Chapter 123
Vespera’s expression twisted with disgust. “You really are insufferably tacky.”
Tina looked at Vespera’s face, swollen and smeared with blood, yet still strikingly beautiful and defiant. Rage boiled inside her. She lashed out, her fists striking Vespera’s face again and again.
From outside, a man’s cold voice cut through the air. “She’s stalling. If you’re gonna do it, do it now.”
Tina froze, then quickly snapped back to her senses. She straightened and narrowed her eyes. She said coldly, “You’re just trying to buy time, aren’t you? Waiting for someone to come save you? Don’t bother. No one’s coming for you tonight. Even he knows you’re here. By the time they find you, you’ll already be dead—a suicide. Your suicide note is already written. Time will send you to hell.”
The lighter curled in delight as she took a step back, licking the lighter open again. She watched with satisfaction as despair and tears twisted Vespera’s face, then tossed the lighter into the air.
The moment the flame ignited, Vespera’s survival instinct overpowered the drugs in her system. She tried to move, to escape. But all she managed was rolling off the couch and collapsing onto the floor.
As the burning flame plummeted toward the ground, Vespera squeezed her eyes shut in utter despair. Tina stood there, anticipation lighting up her face, waiting for the fire to consume Vespera completely. And then—at the very last second…
Just two inches from the ground, the falling lighter was caught by a hand. The expected explosion of flames never came.
Instead of the sound of the lighter hitting the floor, a voice rang out: “Who the hell are you?”
Realizing someone had intervened, Vespera saw two dark figures. The pain she was experiencing, coupled with the smell of gasoline igniting, and a dark figure who had appeared out of nowhere, meant her plan was falling apart. Tina didn’t hesitate. She lunged straight for Vespera, snatching a knife from the table beside the couch.
A sharp object flew through the air, followed by the heavy thud of something crashing onto the floor. Something happened. A tall, shadowy figure had collapsed partially on top of her, his weight pressing her down. The scent of him lingered.
“…Mr. Reid?”
He swallowed his pain. “Let go.”
She realized her fingers were gripping his shirt. Through the fabric, her palm rested against the hard muscles of his abdomen.
Along with a legally ready swollen face, a masked Vespera’s embarrassment was palpable. He pushed himself up, his movements slow from the pain. He untied her hands, then pressed a hand against his bleeding side. Gritting his teeth, he overpowered Tina and led Vespera up.
Moments later, Luke arrived. So did the police and Rebecca. Gasoline saturated the floor, inside and out. Vespera lay on the couch, battered and bruised. Blood seeped from Dominic’s stab wound. And Tina thrashed like a madwoman, screaming incoherently. The scene stunned everyone to silence.
Vespera recounted everything that had happened. Dominic handed the lighter over to the police, explaining what he had witnessed when he arrived. Unfortunately, in his desperation, he had caught the lighter with his bare hands. His fingerprints were on it now, making it useless as evidence. However, the knife on the floor would do.
Once Calvert captured the masked man, there was nothing left for Tina to argue. “You tried to burn Vera alive? You’re completely insane!” Rebecca spat furiously.
“Like, it’s not what you think! I’m the real victim here! I was set up!” Tina’s tears fell effortlessly, her voice trembling with practiced innocence.
Luke stood frozen, staring at the scene before him. His gaze fell on Vespera, covered in bruises and blood. A sharp, unbearable pain tore through his chest. He felt like he was being suffocated. The world around him faded into silence, swallowed by the storm in his mind. The brutal consequences of his betrayal were now laid bare before him. Her words echoed back at him. “You didn’t kill me, but because of you, I was almost murdered. Tell me, how is that any different from you being the one…”