Chapter 118
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The thought sent a wave of cold dread through her. “Kayla, I’m sorry. I was wrong.” The words exploded from her throat, raw and desperate, the humiliation burning through every syllable.
Kayla’s footsteps didn’t falter.
The panic morphed into something closer to terror. “Kayla, I apologized. What more do you want? Kayla!”
Only then did Kayla turn around with a saccharine smile, digging at her ear before flicking her fingers dismissively. “Okay, I heard you! Goddess, you’re loud.”
“An insincere apology–what’s even the point?‘ Kayla thought.
She didn’t say a single word about forgiving Marianna–neither yes nor no. Kayla just walked away, leaving Marianna standing there, totally humiliated and at a complete loss.
Marianna stared daggers at Kayla’s slender, retreating figure. Her jaw clenched so tight her teeth might crack. The look in her eyes was pure venom, cold enough to freeze blood. If looks could kill, Kayla would’ve been shredded to pieces by now.
Just you wait, Kayla,‘ she thought viciously. ‘One day, I’ll make you pay back every single humiliation you put me through today. Every. Single. One.‘
Payton caught the murderous intent blazing in Marianna’s eyes. Something ice–cold flickered through his
gaze.
He hurried after Kayla, catching up with quick strides. “You’re just forgiving them? Like that?” Confusion threaded through his voice. “You could tell they weren’t sincere.”
‘This doesn’t make sense,‘ he thought. The Kayla he knew wasn’t supposed to be this easily fooled.
Kayla let out a derisive laugh. “Do I look like someone that nice to you?”
Payton nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. You do.”
“If Kayla wasn’t kind, why would she help so many struggling students? Why would she go out of her way to protect their dignity?‘ he thought.
‘If she wasn’t kind, why would she drop everything to help Max with his leg, giving him all that money without a second thought? If she wasn’t kind, why would she–‘His mind drifted to that moment, and warmth spread through his chest like sunlight breaking through clouds.
But kindness needed edges.
Being kind didn’t mean letting terrible people walk away unscathed.
Kayla hadn’t expected her image in Payton’s mind to be quite so noble. This wasn’t good news at all.
Not about to let that fantasy live for even a second longer, she shot his hopes down on the spot.
18:55 Wed Oct 15
Chapter 118
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“She never meant that apology. Kayla said, her voice flat. So forgiveness doesn’t even come into it. If you want someone to truly regret what they’ve done, they need to experience exactly what you went through. That’s the only way they’ll understand how vile their actions really were.”
Payton nodded slowly, agreeing with Kayla’s words, though confusion still clouded her features. “But if that’s true, then why haven’t you turned over the hospital surveillance footage to the police?
You know Marianna was the one who photographed you at the OB–GYN. You know she’s the one spreading those rumors online. Why not give them the evidence and let her face the consequences she deserves?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Kayla’s face. He knows I have the footage?‘ she thought.
But then she remembered–yesterday, Payton had been the one to distract the security guard, giving her the window she needed to slip out of the surveillance room undetected. The surprise faded.
The way I got that video wasn’t exactly legitimate,” Kayla said, her tone unusually patient.
She continued. “If I hand it over to the police, don’t you think I’d be the one in trouble? What’s stopping them from assuming I was the one who destroyed the hospital’s surveillance system?”
Payton considered this, then nodded slowly. ‘She’s right, Payton thought. The timing was damning―Kayla had copied the footage, and moments later, someone had deleted it. If she came forward now, suspicion would land squarely on her shoulders.
“Besides, Kayla continued, “even if we prove Marianna took those photos and recordings, that only proves she had the materials. How do we prove she was the one who posted them online? The police already traced everything back to Hailey’s account. That’s where the trail ends.”
Something sparked in Payton’s eyes. Everything had been chaos earlier, yet Kayla had somehow processed all of this—calculated every angle, every potential trap.
She really was brilliant.
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