Chapter 81
My stomach sank. That explained the heavy, sluggish pulse in
my body. I was on my own.
Chole crouched in front of me, resting her elbow on her knee
and the lighter under my chin. “You’re brave. I’ll give you that.
But brave girls die too. Bravery makes you reckless.”
I didn’t move. Didn’t flinch.
Her face twisted. “Say something, you whore.”
Nothing.
Stay calm. Stay quiet. Don’t provoke her.
She stood up abruptly and slapped me hard across the face.
My head jerked sideways with the blow. My jaw throbbed. A
metallic tang flooded my mouth.
“Still quiet?” she spat. “You think silence makes you strong? No,
sweetheart. It makes you boring. I can’t kill boring.”
She paced again, her boots thudding against the hardwood. “But
I can maim boring. You want to see what I’m capable of? I’ll
have my men take turns with you. Then I’ll cut off your legs
and feed them to dogs. And your arms? I’ll hang them on the
gates of the Windsor estate like art. Then I’ll douse this pretty
little house in kerosene and burn it down with you in it.”
Another slap. I didn’t turn my head this time. My cheek flared
with pain.
“Why?” she snarled. “Why don’t you scream? Why don’t you
beg?”
I swallowed blood and calmly said, “Because you won’t let me
Her nostrils flared. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked
my face toward hers. “Ungrateful bitch. You don’t even appreciate the mercy I’m offering. I’m giving you a chance to
live, and you’re pissing on it.”
I winced but didn’t speak. Every muscle in my body wanted to
scream, but I held back.
“You think being quiet makes you some kind of martyr?” she
hissed. “You think it makes you holy?” She laughed, high-
pitched and shaking. “You’re just a manipulative slut who fooled Ethan, tricked the media, and probably spread your legs
for that Alexander/creep.”
I blinked. I couldn’t react. I wouldn’t.
“You’re not beautiful. You’re not smart. You’re just lucky. But
Chapter 1
that ends now.”
She raised her hand again–another slap, harder than before.
Then another.
“Say something, you dumb slut!”
When I finally opened my mouth, my voice was low and steady. “Murder is still a crime, Chole. You kill me, you’ll spend
your life in prison.”
She stared at me, stunned for half a second.
“Say something!” she snapped, voice shaking. “Why won’t you beg?! You should be down on your knees!”
“Then let me ask you something,” I continued, voice steady
despite the pulse pounding in my ears, “what do you think
Ethan will do when he finds out what you’ve done?”
Chole’s expression twisted, but she stayed quiet.
“If you kill me, he’ll never forgive you,” I said. “He’ll blame
himself. He’ll grieve. And you? You’ll always be the one who
ended his wife.”
Her nostrils flared. “He’s not grieving. He’s already over you.”
“No, he’s not,” I said softly. “You saw what happened at the
Chajeer #1
airport. If he were truly over me, would he have chased me like
that? Would he have picked you up only after I left him lying
there?”
Chole’s face went pale, and for a moment, her grip on the lighter
loosened.
“Wasn’t it my slap that made him show you affection? Do you
think it was love, or just guilt?” I leaned forward a fraction. “If
you kill me, the last image in his mind will be the woman he
never got to apologize to. You won’t win him that way, Chole.
You’ll lose him forever!”
Thán
Chapter 82

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