Chapter 646
No.1
Isabella observed the transformation.
Gigi was no longer the rumored girl-next-door.
She had become a fighter, reclaiming what was hers.
Isabella retreated, concealing herself behind a thick tree trunk.
Nathaniel positioned himself beside her, muscles taut, ready to spring.
The hub was rectangular, roughly a dozen square meters.
It had once served as a shelter for the homeless.
Over time, occupants had added a metal door for protection from the elements.
Inside, the space was cramped and dim, lit only by a single flickering candle.
Arabella was on her knees, hands and feet bound tightly.
No.2
Her eyes were red-rimmed, pleading. “Harrison Winslow, you have to stop this! It’s a crime! You’ll go to prison—”
“Shut up!” Harrison snarled, gripping her throat. “Even if I don’t, you’ll have Isabella Montgomery send her lawyers after me! I’ll end up in jail regardless! What will I have left when I get out? Nothing! Haven’t I treated you well all these years? How can you be so cruel?”
“Me? Cruel?” Arabella choked, her face flushing from the pressure. “I gave you my youth! I borrowed money for you whenever you asked, even when I had none!”
“You made me the other woman! You blamed everything on me! Did you ever care about my feelings? Who’s the heartless one here?”
Her voice was raw with pain and betrayal.
Harrison’s rage boiled over. “Because you’re a fool! You chose to be with me! You brought this on yourself!”
“I don’t have time for this. If you don’t drop the charges, I’ll ruin you!”
He shoved her away violently.
Then he grabbed a red-hot iron rod heating in a coal brazier.
The metal glowed ominously, radiating intense heat.
No.3
Arabella’s eyes filled with utter devastation.
He called her a fool.
He said she deserved it.
Was he really capable of this?
Was this her reward for years of love?
Harrison advanced step by step.
The searing iron moved closer to her face.
Arabella squeezed her eyes shut in terror, bracing for the searing pain.
Suddenly…
Crash!
No.4
The metal door burst open.
Genevieve stormed into the hub with the raging tempest at her back. Harrison froze in shock.
“Genevieve? What… How did you get here?”
Arabella stared in disbelief. How had Genevieve tracked them to this derelict location?
Genevieve let out a bitter laugh. “Harrison Winslow. Do you recall our first meeting?”
Harrison’s hand stilled. That was seven years ago. A film crew had been shooting on location near here.
Genevieve’s dog had bolted into this very hub. She’d chased after it, only to injure her leg and tumble into the raging river.
Harrison had been on a call nearby. Hearing the disturbance, he’d rushed over and pulled her from the water.
The thunder and lightning tonight mirrored that stormy day. The sky had darkened then too, rain lashing down. Yet Harrison had shielded her, carrying her into this very hub for shelter…
“Of course I remember,” Harrison sneered. “How could I forget? You’d be dead if not for me. And how did you repay me? How did your family repay me?”
No.5
“All these years, every single one of you looked down on me. You pressured me! Threw money at me like I was some beggar! Is that how you treat the man who saved your life?”
“If I could go back, I never would have saved you! I should have let you drown!”
Genevieve recoiled as if struck. His words sent a jolt of disbelief through her.
They had given him a substantial sum. Her parents had treated him with respect, kindly asking him to take good care of her!
He had clung to this twisted resentment.
The Harrison from back then was a different man. He had held her, cared for her, revived her.
To help her breathe, he’d unbuttoned her blouse. When Genevieve finally awoke to the sound of rain pounding on the hub’s roof, Harrison had vowed, “I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life.”
He had clearly forgotten that promise. He was a stranger now.
Her heart shattered. Genevieve glared at him. “I never imagined you saw us that way. We never looked down on you. We never thought of you as a beggar.”
“No matter what trouble you were in, we always tried to help. How could you think so poorly of us? Now, please, calm down. Don’t make this worse. Let her go,” she pleaded.
No.6
“Let her go?” Harrison barked a harsh laugh. “So I can rot in jail while you seize all my assets? Don’t be ridiculous! Get out! You have no say here!” He lunged for Arabella, grabbing her throat. His other hand brandished the red-hot iron toward her eyes.
“Arabella Fontaine! Call the court right now! Tell them you’re dropping all charges! Do it, or I’ll burn your eyes out right here! You’ll be blind forever!”
The scorching metal hovered dangerously close. Arabella could feel its intense heat against her skin.
She paled, frozen in sheer terror. Genevieve was equally horrified. She never thought she’d see the man she loved descend into such madness.
“No! Stop!” Genevieve cried out. “I promise you’ll keep your assets after you serve your time! I won’t touch a single penny! We can draft the separation agreement right now! I never wanted your money! Even after your betrayal, I never planned to sue! I swear!”
“I don’t believe you!” Harrison roared. “I’m not going to jail! Get out! If you called the police, I’ll find a way to end you and your daughter! Like this!”
He growled, thrusting the iron even closer. The burning tip nearly touched Arabella’s eyeball.
Suddenly…
A black dart sliced through the dark air. It struck Harrison’s arm with deadly precision, embedding deep into his flesh. Blood instantly gushed from the wound.
“Argh!”
No.7
Harrison screamed in agony. The iron clattered loudly to the ground. Both Arabella and Genevieve stood petrified, stunned by the sudden, violent turn of events.
“What are you waiting for? Take him down!”
The sharp command cut through the tension. Arabella and Genevieve spun around to see Isabella Montgomery watching them from a short distance.
Her voice snapped them into action. Genevieve immediately sliced through the ropes binding Arabella with the dagger.