LOGIN“Kylie... stop, please.”Sebastian rasped out with grueling effort, his voice trembling as every breath grew ragged. “I’m begging you... let Melanie go.”“You’re still pleading for her life? You love her that much, huh? Fine, I’ll get her to join you. Enjoy each other’s company in hell!”She scooped the handgun back off the floor, raising it high to take final aim.Before she could pull the trigger, local police burst through the doors, swarming her and slamming her violently to the cold floor.“Freeze! Don’t move!”“Let go of me! Let me kill that bitch!”“I said don’t move!”The cold metal barrel of an officer’s firearm pressed firmly against Kylie’s temple. Only then did the frantic fog in her mind lift, leaving her now clear-headed at last.Staring at Sebastian lying pooled in a widening sea of crimson, the horrifying reality of what she had done crashed over her.She had shot him. She had killed the only man she had ever loved.“How... how did this happen? I didn’t mean to!”Tears
If he hadn’t cheated on her, if he hadn’t entangled himself with Kylie, things would never have spiraled to this mess.Now, after she had distanced herself from them, Sebastian had dragged her into a new vortex of danger, all while proclaiming he would rather die than let any harm come to her.Her emotions were such a tangled web that she failed to force a single word past her lips.Kylie, on the other hand, was sent completely over the edge by his declaration.With cold, ruthless efficiency, she clicked off the safety lock off and, without a moment’s hesitation, took aim at Sebastian’s right leg and pulled the trigger.With a deafening bang, the bullet tore through his flesh and shattered his calf.“Argh!”A searing agony racked his entire body, sending Sebastian crashing down to one knee.“Sebastian!”Panic seized Melanie’s heart. “Are you alright?”“I’m fine... it’s okay.”Sebastian hadn’t believed Kylie would dare to fire. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he glared up at her. “
Seeing that he still had no intention of giving up, the somewhat uplifted mood Melanie had just recovered instantly plummeted.“Your colleagues all went out for dinner. Why are you still here? Your stomach has always been sensitive. You know you get pretty bad gastritis when you skip meals.”“Sebastian.”Melanie shook her head, her face a storm of confusion and despair. “What on earth do you actually want from me? Can’t you just leave me alone? I’m begging you—please, just leave me be.”“I’m only trying to look after you. I’m trying my best to make amends,” Sebastian lowered his head, his tone pleading as she had rarely ever heard from him. “I know I’ve made unforgivable mistakes, but I truly can’t bring myself to give up on you. I love you, Melanie. You’re the love of my life—always have been, and always will be.”“Love?”A scoff escaped Melanie’s lips. “I can’t possibly afford your idea of love. Sebastian, all I want is to live my life in peace. Please, stop haunting my life! You lov
“Kylie.”“Olivia?”Catching sight of her, Kylie’s lips curled into a sneer of contempt. “Since when do you have the kind of money to spend in a place like this?”“Are you alright?”Something about her demeanor was deeply unsettling, prompting Olivia to ask despite herself.“Alright? Why wouldn’t I be alright?”Kylie turned to walk away, but after taking a few steps, she paused and looked back over her shoulder at Olivia. “Oh, right, do me a favor and pass a message to that dear best friend of yours. Tell her I’ll never let her get away with what she’d done. Doesn’t matter she flees to the ends of the earth. I’ll be sure to track her down!”Leaving those icy, final words hanging in the air, she walked off.Watching her retreating figure, Olivia felt every hair on her body stand on its end.Kylie seemed like an entirely different person, a terrifying figure.People said that love could make a monster out of a person. Never had it seemed more true to her.Without a second thought, Olivia
“Hey, pretty. All by yourself?“Care for a few drinks?”“Get lost.”Kylie snapped with a flash of impatience. “Do you even know who I am? You’ve got a death wish blocking my path!”“Ha! Who in this club doesn’t know who you are?”The man chuckled. “Kylie Miller, the great heiress of the Miller family! Though life’s been hard on you these days. I heard after Sebastian broke up with you, he cut off every business tie with your family, and your old man even kicked you out, threatening to disown you. Really, Kylie, why did you have to go and ruin things for yourself?”He reached out, his fingers pinching Kylie’s delicate chin. “That guy’s a fool. I’m not. Why not come with me? Whatever money you want, whatever you need done, I can handle it.”Kylie sobered up just a fraction. She raised her gaze and took a careful, calculating look at the man standing before her.It was Peter Woodhouse, heir of the Woodhouse line—a family with at least some standing in town.Right now, she had been thrown
“Wrong. I’m doing very well, actually,” Melanie scoffed softly.“Though, to be honest, Sebastian, it has nothing to do with you, either way.”She turned and walked into the care facility. The moment her mother spotted her, she ran over like a wide-eyed child.“Melanie, my dear!”“Yes, Mom, it’s me. It’s weekend. We’re coming home.”The air had turned chilly this time of the year. Melanie draped a scarf around her mother’s shoulders, taking her hand to guide her steps.They hadn’t taken more than a few steps before her mother’s mood suddenly spiraled out of control.“It’s him! He’s the one who killed your father!“Melanie, your father is dead! He murdered your father!“Murderer! You’re a murderer!”In a fit of panic, her mother scooped up a stone from the ground and hurled it with all her strength toward where Sebastian stood.Sebastian didn’t dodge, standing stiffly upright as the stone struck him squarely in the head. A deep, swollen welt flushed red across his forehead.Staff from th







