Steve pushed me away with force. I was already weak and couldn’t keep my balance, so I fell backward uncontrollably.

"Claire!" Steve shouted running back to help me.

But then…

"Brother, it hurts," Amy whined, her voice full of sobs.

Her words seemed to pull him in. Steve hesitated for a second. I could see the conflict in his eyes. By the time I hit the ground, my head smacked against the wall, a sharp pain shot through me and blood dripped down my forehead.

"Brother, Claire’s just really upset. You guys don’t have to fight because of me," Amy said in a soft, sweet tone, looking pitiful.

Steve hesitated, and his heart was clearly torn. After a brief pause, he finally stepped toward Amy and held her close.

"She did this on purpose. We can’t let it slide. Call the cops, Josh," Steve ordered his assistant, then walked out, leaving everything in Josh's hands.

Josh froze, unsure of what to do.

I knew Josh was hesitant. He was well aware that Steve had deep feelings for Amy, who’d been by his side since they were kids. But Steve also cared for me, he’d done so much for me over the years. He had given me so many good things, so much happiness, that in my previous life I couldn’t bring myself to let go of him.

But now, that was over.

Is a man really worth more than your own life and safety?

I smirked. "Call the cops."

Josh’s hands shook. "Miss Claire, Steve’s just angry right now. Maybe we should wait until he cools down..."

"Call the cops!" I cut him off, my voice firm.

Josh met my cold gaze. Eventually, he had no choice but to call the police.

A nurse came in and bandaged my head wound, and before long, the police arrived.

I didn’t say a word as I got into the police car, riding silently to the station with Josh.

In the stark, dimly lit interrogation room, the air was thick with tension. I sat across from the officer. Breaking the silence, I spoke up first.

"I want to report Amy for premeditated murder."

The officers looked confused. They thought they were dealing with a simple fight between two women, but now it was turning into something much darker.

I took a deep breath, I was determined to stay composed even though I felt nervous inside. The room was quiet, except for the faint buzzing of the fluorescent lights. I spoke calmly and clearly. "Amy knew I’m severely allergic to mangoes. Shelooked into my medical history, there’s evidence in her email. Today, she deliberately put mango in the dish."

"This is premeditated murder." I said it with absolute certainty.

Josh finally realized something wasn’t right and slowly stood up, his movement careful.

"Don’t even think about warning anyone, Josh," I said, my voice cold and unforgiving.

Josh froze, unable to make a move. There was no way I was going to let him ruin everything by tipping off Steve.

"Ms. Claire, can you give us Amy’s email address?" the officer asked.

"Josh, write it down," I said, handing him a pen and paper, my voice steady despite the growing tension in the room.

Reluctantly, Josh scribbled down Amy’s email.

The police station’s cyber team got to work quickly, and gathering the evidence didn’t take long. In Amy’s inbox, they found an email about me, dated a week ago. It had been read, and the browsing history showed she’d spent two hours reviewing it.

After the interrogation, I, as the victim, was free to go.

Josh offered to drive me home, but I declined, I wanted some time alone to think things through.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, forcing a smile. ‘I need to clear my head.”

‘Alright Miss Claire” he said as I got into my car.

I started to drive, my mind was racing, and the weight of my day began to sink in. Somewhere along the way, I lost track of my thoughts and ended up at the back door of my parents’ house instead of my apartment.

Nobody really uses this door. I hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts.

My head throbbed from the wound, and my face was swollen from the allergic reaction. I couldn’t just walk in and make my parents and brother worry. But standing there, staring at the familiar house, I wanted so badly to see them. I needed to know they were okay.

Tears streamed down my face as the guilt overwhelmed me. If I hadn’t insisted on being with Steve, none of them would’ve been in danger. I thought I was strong enough to fight for my love, but all I did was hurt the people I cared about most.

I don’t know how long I stood there crying before my phone rang.

“Claire, are you out of your mind? Go to the police station and drop this case now!” Steve’s voice came through, sounding both panicked and commanding.

I let out a dry laugh.

