Chapter 13
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The exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on her, and soon, she drifted off. The only sign she was alive was the faint rise and fall of her chest.
At midnight, the storm outside grew wilder. Rain lashed against the windows, and howling winds rattled the glass. The noise was like echoes of the chaos in her restless mind, tearing at the fragile calm she’d tried to build.
Somewhere deep inside, invisible strings yanked Kayla down into the dark. Memories from her past life surged forward like a tidal wave.
Scenes of betrayal, cruelty, and heartbreak played out in perfect clarity. Each frame burned itself into her mind like some cursed reel on loop, every detail sharper than the last.
She tried to run, to claw her way out, but the harder she fought, the more those memories took hold, like a nightmare that refused to fade.
She saw Davon–his cold words slashing through her like knives, his eyes filled with disgust.
He said to her, “Kayla, how can you be so vicious? Maria’s poor, yeah, but she’s kind. She works hard. She’s everything you’re not. How could you bully her? That’s just disgusting. Don’t even tell me you like me. Your love makes me sick.”
When he looked at Marianna, the warmth and tenderness in his gaze was unbearable to Kayla. Then he looked at Kayla, as if she were some rotting thing beneath his shoe.
Next came Tristian’s voice, crueler than anything Kayla had ever heard. “How the hell did I end sister like you? You should’ve just died.
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“Clearly, I wasn’t hard enough on you last time. You still have the nerve to go after Maria. What should I do to punish you now?”
He was smiling as he said it. In the dim light, his face looked split in two—half angel, half devil.
And the way he looked at Kayla wasn’t like a brother at all. It was like she was some filthy stray that he had every right to beat down.
Every word dug into Kayla’s skin like ice, making her tremble uncontrollably.
And Marianna, so delicate on the surface, but grinning with smug satisfaction underneath.
“Weren’t you the Sexton heiress? Always looking down on me, huh? Didn’t you keep me away from them? Well, guess what? All it took was a wink and a smile, and now your brother and childhood sweetheart choose to believe me. Doesn’t that just burn?”
She sneered, “So what if I schemed against you? You think they didn’t know the truth? Of course they did. They just didn’t care. Look at you now–face ruined, legs useless. You’re pathetic. You think you could ever compete with me?”
Other people who had bullied Kayla joined Mariana. They pointed at Kayla and threw malicious remarks at
9.10 Tue, Oct 14
Chapter 13
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A girl said. “School bully. Got your face wrecked, huh? Serves you right. Why aren’t you dead yet?”
A man snapped. You thought I loved you. Don’t flatter yourself. Maria asked me to play games with you. The only one I’ve ever loved is her.
Another voice said. “Did I ask you to save me? You just burned your legs, but I lost my love. You should’ve just died in the fire.
One face after another flashed through Kayla’s mind. Every word they had said echoed sharp and cold, laced with loathing and cruelty that pierced deeper than any blade,
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was ruined, and her legs were useless. There was no emotion in her eyes as she flicked the lighter and tossed it into the room soaked with gasoline,
Flames roared to life, racing across the floor, devouring everything in the house. The heat slammed into her like a wave, thick and suffocating.
Kayla closed her eyes. The scorching air wrapped around her body, burning through skin, sinking into her bones, setting her soul on fire.
But just as she began to surrender to the fire, a deafening clap of thunder cracked the sky. A violent wind howled against the windows, rattling the world like it had snapped loose from its hinges.
A bolt of lightning split the darkness outside, lighting up her terrified face. In that instant, something pulled her back.
Kayla jolted awake, shooting upright in bed. Every muscle was tense, her breath caught in her throat. Sweat drenched her pajamas, clinging to her skin like glue.
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