Jessica continued, "And tell Theodore Dawson to quit his little games. I'm not falling for them anymore."

Hearing that, my heart went completely cold. So Jessica had been reborn too. But why would she think I made all this up?

In our previous life, she saw with her own eyes how those intruders tortured me and Mom. Why was she so indifferent this time around?

Was it because of Wilson Carter? Or just because of that careless remark of "Theodore did this on purpose"?

Heavy footsteps approached the door, each one louder than the last.

The door shook violently again. The wardrobe screeched as it was dragged across the floor.

We could only watch as our last line of defense slowly gave way until a loud crack rang through the air. A chunk of wood split off from the corner, leaving a jagged gap that exposed the intruder to us.

A rough voice chuckled from outside. "I knew you two were in here."

I stepped in front of Mom, backing toward the bed.

I stared at the widening crack. The helplessness of being completely unarmed sent sweat dripping down my temples.

Then the door was wrenched open with brutal force. The sound of wood dragging against the floor screeched in my ears.

A pair of filthy boots stepped inside.

"Did you really think locking the door would stop me? I'm not the type who enjoys slow games." The man smirked, brutal gaze sweeping over us.

I froze. I stared at the glinting knife in his hand, its cold gleam reflecting off his grimy fingers.

His gaze landed on Mom—vile and greedy, like a snake flicking its tongue.

"Not bad. I didn't expect your mother to be so pretty."

Mom shrieked, voice sharp and full of fear. "Don't you dare touch me!"

I clenched my teeth, forcing down the despair rising in my chest.

I turned to her and whispered urgently, "Mom, don't get involved no matter what happens next. Back away. There's a trampoline below the window. The impact should be manageable if you jump. Once you're down, run straight to the Johnson residence and look for Amelia. Tell her to bring help."

The man with the knife was closing in. We were out of time.

In my previous life, I'd suffered through this once already. No matter what, I had to save Mom this time.

"Theodore, I can't leave you here alone!"

I gripped her wrist tightly.

"Listen to me. Just jump and run to the Johnson residence. As long as you're alive, we still have a chance."

At that moment, the man shoved the shaking wardrobe aside and stepped into the room.

"Mom, quickly jump!" I whispered urgently.

But instead of running, she charged straight at him. She wrapped her arms around him, dragging him back with everything she had.

"Theodore! Go! Run! I won't let them get to you!" Her voice cracked with sobs and resolve.

"Mom!" I screamed, horrified.

And right before my eyes, the man raised his hand and drove the knife straight into her back without hesitation.

A burst of red exploded in my mind, ripping through the shock and shattering what little calm I had left.

Mom gasped in pain, but she didn't let go. She tightly clung to the man's waist and shouted at me, "Jump! Theodore, jump! Don't you dare hesitate!"

I felt my blood freeze in my veins, but the will to survive kicked in like instinct. We had no chance if I faced him head-on. I ran to the window and leaped without hesitation.

As I landed, the trampoline beneath me bounced hard. The shock sent a stabbing pain from my ankle straight up to my calf.

However, there was no time to waste. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself up and ran toward the Johnson residence next door with everything I had.

I didn't care that the icy snow tore at the raw flesh on my frostbitten feet. All I could do was run.

Even though it was called next door, it was still a full mile away.

The freezing air cut at my throat like blades. I didn't dare slow down as I remembered that more than one man had broken into our house in my previous life.

When I collapsed in front of the Johnson residence's iron gate, I pounded on it with all my might and shouted hoarsely, "Amelia! Open up! Please, help! There are intruders in my house. Please save my mom!"

The iron gate creaked open. Amelia Johnson stood in the doorway, her brows furrowed. She was wrapped in a thick cashmere coat, but her face held no warmth.

Looking down at me kneeling in the snow, she slowly said, "Theodore, your acting has really improved lately."

Her voice was laced with mockery, with a hint of amusement.

Blood pounded in my chest, and my head was spinning.

"Amelia! I'm not making this up, and I'm not joking! My mom's life is at stake! Please, just send someone to come with me and save her."

She scanned the injuries all over me, clicking her tongue like she was impressed.

"If Jessica hadn't warned me, I might've actually believed you. She said you would pull some fake home invasion stunt because you were jealous of Wilson."

I rushed to explain, "Don't listen to Jessica! I'm telling the truth! I've already called the police, but they're not here yet. Please, my mom's been stabbed. She won't last much longer!"

In my previous life, those three intruders took out their anger on my mom and me. We fought them with everything we had, but they still left us battered and broken.

