"Join her? You better not stain Sophia’s path to heaven," Violette said weakly.
She supported herself to stand up. "Damien, you will regret this. When you see the true colors of the woman in your arms..."
I stood behind Violette. In a hoarse voice, I added, "Damien, there’s a heavy price for betraying trust."
Damien shifted his gaze away. "You’ll see the truth at my wedding," he declared.
He was still holding onto a sliver of denial about my fate.
As they exited the police station, Damien’s hand slipped from Juliet’s grasp. He seed sowhat desolate.
"Damien?" Juliet steadied him after noticing his troubled state. She managed to prevent him from stumbling.
"It’s nothing," Damien claid as he waved his hands.
"Damien, could sothing have happened to Sophia?" Juliet’s question was tentative.
"No!" Damien’s voice was sharp. It cut through the air. "She’s not dead."
Juliet recoiled at his intensity. Her face turned pale.
Damien, realizing his outburst, softened his tone. "I’m sorry, Juliet. Please go back first. I have matters to attend to."
"Damien, do you still think about her?" Juliet asked as her eyes brimd with tears.
"Make yourself clear, Damien," Juliet pleaded as she followed him.
"You always said Sophia was like a sister. What are you afraid of? Her death would an she could no longer be entangled with us."
Damien stopped suddenly. He turned and frowned at Juliet. "She’s not dead! She will show up at our wedding."
"And if she doesn’t?" Juliet’s voice was filled with doubt.
"She will. She must..." Damien muttered repeatedly.
I observed Damien coldly. Perhaps he was starting to believe I was truly gone. What kind of madness would lead soone to believe I would harm myself in such a way?
He knew that even a bug would scare the hell out of .
Damien sent Juliet away with the driver and walked alone into the night. I followed, watching him with a mix of sadness and irony.
"I’m dead. Aren’t you relieved?" I whispered hoarsely, though I knew Damien couldn’t hear .
Yet, he stopped and turned suddenly as if he sensed sothing. Then, looking defeated, he turned back and massaged his forehead wearily.
Damien took out his phone and opened our chat. He had my WhatsApp chat pinned at the top, which I found bitterly amusing.
"Sophia, you’ve won," Damien typed.
I could hear his voice breaking. "Co back, and I’ll call off the engagent with Juliet."
He leaned against a wall, looking blighted. The revelation of the ten nails today had clearly shaken him.
I watched Damien sarcastically as I stood right in front of him. "You pushed into the abyss when I loved you. Damien, you’re the one who killed ."
Damien continued to send ssages, but I could no longer respond.
Damien, I am gone. No one can save now. The despair I feel is nothing compared to what I felt while alive.
I still rember the day Damien found out about my feelings for him. His eyes were filled with disgust.
"You’ve always been like a sister to . We, the Coleman family, took care of you, and this is how you repay us?"
He tore up my letter and scolded . "Focus on your studies. No dating until you’re in college."
Back then, the despair in Damien’s eyes truly crushed . Little did he know I had let go of my letter when he tore it up.
But it was always him, clinging to the past, unable to move on. He humiliated whenever I got close to any man.
If a man showed interest in , he would slander . I spent a long ti doubting myself, wondering if I was really as terrible as he made out to be.
"Sophia, where the hell are you!" Damien shouted into the night with his frustration boiling over. "You’ve won, okay? You’ve succeeded. You’ve scared . Please, co back..."
Damien collapsed to the ground and repeatedly sent ssages to beg for my return. Watching his pitiful state, I couldn’t help but find it slightly amusing.
Is this what fear looks like?
Now, I was almost looking forward to the day Damien found my body. I was curious to see his reaction when he realized Juliet was responsible for my death.
I wondered how he would feel when he learned the whole truth, that I had never pushed Juliet down the stairs, that I had never hurt anyone. Instead, it was them who tornted behind my back.
But Damien did not return ho. Instead, he headed to Serenity Lane and Sunset Alley.
I had no clue what he was up to. I just trailed behind him blindly.
I was eager to witness his reaction once he discovered the truth.
Was it going to be regret or relief? Or would he cover up for Juliet?
"Damien Coleman, have you ever had the slightest affection for ? What were you thinking when you bullied ?
"How could you be so disgusting and shaless just to get what you want?" I stood behind him and repeatedly asked.
I knew he couldn’t hear. But I still sought a result and an answer.
"Damien, there is no sign of Sophia’s whereabouts. As we told the police, we did ask Sophia to be here on the 13th and 14th".
"But the police also ntioned that she headed to Sunset Alley on the 15th. I checked the surveillance, and it showed that Sophia ca alone."
Damien’s buddies had arrived with the investigation results.
I sneered at the pair, wondering if they were genuinely oblivious or just acting.
It was evident I heard them laughing and joking around through the earpiece on the day of my accident. They even said on the other end that even a pervert wouldn’t be attracted to a woman like .
"Why did she co alone on the 15th?" Damien’s face didn’t look good as he glanced around.
"Did the surveillance capture her leaving?"
"The police identified a janitor. Only a janitor was seen leaving with a large trash bag during the ti Sophia went missing. There were no traces of Sophia..." The guy’s confidence faded as he spoke.
Then he asked in a low voice, "Damien, Sophia can’t be dead right?"
Damien’s face paled. Perhaps the panic had started to set in. "Stop talking nonsense, she can’t be dead."
He took a step back and leaned against the wall.
I just stood there and looked at Damien. A sense of desolation engulfed .
"Damien, didn’t I warn you that won like Sophia would stop at nothing to achieve their goals? She pushed Juliet down the stairs and even tried to poison her. It’s better for her to be dead."
None of Damien’s buddies liked . I knew they preferred Juliet all along.
These people had never respected . They’ve always made fun of , bullied , and humiliated . I knew very well that Juliet had the ability to sway their opinions.
However, Damien’s deliberate encouragent was the root cause of their mistreatnt. It was only natural for them to hate because Damien hated .
Damien frowned and looked at the other person. His eyes were hazy, sowhat intimidating.
I rembered that guy’s na was Jack. He had tried to assault in the Coleman Residence’s backyard but failed. He ran away after I smashed his head.
Afterward, Jack threatened to not tell anyone about what happened that day. He said that even if I did, no one would believe .
He had spread rumors around Damien and his friends to discredit . He tarnished my reputation just to prevent from revealing the truth.
If I were ruined, he could easily dismiss the assault as just another lie from . No one would believe even if I had told the truth.
And indeed, that was what happened.
Jack was a distant cousin of Damien. He was there when I first entered the Coleman Residence at the age of eighteen. At that ti, his mother even complained to Damien’s mother.
"Lisa, if you’re truly lacking a child, Jack isn’t a bad option. If you prefer girls, I have a daughter. Why bother taking care of soone else’s child when you can care for your own blood?"
At that ti, I cowered behind Damien. My parents had just passed, and I was scared. There was no one I could trust around .
"Don’t be scared. Ignore these people, they’re all sick in the head." Damien held my wrist and brought to a bedroom on the second floor.
"From now on, this is your ho."
I watched Damien in silence. From that mont, my dependence and reliance on him reached its zenith.
However, everything shattered after he discovered the love letter that I had written.
After all these years, I still never understood why Damien reacted so intensely and felt repulsed.
I had been naive and in love. Why did he harbor such disdain for throughout the years?
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