3
fought down my fury, asking Ryder in a cold voice.
“Isabella didn’t want any of your things here, so I cleared them out,”
Ryder said, his voice distant.
“I’ll find you somewhere else to live.”
<
Cleared out? He made it sound so simple.
“Just like you got rid of that innocent little dog, are you trying to get rid of me?”
I let out a cold, hollow laugh.
From start to finish, I was always the extra one.
“You…”
I cut him off, my voice trembling with emotion.
“You can do whatever you want with everything else, I don’t care. I just want that box!”
Inside was Grandma’s lucky charm, my only connection to her!
“What do you want it for?”
Ryder’s face instantly darkened, his eyes turning wary and harsh.
He thought I was going to use the contents of the box to stir up trouble with Roman again.
“You’ll never be as kind and wonderful as Isabella!”
“Roman would never like a manipulative, vile woman like you!”
“I’m warning you, I will never let you ruin Isabella’s wedding!”
Kind? In his eyes, only the heroine of this world was truly kind.
I had once told Ryder about that box.
Under the moonlight, he’d said, with a hint of jealousy, that he’d keep it safe for me until I found my true love.
I’d also said that if I could ever be with him, I’d give him the box.
Back then, his expression was serious and loving, filling me with hope.
Now, he was warning me with the most vicious words:
“You stay put! Don’t you dare try to cause any more trouble for Isabella!”
“If you don’t tell me where the box is, I’ll go tell Isabella right now exactly what kind of filthy, hidden thoughts you have about her!” I intentionally provoked him.
Ryder was indeed completely enraged.
He retrieved the box from a corner and violently threw it to the ground.
The box shattered, and the lucky charm fell out.
He snatched up the charm and brutally tore it to shreds, the pieces scattering across the floor.
8:37 PM
<
ச
“Scarlett, you’re so ungrateful! I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget today!”
I looked at the shredded lucky charm, my heart twisting in agony.
This was the man I had poured everything into caring for.
His inherent ruthlessness had never disappeared!
Good. His cruelty was exactly what I needed to end my life, to see Grandma sooner.
I clutched the torn pieces of the charm tightly in my hand, looking at Ryder’s enraged face, and smiled.
“We’re completely even now.”
With that, before he could react, I lunged, smashing into his previously injured leg.
The pain from my broken leg made me stumble, but I put all my remaining strength into the impact.
Excruciating pain instantly flared, and I coughed up blood, my vision blurring.
I knew it was his sore spot, the scar left by Isabella.
I deliberately provoked him, wanting only to finish this quickly and leave this world.
Ryder froze, stunned that I would do such a thing.
His face flashed with shock, self–reproach, and pain, as he looked at me helplessly.
But soon, these emotions were replaced by fury.
“Scarlett! You couldn’t seduce Roman, so now you’re trying to seduce *me*?! You have no shame!”
I was fading fast, my consciousness blurring, but I saw Julian had arrived too.
When I woke again, I found myself in a dark, damp basement.
“Didn’t Julian take me away? How did I end up here?”
As I wondered, Isabella stood before me, a triumphant look on her face.
“Scarlett, you’re in such a wretched state, and you still can’t leave them alone?”
Isabella looked down at me from above, mocking,
“Do you really think a pathetic wretch like you can compete with me?”
Before I could even process what she was saying, she suddenly leaned close to my ear and whispered, “I’ll show you today.”
“All your struggles and efforts are nothing but a futile joke.”
“But, seeing how pitiful you are, I’ll give you a fair chance to compete.”
6:37PM d
I grew even more confused. Just as I was about to demand an explanation, I heard sounds of a struggle outside.
Then, the door burst open, and Roman rushed in, yelling frantically:
“Isabella, are you okay?!”
