Just as he’d feared, Annabelle Linton’s expression was glacial. She scoffed, and in the most casual of tones, uttered the words that would shatter his heart: "Do you really think you can compare to him?"
With that, Annabelle Linton tore herself from his grasp and coldly ran ahead.
Leona Grant wanted to grab her, to question her, to stop her. He even wanted to kill Aaron Wyatt.
But a sudden wave of helplessness washed over him. It was an agonizing, suffocating feeling, and his blood seed to freeze in his veins.
His heart ached, a pain so intense it felt as if it had been shattered beyond repair.
’So what if he killed him? So what if Aaron Wyatt no longer existed?’
’Would Annabelle Linton love him then?’
BANG—
Just then, a bullet struck him squarely in the chest.
A chilling wind swept by, carrying the overpowering stench of blood. Blood began to pour from the wound in Leona Grant’s chest.
BANG! BANG! Two more shots struck him.
In the sunlight, Leona Grant’s imposing figure stood tall—dazzling, dangerously alluring, and exuding a cold, breathtaking handsoness.
The sunlight beat down on him, casting a blinding glare, yet he remained so handso it was both shocking and breathtaking.
Despite the three bullets in his body, his face was expressionless, his deanor calm, as if he felt no pain at all.
A faint, detached smile touched his lips—a heartbreaking smile.
Then, he turned and forced his body to move forward.
He only managed two steps before his tall fra suddenly collapsed.
Leona Grant instinctively glanced in the direction Annabelle Linton had fled.
Through his blurring vision, he saw her scramble into the car, her face fraught with panic. He saw her administering first aid to Aaron Wyatt before the door shut and the car sped away.
The feeling of being left behind was overwhelming.
A pain like a knife to the heart, like being pierced by a thousand arrows, rippled through him.
The pain was so real it felt as if it would tear his heart to shreds.
Leona Grant slowly closed his eyes as the blood from his chest stained the ground a deep crimson.
’Annabelle Linton... if there’s a next life, I swear... I swear I’ll treat you right. I’ll make you fall in love with .’
...
Snowflakes drifted down, blanketing the ground in what looked like a layer of silver. The entire world seed painted white.
Annabelle Linton sat in the corner of a dim basent. Dressed in rags, she was a miserable sight, looking just like a prisoner.
The clothes she wore were far too thin for the season and so filthy their original color was impossible to tell.
She had piled so straw from the floor over her thin fra to ward off the cold.
She leaned weakly against the wall, eyes closed. Her lips were purple from the cold, and her breath plud in visible white puffs.
A single, faint sunbeam slanted in through a high window. Annabelle Linton’s eyes snapped open. She desperately crawled toward that sliver of light, her hand straining to catch it.
And the light didn’t flee; it settled right onto her red, swollen hand.
Annabelle Linton laughed. She gently caressed her belly. "Baby, did you see that? Mommy caught the sunlight. It’s so warm. Can you feel it, baby?"
The baby in her womb gave a little kick, and Annabelle Linton laughed in delight. "Haha, you’re amazing, little one. You’re already interacting with Mommy..."
Her laughter slowly faded. She lowered her head and sighed, her gaze softening as she looked at her belly. "Baby, I’m so sorry to put you through this. Do you bla Mommy?"
The baby shifted gently inside her, as if stroking her with a tiny hand.
A comforted look ca over Annabelle Linton’s face. Her eyes, brimming with tears, shifted to the sunlight as she forced the tears back. "Baby," she choked out, "you believe Mommy too, don’t you?
Mommy won’t admit to sothing she never did. The truth will co out eventually, right? So don’t be afraid, baby. Mommy will protect you, okay?"
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