Chapter 815
[ 495 words ]
Chapter 815:
The instant those words escaped me, remorse settled in almost immediately.
Over the phone, I caught the quiet sound of Lianne crying. Each shaky apology stabbed straight through my chest.
I had been terrified, terrified that Melisa might reveal even the slightest hint about the poison. Terrified she would destroy the fragile happiness Lianne had struggled so hard to regain, simply because she believed she held all the power.
I closed my eyes and forced my breathing to steady before speaking more gently. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I never meant to upset you. I’ve been carrying too much lately. I’m scared the problems surrounding her family will end up affecting you. Don’t worry yourself over this, okay? I’m only trying to keep you safe.”
After calming Lianne down and learning she was still at the hospital with Tracy, I asked her not to leave. Once I was done with work, I’d come get them myself.
As soon as the call ended, every trace of warmth disappeared from my expression. Cold fury settled over me, making the atmosphere around me feel suffocating.
Ne𝘄 w𝗲𝗲𝘬𝗹𝘺 с𝗁a𝘱𝗍е𝗋s 𝘰n 𝘨а𝘭𝘯𝘰𝗏е𝘭𝘀.𝘤оm
Without wasting another second, I called Melisa.
The moment she answered, my voice carried nothing but icy hostility. “What makes you think you can contact Lianne?”
“Ethan, you’re overreacting.” Melisa sounded frail, yet beneath that weakness was quiet confidence, the confidence of someone convinced she held complete control. “Since I couldn’t reach you, I figured Lianne could pass along the message. Besides, aren’t we working toward the same goal now?”
She never directly mentioned the poison, but every sentence reminded me exactly how tightly she had me trapped.
I balled my hands into fists until my joints popped.
If she hadn’t been carrying the only antidote, if Lianne’s survival didn’t depend entirely on her, she would already be dead.
“What do you want?” I ground out, barely containing the rage threatening to explode.
She finally dropped the innocent act, letting her true intentions show. “Philip withdrew his funding, and everything at home has fallen apart. My family is preparing to pin all the blame on me. I need you to replace the money we lost. Do that, and I’ll give you enough antidote for another month to keep Lianne alive.”
I took one last shot at bargaining with her. “I’ll cover whatever you need. I’ll even arrange a new identity and make sure you never have to worry about your future again. In return, hand over the complete antidote formula, then disappear from our lives forever.”
She laughed, full of ridicule. “Ethan, do you really think I’m that foolish? The day Lianne is completely cured, you’ll kill me. As long as the poison stays inside her, you’ll keep protecting me no matter what.”
She paused before adding, with open arrogance, “Refuse to save my family, and the antidote dies with me. Will you sit back and watch Lianne die? Or has her life stopped mattering to you?”
“Enough!” I shouted, the veins at my temples throbbing.
Never in my life had I been forced into such complete helplessness.
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