Fight back

Eveline stared at Tiffany in shock as she was held in Gabriel's arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked out of concern before helping her stand on her feet.

"What is wrong with you, Eve?" He snapped, infuriated with the scene he had just witnessed.

Tiffany, still in disbelief, darted her eyes to Eveline, who shot her a glare, and an idea sparked in her mind.

"Eve, I know you hate me, but please don't break our friendship. I assure you that I never intended to become friends with you with a motive. I can never think of stealing the boy my best friend likes, so Gabriel is all yours," Tiffany begged, taking advantage of the circumstances.

She smirked as she looked at the students who were watching the drama unfold in front of them.

'Eveline, you dare to push me. Tell me how you're going to defend yourself.'

Eveline noticed the glint of evilness in Tiffany's eyes and scoffed disbelievingly.

"You expect me to believe your falsehoods, Tiffany? I promise you, this trick is outdated. So drop this act and get lost." Eveline was done with this bullshit; ignore her ranting and sprint from there.

Surprised by Eveline's behavior, Gabriel chased after her and ignored the student watching the scene with interest while Tiffany continued to sob, acting as though Eveline had treated her unfairly.

"Tiffany" Gracey, who was also there, hurried over to comfort her.

Previously, she had doubts about Tiffany's statements, but after witnessing Eveline's cruel treatment of her in front of everyone, she realized that everything Tiffany had said was true.

"I never thought Eveline would be so cruel to her only friend. Using her the entire time and, when fed up, tossing her aside," Gracey said, feeling bad for Tiffany.

Tiffany smirked inwardly, finally earning the sympathy of the students who happened to see Eveline's true face.

***

"Eve, stop, where are you going?" Gabriel sprinted over to her and took hold of her hand to prevent her from going.

Eveline started to pull his hand away, but he pulled her hard, bringing their chests together.

Eveline was momentarily distracted by the proximity, but she wriggled when she saw Tiffany's reflection in Gabriel's eyes.

"Just go away, Gabriel. I do not want to talk to you right now," Eveline yelled, trying her best to break free from his hold.

"No, first explain to me why you shoved Tiffany. She would have fallen down the steps." Gabriel said, remembering how Tiffany might have fallen if he had arrived at the proper time.

Eveline paused, giving Gabriel a disgruntled look. The corner of her lips curled into a sinister smile, leaving Gabriel stunned by her behavior.

"Your girl is safe, do not worry, nothing happened to her," Eveline said, yanking his hand away and taking a step back.

"I am aware that you will always point the finger at me. So be it, because I am never going to run after you for explaining anything." She said, giving him a final glance before turning and walking away to her car.

Stefan arrived and saw Gabriel remain motionless, while Eveline had already gotten into her car and departed.

"Gabby, what happened? Why did Eve react this way?" he asked, perplexed by everything that occurred before their eyes. Even though Stefan could understand where this response was coming from, he sighed—this was not the Eveline they knew.

As much as Stefan was shocked, Gabriel too didn't expect Eveline to react this way. The words she said pricked his heart. 

Gabriel wanted to follow her, but his legs remained immobile as he remained rooted to the dusty ground until her car vanished from view.

Eveline, meanwhile, tried to calm her nerves while sitting in the backseat of the car. It was difficult for her to breathe because whatever had happened not too long ago kept replaying itself in her head.

Eveline had always been a composed girl, but after everything she went through, it made it hard for her to even stand the sight of those people who hurt her deeply.

"Uncle Tom, please take me to the cemetery," Eveline said as she was unable to soothe her mind and heart.

The vehicle soon came to a stop in front of the Eternal Promise Cemetery, with Eveline hopping out of the car and walking inside.

Eveline used to go to her mother's gravestone and confide in her whenever she was feeling down. Today was yet another day when she found herself visiting her mother, as she wanted to share her biggest trauma with her.

Eveline was four when she lost Jennifer to cancer and she barely remembered how she looked when she was healthy. Jonathan, though, pointed out that she was a perfect duplicate of her mother, which made her happy to have an image of her in her mind.

Standing next to Jennifer's gravestone, Eveline stared at her without saying a word. Still, her eyes continued to well up with tears.

Eveline heart was heavy recalling her past and her hand instinctively rested on her stomach.

"I know you are wondering why I have not said anything yet. That is because I am unsure of where to begin. You will think I am a fool, a crazy person who would tell you that I came from the future. But believe me—it is true. Mom, the person standing here is just a body; your daughter passed away." At last, Eveline opened her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks.

"And the most hilarious thing is, the people I trust the most killed me." She chuckled, removing the stains from her face, and knelt before the stone gradually.

Back then Eveline had only relied on her mother in sharing her deepest pain. Though Jonathan was always there for her, she couldn't let him know the pain she was going through while trying to gain her husband's trust.

With Stefan's genuine assistance, Eveline endeavored to demonstrate her innocence, fulfilling his brotherly duties. He broke his friendship with Gabriel because he realized how badly he had been treating Eveline.

"I know you would never want to know what I have been through in my past life, but the pain is too heavy to forget. It has left a scar on me because that unrequited love cost the life of my child. Despite his innocence, his father's crusade claimed his life," she said, feeling the urge to rage crawling in her body.

Eveline would always remember the coldness of Gabriel's eyes, which left a lasting impression on her. Even at the time of her death, he continued to remain indifferent and that was enough to break the last straw of hope in her.

"But if those people try to continue their evil plan on me, then this time I won't endure it. I am going to fight back and make them feel the same agony that I did. They will undoubtedly go to hell on Earth for what they did to me."