Semua Bab The Coldest Betrayal: Bab 1 - Bab 10

I climbed into a taxi and gave the driver an address.Then, I pulled out my phone, scrolled through my contacts, and dialed a number I hadn't called in years."Three years ago, you invited me to join your team overseas. Is that offer still open?"The answer came without hesitation.I closed my eyes for a moment before speaking again. "Good. But I need you to help me with something. I need to fake my death."As soon as I hung up, my phone started ringing nonstop. Elsie, Kian, and my family all tried calling, but I ignored every one.Then the messages started coming in.Kian asked, "Kellan, where the hell are you? Elsie's losing her mind trying to find you!"A moment later, my sister sent me a video.Upon playing it, my grip tightened. Elsie appeared on the screen with a fresh scrape running down her arm. She was limping, and her clothes were covered in mud and dirt. She looked like she'd been through hell.Jemma wrote, "Kellan, Elsie got hit by a car while she was looking fo

The moment Elsie finished speaking, someone called her name from behind us.It was Jude.He stood a short distance away, his fists clenched and his eyes filled with anguish.Meanwhile, Elsie tightened her grip on my wrist and leaned toward him, then caught herself, looked away, and pressed her lips together without a word.Kian frowned, clearly furious on Jude's behalf. "Kellan, you're forcing Elsie to choose between you two. Are you happy now? Does it make you feel better to rub it in Jude's face that you're more important to her?"My fingers slowly curled into fists.Jemma joined in, her voice sharp with accusation. "All Jude wants is to stay by Elsie's side. He's never tried to take anything away from you, so why can't you just let him have this one thing?"My parents stood firmly behind Jude, making their position clear."As long as we're here, nobody's sending Jude anywhere," my dad declared.Their words cut into me, one after another. I clenched my fists so tightly, but

Elsie drove so fast that she came dangerously close to speeding several times. Even before they reached the scene of the accident, the acrid smell of burnt rubber and scorched metal drifted through the air.The moment they stepped out of the car, everyone stopped in their tracks.They'd been convinced the phone calls were a scam, or perhaps someone's cruel prank. But just ahead, at the foot of a rocky slope, sat the charred remains of a car. The fire had consumed almost everything, leaving little more than a twisted metal frame.There really had been an accident.Elsie's eyes widened as memories of the crash three years ago came rushing back. It was a nightmare she'd never been able to forget.She could still picture Kellan lying motionless in a pool of blood. There had been so much of it, more than she'd ever seen. That accident had left him in a coma for three years, and even now, the memory made her chest heavy.And now, standing before another wrecked car, she felt the same t

Kellan's POVAfter pulling two all-nighters, I finally finished analyzing the experimental data.I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my aching temples, struggling to stay awake.Just then, someone placed a cold can of soda on my desk. Beads of condensation trickled down its sides. "Well, that's it," the person said. "You can finally take a few months off."I looked up to find Lena Moore standing beside me.I let out a long breath and cracked open the can. The first sip of icy soda helped clear some of the fog from my exhausted brain."I'm planning to sleep for the next few days," I told her. "I haven't had a decent night's rest since I got here. If I'd known joining your team would be this exhausting, I might've thought twice about coming."Lena raised an eyebrow. "Really? You would've turned down the chance to work on this project?"I opened my mouth to argue, but I had no comeback.After a moment, my shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine, you got me. I wouldn't have missed it

For a moment, Jemma's confession caught me off guard. But the surprise quickly faded, leaving me indifferent.I gave a cold smirk. "So?"Kian looked at me, regret in his eyes."I'm sorry, Kellan. Jude was responsible for everything, but we kept defending him. We took his side when we should've been protecting you." He lowered his head. "He's finally been punished for what he did."I nodded, but his words stirred nothing in me."All right. Now, I know. If that's all you came to tell me, you can leave."Neither Jemma nor Kian tried to persuade me to come home. Perhaps they'd finally realized there was nothing they could say to change my mind.However, just as they were about to leave, Jemma turned back. "Kellan, Mom and Dad have been having a really hard time, too. If you can, please give them a call."I was silent for a moment before answering, "Just tell them I'm doing fine. That's all they need to know."Jemma opened her mouth as though she wanted to say more, but eventually