Chapter 17
Villains never show their true colors only when I’m around. The darkness they bring always runs deeper, lurking in places I can’t see.
And I was right.
“Daniel, Dad always said I wasn’t really his daughter. He turned you into a ruthless tyrant–someone who’d break any rule, twist any law to get what he wanted. Good thing I’m nothing like him.”
The second person I went to see was Julie.
Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes hollow with exhaustion and hate.
Even separated by glass, her glare was filled with a venom so sharp it seemed she wanted to tear me apart. There was no more pretending to be innocent, no more fragile act. She snapped at me, screeching why I hadn’t brought out the evidence sooner if I’d had it all along.
“Did playing the victim make you feel clever?!“{
“Of course it did. Why else would you keep up the act for so long?”
I stood up, calm.
“It’s only fun if you think you’ve already won. That’s what makes it interesting.”
I could have exposed everything earlier.”
But where’s the satisfaction in that?!
I wanted her to believe she’d triumphed, that she’d gotten away with it all.
Then, just before dawn, to watch her entire world go up in flames.
I’d lived through this once before.
But this time, it was her turn.
The last person I went to see was Trevor.
Honestly, I hadn’t planned on seeing him at all.
Julie and I had always been enemies. With Daniel, there was blood between us.
But Trevor–8
After my love for him vanished, there was nothing left to bind us.
Still, the police let me know Trevor wanted to see me.
So I sat across from him, separated by a cold pane of glass.
He stared at me for a long time, silent.”
Finally, I grew impatient and stood up. “Well? What is it you want?”
“…It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
His voice was low. “The Gardner family should’ve been mine. We should have been engaged by
I froze mid–step, turning sharply to face him.
He stared back, something inscrutable flickering in his dark eyes.
now.”
For a fleeting second, if not for the faint scar on his forehead, I could almost have mistaken him for the Trevor I once knew.
Then reality snapped back, and it was all too absurd.
“Just engaged? Why stop there? Why not tell the whole story? You used me to get everything from the Gardner family, then joined forces with Daniel to murder me.”
His voice was hoarse, “But… after a long, long time, I regretted it.”
He hesitated, pain in his eyes. “It’s just, you never knew.“>
“I wish you could have known… I really do.””
It was too much.
Too ridiculous.
“Right. I’m already dead–I wouldn’t have known.”
I turned away, bracing my hand against the glass, locking eyes with him.
“But even if I did, what difference would it make? Who cares about your regret?”
“This time, I’m the one who won. You’re the one going to hell.”
“Trevor, this is exactly what you deserve.”
That year, winter came early.
By the time I left, night had already swallowed the city.
Minna called, saying she’d be heading abroad after the holidays to start a new research project.
I wished her luck, told her to keep in touch.
Right after I hung up, I got a message from Lynda: she was already at the bistro, waiting for me to come pay for dinner.
Ylaughed and texted her back: On my way.
Outside the car window, a crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting silver light over the deep blue night.
Chapter 17
When this long night is over and the moon finally sets, my sun will rise again.
(The End)