I was badly injured, and my mom was tortured to death. Now that I'd been given a second chance, I wasn't going to let her die because of me.

I pulled out my phone to show her the police call log. She still didn't believe a word of it.

Instead, her voice turned even more sarcastic. "You really went all in this time and even called the cops. Staging a robbery to get sympathy? I almost bought it. I do admire your dedication."

"Amelia, are you insane? I'm telling the truth!" I yelled, my voice cracking as tears blurred my vision.

However, my scream couldn't break through her disbelief. When she turned to leave, I grabbed her wrist.

"Please! My mom really needs help! If you don't go now, she might die. She will die!"

She looked down at me, her gaze still cold.

"Theodore, Jessica told me not to bother with you and let you throw your little tantrum all you want."

Her indifference cut straight through me.

Amelia was my childhood friend before Wilson came into the picture. She had always been gentle with me. After we got engaged, she became even more caring.

But ever since Wilson showed up, everything changed. Amelia grew colder and more distant. Even Jessica, my own sister, started pulling away from me too.

The two of them did everything they could to impress Wilson—even stupid, reckless things. Jessica once destroyed a rival company just because its name matched Wilson's dog's. That stupid move brought disaster right to our doorstep.

I dropped to my knees in the snow and kept pleading.

"Amelia, please! Just send someone to check on my house. I'm begging you! If you want to call off the engagement, I won't stop you! Just help me save my mom!”

Despair swallowed me whole. I prayed over and over again that Amelia might have a shred of conscience left. I was praying hard that she would save Mom for the sake of our past.

The butler beside Amelia had watched me grow up.

He felt a hint of sympathy and said, "Ms. Johnson, please, at least bring someone to take a look. Mr. Theodore wouldn't lie about something like this."

Amelia hesitated for a moment.

I seized the moment and kept begging her. My voice cracked as I said, "Please, please. I'm begging you. Save my mom!"

Amelia finally spoke, her tone still indifferent.

"I'll take a few men and check it out. But Theodore, if this turns out to be some stunt you orchestrated, I'll make you pay for it."

I looked up sharply, a glimmer of hope lighting in my eyes. It didn't matter what she thought, as long as she was willing to go.

She turned to call over a few bodyguards. But just then, her phone rang.

It was Jessica. Amelia gave me a quick glance and put the call on speaker.

Jessica's lazy, indifferent voice came through.

"Theodore didn't come to you, did he? Don't listen to a word he says. Someone just called me using Mom's phone, threatening to kill her. Honestly, it's hilarious."

A chill ran down my spine. It felt like my blood had frozen solid.

I never imagined the same sister who once promised to protect me for life could be so heartless. She was ignoring Mom's life and turning a blind eye to my desperation, all for a man.

Anger and fear surged in my chest.

I screamed into the phone, "Jessica, are you insane? Do you really need us to die before you'll believe me? You saw what happened to us last time!"

She let out a cold laugh. "That was just your ploy to seize power. I already checked with Iris. Nothing's wrong at home. You're ruthless and heartless. I won't fall for it again. If anything happens to Mom, it's your own doing!"

My heart sank.

Our housekeeper, Iris Sutton, had taken leave a week ago to return to her hometown. There was no way she could know what was going on at home.

Before I could retort, the sharp tone of the disconnected call rang out from the phone.

Amelia's expression completely darkened. She stared at me with disgust.

"So you were indeed lying! Someone, break his legs! Let him remember the price of lying to me!"

The bodyguards shifted closer, reaching out as if to seize me.

I gritted my teeth through the pain in my leg and shouted, "Don't you dare! When my dad gets back, none of you will get away with this!"

The bodyguards exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating.

Amelia let out a cold laugh, then casually picked up a baseball bat and walked over to me.

Towering above me, she looked down with amusement and scorn in her eyes.

"They might not dare, but I do."

I stared up at her in despair. The tenderness she once showed me now seemed like nothing but a cruel illusion.

I couldn't believe she'd really do this to me. I tried to back away in fear, but she kicked me hard to the floor.

A wave of pain hit my stomach. Before I could recover, she brought the bat down on my already injured left leg.

A guttural scream tore from my throat as my body convulsed violently. The agony nearly knocked me out.

She just stood there, cold and unmoved. "This is what you get for lying to me."

Just then, my phone rang.

She bent down and picked it up, lips curling into a mocking smile.

"Let's see who it is this time."

"Hello, is this Mr. Dawson who made the report? We've arrived at your residence. The suspect fled during the struggle. Your mother's condition is critical, and she needs immediate medical attention."