Chapter 4

Charles’ voice rang out louder and clearer with every word.

I froze in place, my expression grave.

Susie quickly interjected, "What are you doing? Selena came all the way here out of good intentions to see me!"

Charles acted as if he hadn't heard her, his sharp tone aimed squarely at me without holding back. "You're still as selfish as ever, never bothering to think about anyone else."

I turned my head slightly away to hide my reddening eyes, fighting with everything I had to keep from crying.

Noticing my state, Charles toned down his aggression, softening his voice. "Just apologize to Susie, and we'll call it even."

He reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped to the side, dodging his grip. "Don't touch me. I'm not your fiancée anymore."

"Enough, Selena!" Charles' expression turned icy cold. "You went around broadcasting our cancelled wedding; that should be enough to vent your frustration. I don't hold it against you, so stop throwing tantrums and refusing to let it go."

Susie chimed in to persuade me too. "Yeah, throwing a little fit to blow off steam is fine, but don't let it ruin things for good."

For all these years, it had always been like this between us.

Whenever a disagreement came up, the two of them would seamlessly stand together, pointing fingers at me and entirely dismissing how I felt.

I didn't offer a single word of explanation. With a cold scoff, I walked out.

Not long after I stepped out of the hospital, a text from Susie popped up.

[Selena, don't be angry with him. You two have come so far.]

[How about I help smooth things over for you, and you just give in to him, okay?]

Staring at the message, I felt a deep sense of alienation. To this day, I still had no idea what I had done wrong.

The Susie who once stood in front of me to shield me from bullies felt like a completely different person. Now, she was always standing firmly by Charles' side.

Over the next two days, Charles didn't reach out to me.

The only updates I saw about him were from Susie's posts on social media. To help her recover properly, Charles was personally cooking and taking care of her every day at the hospital.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Susie had snapped photos and posted them online.

The moment I scrolled past them, I blocked both of their accounts.

My parents had gone back to Norbridge ahead of time to manage family affairs. As for me, I needed to return the weapons stored at my house to Charles' armory.

When I arrived, workers were unloading new shipments of weaponry at the warehouse.

I hadn't expected the three of us to cross paths there.

The moment Susie spotted me, her face lit up. "Selena, are you still mad at Charles? Don't be. It's been two days."

I glanced at him. Whatever anger I had was long gone by now.

Before I could say anything, Charles cut in with a cold voice, "Susie, let's focus on our business first."

I paused for a second, completely unbothered, and turned to walk away.

But Susie called out my name right away, running up behind me to catch up. "Selena, don't be like this!"

Her arm brushed against a crate sitting on the corner of the table. Suddenly, the crate flipped over.

Defective explosives tumbled right out, rolling onto the floor.

My heart tightened instinctively. I covered my eyes and turned my face away.

Around us, the workers gasped in panic and scattered to take cover.

Charles and Susie were equally terrified, their shoulders trembling. He sprinted forward, pulling Susie into his arms to shield her.

After an agonizing dozen seconds, the defective explosives never went off.

I carefully opened my eyes, and the heavy lump in my throat finally settled down.

Susie was completely scared out of her wits.

I looked down to pick up a grenade that had rolled near my feet, but Charles walked up to me first, his eyes icy.

In front of everyone present, he barked at me furiously. "What on earth are you trying to do?! You knew damn well how dangerous this was!

"How could you be so careless?! If that blew up, the entire armory would be gone!"

I froze in shock, looking at him in utter disbelief before glancing over at Susie.

Susie was crouching on the ground, her face deathly pale.

My voice trembled, "You clearly saw what happened just now..."

"Shut up! It was obviously you!"

Every single gaze in the room shifted toward me. In an instant, I understood.

If this were recognized as Susie's fault, the family would hold her accountable. He clearly wanted me to take the fall for her.

An ache shot through my heart as burning tears filled the corners of my eyes.

Charles snatched the keys right out of my hand, making his decision on the spot. "Don't you ever come back here again. The armory is being handed over to Susie."

He grabbed the keys and shoved them straight into Susie's hands.

Throughout all of this, I hadn't even processed what was happening.

"What are you still standing here for? Leave!" Charles scolded, his eyes completely devoid of any emotion.

I stared back into his eyes numbly.

Using the back of my hand, I wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes. In the end, I said nothing and turned to leave.

The very next day, I took a flight straight to Norbridge.

With this departure, I was never coming back. And it would take Charles and Susie a full week before they finally realized I was gone.