After My Last Breath のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 251 - チャプター 260

[Damon]During the entire drive, Elara doesn’t say a single word.Not because she’s nervous, or because she ran out of things to say.She’s silent because she simply doesn’t care enough to speak to me.Or at least, that’s exactly what it feels like.I keep stealing quick glances at her from behind the wheel, desperately hoping she’ll start a conversation at any moment. I want her to give me a reason—any explanation at all—for why she suddenly wants to visit my mother.If this were the old Elara, she would have avoided seeing Beatrice Blackwood like the plague. She used to dread my mother’s harsh words and judgment. But the woman sitting next to me right now doesn’t look afraid or hesitant at all. Instead, she looks completely confident, poised, and determined. She looks like someone who knows exactly what she is doing—and exactly what she wants.And that terrifies me. Because looking at her now, I get the sickening feeling that this isn’t just another argument.This feels like the end

“Don’t!” Beatrice glares at me, harder than ever. “Don’t you dare say my name with that filthy mouth of yours! You’re nothing but a curse to our family, Elara. A damn fucking curse that came into our lives just to destroy us!”Beside me, Damon flinches like he’s been slapped. “Mom, stop it!” he shouts, stepping forward. “That’s enough!”I don’t even bat an eye. I don’t look hurt. I don’t get defensive. Instead, I let out a low, amused breath and tilt my head, studying the frantic woman in front of me.“How can you still take her side, Damon?” Celine bursts out, stepping forward with her fists clenched tight. “Do you even know what she has done? She’s the reason Nolan is dead! She killed him! She did!”For once, I’m actually surprised something so accurate and reasonable came out of her mouth.Still, her direct accusation does nothing to shake me. It doesn’t scare me at all.Maybe Celine isn’t as much of a lost cause as I used to think, I think to myself. She actually has a brain in th

[Damon]Her words feel like a punch to the gut.My brain is hardly functioning after what she just said. But with whatever broken capacity I have left, I start to remember all those times she called to tell me something about Nolan.And I… I always hung up on her. I never let her speak. I always thought she was just making things up to get my attention, to keep me close, or to make me hate my family.In my mind, my brother wasn’t perfect, but I never believed he could be evil enough to hurt his own sister-in-law—or his own tiny niece.Why would he do something so horrible? He didn’t hold a grudge against Elara. He didn’t even care who I married. Whether my wife was Elara, Hannah, or anyone else, it meant nothing to him. All Nolan ever car

Beatrice’s jaw drops open, her eyes widening even more.For a second, I don’t think she even breathes.Thankfully, Celine moves quickly, giving her mother the support she needs before she collapses.“Dad!” she whines. “What the hell are you talking about?! How could you blame Mom like that? It’s obviously Elara’s fault!” She turns and glares right at me. “She’s the one who got Nolan killed! If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have died in such a horrible way! She’s the person you should be blaming, not Mom!”Archer snaps his eyes toward her, ready to bark a reply, but I hold up a hand and step in before he can say a word.“You keep saying that Nolan died because of me,” I say, taking slow, calm steps toward her until I’m standing right in front of her. “I’m really curious—what makes you think I’m even capable of doing something like that? Where is your actual proof for making such a massive accusation?”“You think you’re so smart, Elara. You were obviously the last—” Celine starts to sc

I look at Beatrice for a long moment.Then, I break into a laugh.“What? What’s so funny?!” she asks, staring at me as if I’m the one who’s completely unhinged.I shake my head, barely able to stop. “The fact that you actually think you can hide behind something so ridiculous… that’s what’s funny.”“It’s not impossible!” she tries to reason, but her eyes give away the terror that has already settled deep inside them. She can’t shake off that panic, no matter how hard she tries to shift the blame.“You were present at the Dark Knights auction,” Beatrice insists, turning frantically to her son. “Damon, you remember, don’t you? One of the items on auction was that mask—the one that can shape itself into anyone’s face! Isn’t that right, Damon?!”“It’s not impossible!” she tries to reason, but her eyes give away the terror that has already settled deep inside them. She can’t shake off that panic, no matter how hard she tries to shift the blame.“You were present at the Dark Knights auction,