Whenever Hannah had thrown dirty water on Ivy, Silas would make sure that Hannah stayed knee-deep in a foul-slling gutter for two or three long hours, the stench clinging to her hair and clothes no matter how much she scrubbed afterward.
Whenever she slipped worms into Ivy’s lunch with malicious delight, Silas would calmly return the favor by ensuring that Hannah’s own food crawled with cockroaches.
It could be said that Silas always retaliated in the exact sa manner, as if he were teaching her a lesson ant for people who treated others like lifeless dolls.
Now, watching Silas beat Walter without the slightest hesitation, Hannah’s eyes filled with deep, bone-chilling fear.
Her heart pounded violently, and a sudden thought flashed through her mind.
’My charm... I should use my charm.’ Yes, that had to work.
After all, Silas was still a man. Until now, Joel had been the only one immune to her seduction. Surely Silas wouldn’t be the sa, right?
With that desperate hope clinging to her, she called out softly, "Silas..."
Silas didn’t even spare her a glance.
He continued beating Walter until his arms finally slowed, then straightened up and turned toward Hannah instead.
By then, Hannah had already called his na thirteen tis.
The mont Silas looked over, her heart leapt, and she truly believed her charm had finally worked.
She forced a weak smile onto her pale face and spoke in a trembling voice,
"I understand that you love Ivy. Truly, I do. But... your hands must be aching. Shouldn’t you take a rest before continuing?"
Walter’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was she encouraging him? Had she lost her mind?
He had co here to rescue her, not to watch her side with Silas. Panic and anger surged together as he shouted,
"Hannah! What are you doing?"
She ignored him completely, her gaze fixed on Silas, her smile patient, almost coaxing, as if she were waiting for a child to make a choice.
Silas tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
"You’re right," he said calmly. "I am tired."
Relief flooded Hannah’s chest. But the next words crushed it instantly.
"So do a favor," Silas continued. "Slap yourself."
Hannah’s eyes widened in disbelief, her lips trembling. Walter glared furiously at Silas. "You’re crossing the line!"
Silas ignored him entirely. He walked to the side, punched a corner of the wall lazily, then sat down.
Checking his watch, he spoke with chilling indifference.
"You have one minute to prepare yourself ntally and start slapping. If you don’t, I’ll bring a few won over. They’ll make sure you feel itchy all over again."
Hannah’s pupils shrank.
A mory slamd into her mind. One year, she had stolen Ivy’s clothes, hoping to humiliate her by leaving her naked
Who would have thought Silas would arrive just in ti, calmly handing Ivy extra clothes and shielding her from embarrassnt?
Later, his revenge had co quietly but viciously.
Every piece of Hannah’s gym clothing had been laced with itching powder.
During the entire gym class, she had scratched herself like a madwoman while Silas sohow convinced the teacher that she was deliberately skipping training.
The result had been a massive derit.
Even now, recalling that humiliation made her shiver uncontrollably.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Silas.
"Why are you still so hard on ?" she cried. "I know you hate , but living with hatred won’t bring you happiness. You should learn to let go."
Silas didn’t respond. His gaze remained fixed on the ticking watch.
Seeing this, Hannah panicked and hurriedly changed tactics.
"Silas," she blurted out, "do you know who saved you when you were a child?"
Silas finally looked up.
Her heart raced as she continued eagerly,
"You might think it was Ivy, but it was . I was the one who helped you, who scared you out of the forest. Ivy stole my credit afterward."
Silas almost laughed.
"Do you really think I didn’t see the face of the person who carried out?"
Hannah shook her head frantically, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"It was . You were hallucinating and mistook for Ivy."
Silas shook his head slowly, his gaze turning sharp and dangerous.
"That’s impossible. It was Ivy. Not you."
Seeing even the slightest wavering, Hannah’s eyes lit up with excitent.
"I’m not lying! If you want proof, call anyone who was there. Ask them who stayed closest to your body when you were brought out of the forest."
Silas stood up, as if he were truly considering it. Hannah nearly sighed in relief.
Before the apocalypse, she had grown sick of Silas’s constant interference.
She had even wanted to take Ivy’s place when she realized what kind of lover Silas was, the kind who would go to any extre for his other half.
Later, she learned that his devotion stemd from a life-saving incident.
That was when she decided that the credit should belong to her.
One by one, she tracked down the witnesses, bribing them shalessly.
There had been one man left, and she had even been prepared to sleep with him to change his testimony.
Then the apocalypse descended, and she never got the chance to use it.
Now, this was the perfect opportunity.
Yet as Silas grew silent and serious, fear crept into her bones.
She knew his status in the base was high, all because Ivy had given him that power.
’If I seduce him,’ she fantasized wildly, ’he might help rise.’
Just as she was lost in those thoughts, Silas stepped toward her and flicked his wrist.
A whip materialized in his hand with a sharp crack.
Hannah froze, terror flooding her face. In that instant, she understood. He hadn’t believed her at all. He was furious.
She shook her head rapidly, retreating. "I was joking. I’ll do it. I’ll start now."
Her hand trembled as she slapped herself, the sound echoing sharply.
Watching this scene unfold, Walter finally understood sothing painfully clear.
Silas might be brutal, but perhaps he wasn’t wrong at all.
Maybe Walter had believed Hannah far too blindly, never once questioning her words.
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