Chapter 943:
A single step out of this basement, a brief taste of freedom in a crowd—she was certain she’d find a way to slip away. Still, Brandon gave her no reply.
Vivian sat there, confused by his silence.
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she quietly lifted her head, sneaking a look at Brandon when she thought he wouldn’t notice.
Instead, she caught sight of a face contorted by rage, despair, and something she couldn’t name.
The sight left her frozen, even the act of crying slipping from her mind.
“Brandon…” Her voice quivered as she reached for him.
Brandon answered with a hollow, bitter laugh that sent a chill through the room. His bloodshot eyes stared past her, and his words sounded almost otherworldly.
“You think everything can just go back to how it was?” The roughness in his voice made her flinch.
He had wished for that once himself. But nothing could erase what had happened.
The space between him and Millie was filled by the loss of their child. Even if Vivian had set things in motion, he had played his part in destroying everything.
He never tried to make things right. He hadn’t even checked on Millie afterward.
“It can, it really can!” Vivian rushed to reassure him. “Let me talk to her. I’ll tell her what you were up against. I’ll make her understand. She’ll see that I took the pain for her, and she’ll forgive you. She knows you only did what you had to for her sake.”
Brandon’s eerie laughter filled the room, chilling Vivian to her core. In a rush, she tried to seize the moment.
“Yes, that’s it—blame me for everything, even the baby. Tell her I’m the only one at fault. Just let me explain it to her. Please, Brandon, let me fix this.” She clung to his hand, desperation tightening her grip.
Still, Brandon wouldn’t stop laughing.
𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖: gⱯ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝕖𝗅𝕤⧽ⅽ𝗈𝗺
His laughter only grew sharper, a wild, unhinged sound that bounced off the basement walls. It soon turned into coughing fits, the harsh noise mingling with his ragged breaths and making the air feel heavy.
Vivian’s fear spiked. “Brandon…” Her voice was small and trembling.
“You still think you can lie to me?” Brandon’s fury exploded as he shoved her away.
His words came out raw, broken. “I know the whole story now, Vivian. You and Macauley planned it all from the start!”
Her thoughts scattered in panic. The denial slipped out without thinking. “No, you’ve got it wrong—”
Blood-spattered papers came flying at her, landing in a messy pile across her.
“I’ve seen enough! Macauley ran that reporter off the road, he nearly killed Millie, and it was all your doing! These files, these photos—they spell out the truth!”
Brandon’s gaze burned with something almost monstrous as he glared at her.
He let every word fall heavy in the air. “How could you and Macauley go this far?”
Vivian’s hands pressed against the cold floor, her eyes locked on the scattered evidence. A photo stared back at her—she and Macauley, arm in arm, heading into a hotel.
“It’s finished.” The thought echoed in her head.
This time, there was no escape.
.
.
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