“Are you crying?” Steve paused. “Claire, this is all a misunderstanding. Amy grew up with me. She’s sweet and innocent. There’s no way she’d ever try to hurt you on purpose. She’s being framed.”

“If you keep pushing this, it’s going to spiral out of control, and her reputation will be ruined,” he added, the concern in his voice making it clear that his priority was Amy.

I knew Steve was trying to use his influence to make everything go away, but for that to happen, I had to let it go. If I didn’t, even if Amy wasn’t formally charged, the scandal would stain her reputation. And if people found out she poisoned her future sister-in-law, her chances of marrying into another wealthy family would be ruined.

“Steve,” I cut him off, “you’re so hypocritical. You’re the one who called the cops. You were scared this would affect your reputation if Amy was involved. But what about me? My own fiancé sent me to the police station. Does that look good for my reputation?”

Steve went silent. I’d never spoken to him like this before. His voice rose again, this time laced with anger. “Claire, I admit I didn’t handle this well. I’m sorry, but…”

“For your sister, you’ll bend over backward. I have solid proof, Steve. If you want to save her, you better show me you’re serious,” I interrupted again. I didn’t need to hear more excuses.

“Claire, I get that you’re upset. Whatever you want, I’ll get it for you,” he said, his tone softening like I was some naive girl throwing a tantrum.

He was surprised that there was something incriminating about me in Amy’s email, but even now, he didn’t believe she would deliberately try to kill me. In his eyes, Amy was still that perfect, innocent girl, and if she did something wrong, it had to be someone else’s fault.

“First, we break up. Second, I want the south city project,” I stated calmly.

The project in the south of the city wasn’t huge, and my family could handle it. In the past, because of that project, Steve had made connections with an international group that helped his family business soar. It gave him the leverage to crush me when our relationship eventually fell apart.

Now, with the advantage of my memories from my previous life, I was going to take that opportunity away from him. He owed me that much.

“Claire, what the hell are you talking about? If you want the project, I’ll give it to you, but we’re not breaking up,” Steve said, his voice dropping.

“Steve, you can’t have it all. You want to keep playing happy families with your stepsister and drag me along too? It’s not going to work. We’re done. Call me when you’ve made your decision. You have one night to think it over.”

“If I don’t hear what I want by tomorrow morning, I can’t guarantee what happens next.”

I hung up the phone before he could respond.

Steve tried calling several more times, but I ignored every single one of them, refusing to answer. After sitting in the car for a while, I finally started the engine and drove back to my apartment in the city center.

Just as I reached for the fingerprint lock, the door across the hall opened...

I instinctively looked over my shoulder. Across the hall, a man stood tall and confident in his suit. His appearance was striking, and when our eyes met, he paused, a bit taken aback, before flashing a slight smile. He gave me a small nod, a polite gesture.

I barely acknowledged him, he was just a neighbor. Ignore.

The next morning, I woke up to the sun shining through the window, its brightness making me squint my eyes. It was already seven. I stayed in bed for a few moments, grumpy as heck. I finally slid out of bed. I had a very quick shower, put on pretty some track pants and tee to go for a walk. And then grab breakfast.

Today was going to be difficult, and I needed all the energy I could muster.

I stepped outside, but as soon as I reached the building’s entrance, I froze. Steve was already there, leaning against his car, waiting for me. His face was tense, and he walked over when he saw me, his hand reaching out for mine.

I yanked my wrist away before he could touch me.

"Claire, we need to talk," he said, his voice strained.

"We’ve already talked," I shot back, my tone cold. "We’re done, Steve. There’s nothing left to discuss. Have you agreed to my terms, or not?"

Steve looked like he hadn’t slept all night. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was frowning, his frustration clearly visible. "Claire, I never agreed to break up."

I folded my arms, unimpressed. "Then you’re delusional. We’re over, Steve. You made your choice when you ran to Amy."

He sighed heavily, as if he were dealing with a child throwing a tantrum. "Claire, Amy almost got disfigured. I stayed up all night with her in the hospital. This morning, she told me she hasn't used that email in ages, there's no way she sent those messages. You have to believe me."

