. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Teresa slowly opened her eyes, her confused gaze flickering with panic and avoidance when she saw Liam's familiar face.

She weakly called his name, her voice barely audible, "Why are you here?"

"Diana said you didn't come back all night. What happened?" Liam tightly held her cold hand, anxiously asking. His worry grew as he felt her icy palm.

Teresa opened her mouth, unsure how to explain to Liam.

What happened last night was too unbearable, too humiliating, she couldn't bring herself to say it, and couldn't imagine how Liam would react if he knew the truth.

"Are you running a fever? You're burning up." Liam touched her forehead, finding it alarmingly hot.

"I need to take you to the hospital, let the doctor check you out." He didn't give her a chance to refuse, bending down to pick up the weak Teresa, rushing out.

At the hospital registration desk, the noise was overwhelming, the air filled with the smell of disinfectant, intensifying Teresa's dizziness.

Waiting in line, seeing the doctor, getting medication... Teresa numbly followed Liam, letting him handle everything.

Leaving the pharmacy, they walked silently towards the hospital entrance.

A familiar figure suddenly appeared in Teresa's sight.

Gabriel also saw them, his deep gaze locking onto her, striding towards them.

"Liam." He greeted Liam. Liam gave a polite smile. "I heard you just got back to the States. We were planning to throw you a welcome party!"

Liam then turned to Teresa, introducing them, "This is Gabriel Garcia, heir to Capital Construction and CEO of Nebula Group. Gabriel, this is my girlfriend, Teresa Bennett, daughter of the Bennett family."