Chapter 120
Prissie’s POV
“Ma’am, please–I’m begging you, spare this pathetic life of mine! I–I won’t lie anymore. I admit it… that day when you and Mr. Mortimer were supposed to be celebrating your anniversary… It was me. I humiliated you on purpose and locked you inside the freezer, hoping you’d just freeze to death in there…”
His voice trembled as he continued, “B–But in the end, I was just doing what I was paid to do! I–I–I only did it for the money! If you’ll just let me live, I swear–I’ll tell you everything I know. Every last detail!”
As soon as the former bodyguard confessed–not only to taking money from Reigne and her mother but also to trying to kill me–he also revealed another truth. The reason Reigne falsely accused me of hiring someone to smash up Petula’s food stall… was because she didn’t want anyone to find out her mother was a gambling addict, the kind that owed money all over town and was being chased by thugs every day.”
Declan’s face turned a frightening shade of pale.
Declan’s POV
I remembered it too clearly. That night when Reigne cried to me about the stall being trashed. I was drunk. Pissed off. I brought my loudmouth friends. I brought bodyguards. And I marched straight to Prissie’s parents‘ grave.
I let them spray graffiti, wreck the tombstones, and then–God–then I stood there and watched as they dug up her parents ashes… pissed on them… spat on them…
“Prissie…” My voice came out hoarse, thick with disbelief. “Why didn’t you ever tell me what they did to you? All the injustice you suffered?”
She looked at me, almost amused.
“If I had, would you have believed me?”
“I…”
“You know, Declan,” she said calmly, “in a way, I’m glad all of this happened before we got married. You know me–I’m the sentimental type.”
Her smile sharpened. “So really, thank you. Thank you for helping me see clearly… that you’re nothing more than a soulless beast wearing human skin. You were never worthy of being loved.”
Her words didn’t just hurt. They ripped me open. Every syllable dug in deep like barbed wire and stayed there. I could barely breathe. My lungs were burning. My throat felt like it was closing in on itself.
I stood there frozen. Blood drained from my face. I couldn’t even pretend to be composed. My lips were trembling, my fists clenched. And still, I had nothing. No excuse. No defense that didn’t sound like a damn lie.
But before I could say a word, Dallas, who had been silent all this time, leaned in and whispered in my ear–just loud enough for me to hear.”
With mock pity, he dropped a truth he’d kept hidden for ten years.
“I know why you’ve always favored Reigne. It’s because you thought she used to visit the hospital during high school and take care of your mother, right?“}
He gave a low chuckle, clucking his tongue.”
“But I never told you, did I? There were several times when I was running errands for Dad, bringing food to the cancer ward, and I saw that sweet girl delivering flowers.”
“Did you know? That girl was actually our longtime neighbor, and she had a beautiful name.” He glared at me. “That girl… was Prissie.“%
Time passed in heavy silence.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. It was like the world had stopped spinning. Everything–everything–I thought I knew had just collapsed in front of me.”
After what felt like a lifetime, I finally forced myself to move. Clinging to the last shred of reason I had left, I pulled out my phone and quietly gave the order to my men.”
“Take out the trash.“%
Less than a minute later, my phone rang. It was Reigne.
She was sobbing uncontrollably, her voice ragged with fear.N
“Help me, Dex! There are strange men outside! They say they’re Prissie’s friends! They–they’re trying to break into the villa! They want to hurt me and my mom!*%
My face went cold. I moved my lips into a stiff, hollow smile.!!
“I sent them,” I said flatly. “Reigne, I never imagined… even now, you’d still have the nerve to smear Prissie.“B
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8:38 PM
There was a sharp pause on the other end. Reigne gasped, then her tone shifted–desperate, panicked.
“N–No, I didn’t mean that! I must’ve–I must’ve misheard because I was so scared! I didn’t want to hurt Prissie, I swear! P–Please, no! Let go of me!“/
But no matter how hard she cried or begged, I didn’t respond./
I just stood there, eyes rimmed red, staring at Prissie–deep and wordless./
Prissie’s POV
For the entire meal that followed–more than an hour–Declan didn’t put the call on speaker.
Still, I could hear Reigne and Petula screaming in fear./
Their desperate cries for mercy came through the phone, rising and falling without pause.
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