Chapter 8

Alex shoved Eva away.

"Eva, are you really going to keep deceiving yourself? They weren't just after money. Someone put them up to it, and that person was Hugh. I'm going to make sure he goes to prison."

Eva stared at him coldly and warned, "Enough, Alex. If you keep digging into this, the people around you will be the ones who get hurt. The driver's license found in the truck belonged to Tanya Nott, and the man behind the wheel was her father."

"If you insist on pursuing this, I'll file charges against Tanya's father for causing the accident. That's a criminal offense. If you want to watch your best friend, Harlan, spend the rest of his life drowning in regret, then go ahead and file that lawsuit."

Tanya had been Harlan's girlfriend for eight years. Her family was poor, so she'd worked hard to improve herself so she could be worthy of Harlan.

This year, she'd finally passed the civil service exam and secured a position with a government agency. She was currently under probation before her employment would be finalized.

Harlan loved her deeply. More than anything, he wanted to marry her.

Just a few days earlier, Harlan had told Alex that Tanya had accepted his proposal. They were planning to hold their wedding at the end of the year.

Alex stared at Eva in disbelief. "Are you really using this to threaten me?"

If he filed charges, Tanya would lose the position she'd worked so hard to earn, and she herself could be implicated in the case. The Lynch family would never agree to let Harlan marry a woman who had been to prison.

"You're despicable, Eva!" Heartbroken and utterly disappointed, Alex slapped her hard across the face. "I wish I'd never met you."

He didn't care how much Eva favored Hugh. That was her business.

But he'd never imagined she would abandon all sense of right and wrong and resort to such a vile, shameless tactic just to protect him.

Eva grabbed his hand. "I know you feel wronged. I'll make it up to you from now on."

Alex shouted, "Get out! Get out of here!"

"Sign this liability waiver, and I'll leave."

With that, Eva played a video. In it, Tanya's father had suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. Tanya knelt before his grave, with Harlan standing beside her.

"I don't want to force you, Alex."

Eva shoved a pen into his hand and ordered two bodyguards to step forward and pin his hand down.

"Once you sign, everything will be settled. I've bought you a new villa. From now on, you'll live in another place, away from Hugh. He won't be able to bully you anymore."

As Alex was forced to sign the waiver against his will, his fingers trembled uncontrollably.

He glared at Eva and spoke through clenched teeth, "You're disgustingly vile. Getting to know you was the biggest mistake of my life."

Eva's brows twitched, and she felt a sharp jolt of pain in her chest. There was something inexplicably painful about seeing the hatred and disappointment in Alex's eyes.

"Get some rest. I'll come back to see you later."

Clutching the signed waiver, Eva hurried out of the hospital room. She didn't show up again over the next few days.

Alex didn't stay in the hospital. As soon as he felt well enough, he checked himself out.

Once the wounds had fully healed, he had the scars concealed beneath a dragon tattoo.

Then, he contacted members of the Shaw family and arranged for them to investigate the car accident discreetly.

Before long, it was the tenth day.

After getting the documents, Alex didn't notify anyone. He bought a ticket for the earliest flight that day.

Apart from his travel documents, he brought nothing else. Traveling light, he headed straight to the airport.

As he gazed at the white clouds outside the window, Alex remembered the day he'd first arrived in Josarth, a city situated in a country called Himrand.

He'd just turned 21 years old then. It was the age when life seemed bright and full of promise. That was also the time when love felt pure and sincere. He'd trusted his feelings completely and chased the kind of passionate romance he'd always dreamed of.

Never had he imagined that choosing the wrong person would lead him into a life of manipulation and suffering.

Alex boarded the plane and watched the buildings on the ground grow smaller and smaller.

Under his breath, he said, "Congratulations, Alex. You're finally free from all that suffering. This is your fresh start."