I stared at him, my disbelief quickly turning into bitter amusement. "Did you even bother checking the login details? You didn’t, did you?"

He blinked, taken aback by my sudden change in tone. "I… I didn’t think I needed to. Amy wouldn’t… "

"Of course, you didn’t," I interrupted, my voice filled with sarcasm. "Because when it comes to Amy, you believe whatever she says without question. You haven’t changed at all, Steve."

His expression wavered. "Claire, it’s not like that. You don’t understand..."

"No," I cut him off again, my eyes narrowing. "You don’t understand. I don’t care what Amy told you, and I don’t even care if you want to believe her. But I want what’s mine. You give me the project, and we part ways for good, or we drag this out, and trust me, you won’t like where that leads."

Steve’s shoulders drooped in defeat, but he still tried to reach out for me again, as if somehow his touch could convince me to stay.

"Claire, do we really have to make this such a big deal? I mean, can't we just move past this?"

I took a step back, glaring at him. "Steve, you literally had me arrested. You chose her over me. Now, you have to live with that choice."

He opened his mouth to protest, but I raised a hand, cutting him off for the third time. My patience was running out.

“I’ve already told you. Give me the project, and we break up. That’s it. We’ll both move on. You and Amy can live your little happy life, and I’ll be out of it.”

Steve’s face twisted in frustration. “I’ll give you the project, Claire, but I won’t break up with you. I still care about you. I still want to..."

I let out a sharp laugh, cutting him off once again. "You want me to stick around, while Amy’s still in the picture? Do you honestly think I’m that gullible?"

He winced. "Claire, I swear. I am aware I made a mistake, but I can fix it. Let’s work this out."

I stared at him for a long moment, then smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. It was the smile of someone who’d already made up their mind.

“Okay, if you really choose me, then that means Amy’s out of the picture. Completely. No contact, no interference. Can you honestly do that?”

He hesitated, and in that hesitation, I saw the answer. He couldn’t do it. He’d never put me before Amy.

“You can’t, can you?” I whispered, the realization settling in. “Even now, you’re still choosing her over me.”

Steve’s lips pressed together tightly, but he said nothing.

“You know what? Let me save you the trouble, Steve. We’re done.” My voice was firm, unwavering. “Dragging this out is only going to make things worse for both of us. Let’s let each other go.”

His phone rang, momentarily easing the tension. He glanced at the screen, and I saw his mom’s name pop up.

Steve answered with a sigh. “Mom?”

I could hear his mother’s voice, frantic and emotional on the other end. “Steve, Amy’s fainted again! You need to come home now. That Claire girl is making a scene over nothing. You’ve got to fix this.”

Steve’s face hardened. "I'll be right there."

He hung up, his expression conflicted. He looked at me, his eyes pleading, but I had no sympathy left to give him.

“Claire,” he said quietly, “I’ll give you the project. But I won’t stop fighting for us. I’ll win you back.”

I rolled my eyes. “Good luck with that. Who’s overseeing the project?”

“I’ll have Josh handle it,” Steve said, his voice tight.

“Great. Thanks.”

Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked away, heading for the cafe down the street. I didn’t bother looking back. I didn’t need to.

By nine, Josh came by to finalize the project handover. We reviewed all the paperwork meticulously “Once this is signed, the project management officially transfers to your family’s firm,” Josh confirmed.

I took a deep breath, I can’t believe this is finally happening. I left with everything I needed. As I walked to my car, my heart raced with the thrill of being officially in charge.

I returned to the office, I called the police. “Hello Officer, I’d like to drop the charges for the allergy incident.”

‘Are you sure about that?’ the officer asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, I thought it through, it’s probably an accident, and I don’t want to pursue this any further.” I hung up, a sense of relief washing over me.

After that, I texted Steve, I’ve dropped the charges against Amy, you can relax now. I hit send. A knot formed in my stomach. I needed to let him know I was moving on.

After that, I blocked his number, along with Amy’s and everyone connected to Steve. It was time to cut them all out of my life for good!