Chapter 8
Vivian was halfway through her sentence, and I could see the confusion etched on
her face.
With a cold smirk, I stepped in to explain, “Funny how the security cameras just happened to be fixed and up and running that morning, right? Just haven’t released the footage yet. What a coincidence.”
“It’s like even the universe itself couldn’t stand a criminal like you roaming free!”
I made sure to stress those last words.
Vivian’s face tightened, her fear so obvious. that she bit down hard on her lip, drawing blood that trickled from the corner of her
mouth.
As the footage ended, it froze on the harrowing moment I lay bleeding, my phone call cut off, my will to survive slipping away like sand through my fingers.
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Chapter 8
Marcus stood on his spot like a statue, his body tense. I could see the deepening hatred in his gaze aimed squarely at his first love. It was like he could kill her with just that look.
He was itching to charge at her but was held back by the cops, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
Vivian trembled under the weight of his stare, shaking her head as if trying to deny the truth pressing in on her.
Too bad for her, the attempts to defend
herself crumbled under the undeniable
evidence.
I feigned surprise, turning to Marcus with a mocking tone.
“What’s with that face? Not on her side
anymore? She was so sure you’d protect her, claimed I was nothing compared to her and my kid. What’s changed? Did you take some bad meds or something?”
My sarcasm dripped from my words, too
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Chapter 8
obvious to miss.
Marcus’s face went pale for a second, the anger overshadowed by guilt.
That’s when the cops played the footage of me confronting Vivian in the hallway.
Her defiance then seemed worlds apart from the pathetic figure she was now.
When the footage ended, she slumped into the chair, completely drained like there was no more fight left in her.
After a long pause, she spoke again, desperation creeping into her voice as she reached for Marcus. “I swear, Marcus, I never meant for any of this to happen! Please, believe me! I didn’t even see her! I was just in a rush, and I bumped into her by accident…”
Tears streamed down her made–up face, making her look pitiful.
But Marcus didn’t move, leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed tight in
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despair.
Vivian stepped closer, grasping at Marcus’s shirt as if it were a lifeline. “Come on,
Marcus, we’ve known each other forever. You know the real me. Everyone else can doubt me, but you can’t join them in this! You’re the only reason I’ve held on all these years… my one reason to keep fighting…”
Once she said those words, Marcus finally opened his eyes.
I couldn’t help but find it amusing, almost eager to see how he’d react.
He didn’t disappoint.
In front of Vivian’s hopeful gaze, Marcus shoved her to the floor, his face blank.
Then, in an instant, he was on top of her, fists flying, yelling, “Yeah, you think I didn’t know who you were the moment you ditched me to go abroad? Why the hell
would I trust you? I was so blind, thinking you were different!”
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The cops in the interrogation room jumped at Marcus’s outburst, rushing to pull him away just as his fist connected with his first love’s face.
Blood gushed from Vivian’s nose. It mingled with the tears that fell onto her
ripped earlobe, leaving a gruesome stain on the floor.
She just lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. I could tell she was finally giving up the fight.
I bet she knew at that moment–Marcus wasn’t standing by her side anymore.
Not now.
Not ever again.
