Chapter 6
Shawn stared at Hannah for a while. The anger in his eyes slowly turned into confusion, and then into a cold smirk. He mocked, “So now you’re switching from being aggressive to trying to act sweet?”
He stepped closer. “Hannah, I’m warning you. No matter what you try, I will never forgive you.”
Hannah stayed quiet and looked at him calmly.
Her calmness somehow made Shawn even more irritated. He turned around and walked quickly out of the banquet
hall.
When Hannah got home, the pain in her stomach was so bad that she could barely stand straight.
She ran into the bathroom, leaned over the sink, and coughed up blood. The red drops on the clean tiles looked brutal- ly out of place.
Her hands shook as she took some painkillers, and once the pain dulled a little, she soaked in a hot bath.
Later, while brushing her hair, she noticed that a large clump of it had come off on the comb. Looking in the mirror at her tired, pale face, a chilling thought hit her.
She probably wouldn’t even last another two weeks.
The next morning, Hannah walked into a small, old photo studio.
“A memorial photo?” the owner asked, adjusting his glasses and looking at the young woman in front of him with surprise. “You’re still so young. Why would you need something like that?”
Hannah said softly, smiling, “I have a serious illness. Please help me take a good picture.”
The owner sighed and gently fixed a strand of her hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it turns out lovely.”
In front of the camera, she wore soft makeup, her favorite red dress, and a glowing, confident smile-like the cheerful girl she used to be.
After the photos were done, the owner asked, “Do you want to take the prints right away?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Please touch it up and send it to this address in a few days.”
She wrote down her home address, planning to place her memorial photo beside Brielle’s.
Leaving the studio, Hannah made one more stop. She went to the Adelson family’s chapel room.
She stood quietly in front of the portraits of James and Brielle, her fingers gently brushing the edge of one frame.
In the photo, Brielle smiled softly, and James still had that gentle look in his eyes, like he might step right out of the
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frame and ruffle her hair like he used to.
“James, Brielle… I’ll see you soon,” she whispered so faintly it was barely audible.
“The feud between our families…” She paused, a single tear falling onto the table. “It’s finally coming to an end.”
“Hannah, who said you could be here?”
A cold voice sounded behind her, making her whole body tense. Her elbow accidentally knocked into the picture frame.
“Crash!”
The glass shattered, the sharp sound echoing through the quiet chapel room.
Shawn’s expression turned stormy. He stormed over and grabbed her by the wrist. “Was killing them not enough for you? Now you’re ruining their memorial photos too?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Hannah yanked her arm, trying to get free. “If you hadn’t shown up out of nowhere, I wouldn’t have even touched it!”
“Shut up! You’re a killer. What right do you have to touch anything that belongs to them?” Shawn snapped.
“I just came to see them!” she cried.
“See them?” Shawn laughed coldly, his eyes full of hate. “You think you’re worthy?”
He suddenly dragged her toward the door. Hannah stumbled and slammed her knee against the door sill.
“Let go of me!” She grabbed the doorframe desperately, her fingernails nearly breaking. “Shawn, have you lost your mind?!”
“You’re the insane one!” he yelled, shoving her back into the chapel room. “Fine. Since you don’t want to leave, kneel here and make up for what you’ve done!”
A bodyguard quickly came over and grabbed her by the shoulders. Hannah fought back fiercely, shouting, “Leave me alone! I have my own way to make things right, and this isn’t it!”
Shawn’s expression turned cold. Without a word, he raised his foot and kicked her knees.
“Ah!”
She screamed as pain shot through her leg, collapsing onto the floor where shattered glass pierced her skin. Blood spread fast, staining the hem of her skirt.
