Chapter 131 

Chapter 131 

“Oh… I’m—I’m so sorry for your loss,” I said, my voice soft, barely above a whisper, regretting my decision to bring up 

her 

parents. 

Clara shrugged, the motion oddly detached, like grief had been shelved for later and never picked back up. “It’s fine. I don’t even miss them that much 

My heart pinched a little at the ease with which she said it, but before I could process it, she continued–voice low, eyes distant. 

“But my brother…” She paused, and for the first time, her cool composure wavered. “He was my hero. I miss him a lot.” 

Something in her tone struck me in the gut. Sincere. Raw. 

“Your brother…” I hesitated, unsure if I should ask. But the question slipped out anyway, gentle and awkward. “Is he… is he also… like… gone? 

Her jaw tightened. 

“Yeah,” she said, flatly. “He died recently. Murder.” 

The words slammed into me like a brick wall. My breath caught. 

“Which was why I had to move,” she added, brushing a crumb off her lap, trying her best to hide her vulnerability. 

“I… I’m so sorry,” I said again, because what else does one say to that? 

“Don’t be,” she replied, still not looking at me. “It’s not like you murdered him.” 

I nodded numbly, but then her eyes snapped to mine–sharp and focused, like twin flashlights slicing through fog. 

“Or did you?” she asked, and her voice was no longer casual. It was steel. 

My breath snagged. 

“Ex–excuse me?” I stammered, blinking hard, confused and a little unsettled by the sudden shift in her tone. 

Her head tilted slightly, and the curiosity in her gaze wasn’t the friendly kind–it was the clinical, calculated kind that made my skin crawl. 

“Have you ever murdered someone, Lucy?” she asked, each word laced with equal parts doubt and deadly interest. 

“What? No! Why would you even…” My voice trailed off, breaking mid–sentence as a chill zipped down my spine. She was still watching me, calm as ever, but there was something… off. Something that set every nerve in my body on edge. 

“Why would you ask something like that?” 

Clara looked away then, her eyes softening but not exactly warming. “The one who murdered my brother,” she said slowly, “was someone he adored. One of his favorite people.” 

I swallowed. 

She looked at me again. ” And I adore you, Lucy. So if you are gonna turn out like his murder then just tell me in advance. I will keep my distance with you.” She shook her head, her eyes glistening, voice thick. “I don’t wanna get hurt, Lucy. I don’t wanna repeat the mistake of trusting the wrong people.” 

A silence settled between us, thick with meaning. I nodded, almost automatically, because I understood that. Maybe too well. 

“I can understand,” I said quietly, my eyes falling to the untouched cookie in my hand. “Being betrayed by someone you trust–it breaks something inside you.” 

She didn’t reply. 

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Chapter 131 

30.1 squeezed her hand catty and added, “on trustee, will ever hurt you, Clara Bever. Arst trees your fish 

For e tecnd, she didn’t 

atmost imperceptibily, he lips curved lith a plost of a chute 

“Wash,” she whispered “Me too. 

A single tear slipped down her cheek, but she wiped it away so fast, I wasn’t even sure it had been there 

“Thank you, Lucy,” she said, her voice fragile but sincere. “And… I’m sorry for asking such a weird question. There’s no way somente as west ae priu 

would ever harm anyone.” 

Harm. Anyone 

The pair of words yanked me backward–violently, breathlessly into the black hole of my past. 

Ross. 

His voice, his smirk, his blood. 

The feel of the knife’s handle in my trembling hand. The sharp cry. The way his skin tore open, red pouring out like guilt made liquid. His arm. His face His entire body soaked in rage and blood. My doing. I harmed him. 

Clara was wrong. 

I COULD harm anyone. 

I DID harm someone. 

Though he deserved it, but, that won’t change the fact that I harmed HIM. 

I flinched. 

“Lucy?” Clara’s voice was calling me from somewhere far, far away–an echo down a tunnel I didn’t remember crawling into. She sounded distant, distorted, like I was underwater. 

But I couldn’t answer her. 

Because Ross was there. 

Now it wasn’t the Ross I hurt. 

It was the Ross who died because of me. 

He was in front of me, in my mind, as real as the air I was struggling to breathe. A hole in his forehead. Blood dripping down in a slow, cruel trail. And his eyes–those eyes that used to glint with cruelty–now frozen in death, wide open, locked on mine with a hate that refused to die. 

