Chapter 7°
Zachary’s grip on my body tightened, his hands shaking as two tears fell onto the back of my hand, each drop searing my skin like fire.&
His fist clenched and his crimson eyes locked onto the stunned Gabriel and Ellie.}
Each of his words came out slowly, laced with a chilling finality. “Since you can’t hear, then there’s no reason to keep you around.“}
With a sharp clink, Zachary threw a folding knife from his chest, the cold gleam reflecting in Gabriel’s eyes and exposing his panic with nowhere to hide.}
Ellie, terrified, wet herself, the liquid trickling down the red fabric of her dress.
Realizing Zachary was dead serious, Gabriel’s face drained of color and he frantically tried to defend himself. “Uncle, it’s all a misunderstanding.”
“You don’t know, this Nora… she’s murdered someone before and even served time in prison. You can’t let her fool you with her fake innocence. Letting someone like her into The Prince Family would be a disgrace to us!”
Gabriel coldly smeared my past and all I felt was the painful sting of betrayal, knowing I had wasted my genuine feelings
on a monster.
Zachary gently wiped the tears from my face, his hand giving mine a reassuring squeeze.<
He kept his gaze fixed on Gabriel, his voice low and controlled, “Gabriel, you say my Nory killed someone. Where’s the évidence?”
“What weapon did she use? Where’s the fatal wound on the victim? You claim she was abused in prison, so tell me who abused her exactly?”
Zachary’s unexpected confrontation left Gabriel momentarily stunned.”
He hesitated before replying, “T–the police must have a record of them. If you want to see, Uncle, I can have someone bring it over right away.”
As Gabriel reached for his phone, poised to make a call, Zachary’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and unforgiving. “Gabriel, do you really have the nerve to make a call now?”
He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed intently on Gabriel. “You, of all people, should remember what happened that night after graduation. Don’t you? Why would you need to involve the police?“}
Zachary’s eyes narrowed, his tone dripping with accusation. “Or are you planning to bribe a fake officer to frame Nory- knowing she’s innocent–just because you can’t live with your own guilt?”
Gabriel stood frozen, the weight of Zachary’s words leaving him speechless, unable to muster a single response.”
Meanwhile, Ellie stepped forward with a smug look, ready to explain, “Uncle, you don’t know. I have the surveillance footage from that night as evidence, proving that this Nora here really has killed someone.”
“Shut up! How dare you call me ‘Uncle‘?”
Ellie flinched under his harsh rebuke, her body shaking as she dared not even blink.
After silencing Ellie, Zachary turned his furious glare back on Gabriel, “Cat got your tongue? Speak.up!“}
Gabriel remained silent, his panic evident on his face. Zachary continued, “Too scared to talk? Fine, I’ll speak for you.“”
As I looked at Gabriel’s frantic, helpless expression, it felt like I was back on that night after graduation.
Gabriel had thrown the bloodstained hammer on the ground, glancing at the motionless body lying on the floor, his panic instantly setting in.”
He knelt on the ground, pleading desperately with me, telling me that he had broken someone’s skull this time and that the Prince Family wouldn’t let him off. Zachary, as the head of the family, wouldn’t either.”
He cried, grasping my hand, begging me to take the fall for him, promising he would repent, even swearing that he would marry me as soon as I got out of prison.
My heart softened. I was worried about his future and so I relented.
But once I was locked away, he threw all his promises to me aside.
He took Ellie to our secret garden, allowing her to rip out the cherry tree he had planted for me with his own hands. Then he went to the church where we had once wished for a lifetime of love, tearing up the vow card that pledged to always be good to me, replacing it with one declaring he would love Ellie forever.”
He even spread rumors that I was madly in love with him, willing to kill and go to prison for him, tarnishing my name and reputation.”
In just three years, Gabriel had gone from the man who once had only eyes and heart for me to the scumbag who now spread lies and pushed me aside.
