Chapter 8
638words
I had not even reached my car when a furious voice erupted behind me. "What the hell do you want from me? If you were already done with her, why did you come back to the country? Wasn't it just to steal Lena from me?"
I turned around.
Matthew stared at me pathetically, his eyes red and twisted with hatred. It looked as though he wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands.
I did not bother hiding my irritation.
"Are you out of your mind?" I said coldly. "Why are you picking a fight again? I haven't even settled our old score yet, and you still have the nerve to come at me?"
I thought he would at least feel embarrassed. I underestimated how thick a person's skin could be.
He let out a harsh laugh. "If there hadn't been problems between you two back then, how would I ever have had a chance to exist?"
I hated admitting it, but he was not wrong. Still, that was the past. Dragging it up now meant nothing.
The obsession and desperation in his eyes mirrored exactly how I had once looked myself. All I felt was pity. I shook my head and turned to leave.
Behind me, he laughed again. This time, the sound was low, hollow, and unhinged. "If that's how you're all going to treat me, then don't blame me."
I did not even have time to react. A sharp, violent pain exploded in my abdomen. At some point, that lunatic had pulled out a knife and stabbed me.
The blade ripped through flesh. Warm blood spilled out, dripping onto the ground. Shock drowned out the pain.
It was blind rage, not a calculated strike. The moment he realized what he had done, he staggered backward several steps.
It was only one stab. It hurt like hell, but it was not fatal.
I forced my head up and stared at him in disbelief. "Are you insane?"
Only then did he seem to snap back to reality. He muttered, "If you die, she'll come back to me. You've had everything since you were a kid. Why did you have to fight me for her? I'm already so miserable. Couldn't you just let me have this?"
He said it as if it were perfectly reasonable. But the world did not run on pity.
Blood kept pouring from my abdomen. My hands shook as I fumbled for my phone, trying to call an ambulance.
The moment he saw it, he lunged at me like a madman, reaching for it.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to ruin me?"
I shook my head and tried to explain, but fear clenched my throat. No words came out. My legs gave way, and I collapsed onto the ground.
He hesitated for a split second when he saw me fall, then burst out laughing anyway. "I told you not to fight me! This is what you get!"
Cold crept through my body. If this continued, I might actually die here.
For the first time, I felt real fear.
Just as my life truly seemed to be slipping away, a familiar voice rang out in the distance. "What are you doing?!"
Selena ran toward me, panic etched across her face. When she saw the blood soaking my clothes, she broke down instantly.
I did not resist when she caught me, my body going limp in her arms.
At least I was saved.
Voices overlapped, full of shouting and arguments. Somewhere nearby, a siren wailed. As my consciousness faded, the last thing I heard was her desperate, breaking voice. "Alexander, you're not allowed to die! I love you! Do you hear me? I love you!"
Love? Too late.