My heart stopped. 

“Lucy,” 

“Lucy?” 

My lungs forgot what they were supposed to do. 

“Lucy?” 

“Lucy!” Clara’s voice cut through my past, louder this time, and then–a jolt. Her hands grabbed my shoulders and gave me a sharp shake. 

214 

08:36 MON 16 Jun 

Chapter 131 

Sudden the tassroom came back into focus. 

The shadows of my past faded just enough for me to see the present clearly throrescent hights overhead, the faint chatter outside, the chill of my châu 

bernath me. 

And Clara. 

Her face had replaced Ross’s in my vision, and for a breathless moment, I couldn’t tell if she was real or another ghost. But then I saw her clearly her eyes wide with concern as she leaned toward me. 

She was half–standing, half bent in front of my chair, lowering herself just enough so our faces could meet, eye to eye. One of her hands hovered over my arm, as if waiting for permission to anchor me. The other braced lightly on the edge of my desk for support. 

“Hey,” her voice was as low as a whisper, as if she were afraid even the slightest raise could shatter me. “Look at me. You’re here. You’re safe 

“No… N–no… M–he…” I stammered, panic surging through me. 

“Hey,” she whispered, trying to ground me as she crouched. 

But it was too late. 

“He… he…” My voice cracked as panic surged through my veins like wildfire. My throat tightened. My vision blurred. 

“He’ll kill me. He’ll…” The words came in broken pieces, like my thoughts were shattering as I spoke them. 

“Lucy…” Clara tried, reaching for me. 

“He’ll… he’ll…” “My breathing went erratic–short, gasping. I couldn’t get air. My chest caved in on itself. “Kill me. Ross… He will…” 

My lips trembled. My tongue felt foreign. My body was no longer mine–it was pure fear. 

And then, arms. 

Warm, firm, and wrapping around me like a shelter from a storm. 

Clara. 

She hugged me tightly, protectively, holding me like I was something worth saving. 

“Hey, ssshhh…” she whispered, her voice a balm against the chaos in my head. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here. I’m right here.” 

Her hand rubbed gentle circles on my back, grounding me, guiding me. 

“Lucy, breathe,” she said. Calm but firm. “Come on, 

breathe.” 

I tried. 

Ross‘ dead eyes were still haunting me in my mind, but still, I tried. 

One inhale. 

Then another. 

My lungs shook like rusted machinery, but they obeyed her. 

“That’s it,” Clara murmured. “Yeah, just like that. Good girl.” 

And somehow… the air began to return. 

3/4 

Chapter 131 

Clara then straightened her back and was about to give me a soft, comforting, grounding smile when- 

“Lucy?” 

The voice–deep, familiar, and laced with panic–cut through the silence like a knife. 

Kaiden. 

I looked up toward the door just as he stepped into the room, his brows drawn 

our eyes met. 

“What happened?” he demanded, his voice sharper now, urgent. 

Clara and I were both too stunned by his sudden appearance–and the sheer 

eyes scanning me with alarm. His pace quickened the second 

radiating off him–to answer right away. I instinctively stood. 

Before I could say a word, Kaiden reached near me. He grabbed Clara gently but firmly by the arm, guiding her a step away from me. Then, without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around me. 

A hug. 

No, not just a hug. 

A shield. 

He held me so tightly, so protectively, it felt like he was building a wall with his own body between me and everything that haunted me. His handse cradled me close, one pressing against the back of my head, the other pulling me against his chest like he was trying to make me feel his heartbeat–to sync mine with his. 

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m here,” he murmured against my hair. His lips brushed the top of 

Something inside me unraveled. 

f my head in a soft, calming kiss. “I’m here for you.” 

My heart, which had been sprinting wild with panic, began to slow. My thoughts, which moments ago were loud and chaotic, quieted under the sound of his heartbeat. His hug wasn’t just warm–it was grounding. It didn’t just protect me physically–it wrapped me away from my physiological and emotional mess. It soothed me. 

In his arms, I found shelter. 

Safety. 

Sanity. 

And suddenly, Ross‘ dead eyes were gone like someone clicked the turn–off button. 

To be continued… 

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