In a daze, Khanyi remembered she should escape. She pushed open the door, only to find the iron gate between the basement and the hall locked with a large black lock. She rushed over, banging on the iron bars, but the lock was very sturdy, and with her strength, it was impossible to open. The corridor was gradually filled with thick smoke, choking her into coughing. She had no choice but to return to her small room, blocking the door tightly with a bedsheet…
Khanyi crouched by the window and began to cry. Wasn’t this the best ending? She didn’t resent Irina too much; perhaps her profession required her to do this, or perhaps she was afraid of revealing her identity and action plan. Or maybe it was because she hadn’t poisoned his drink as he requested. Whatever the reason, it no longer mattered… she would perish in this sea of fire.
Thick smoke still seeped through the cracks into the room. The instinct to survive made her lower her body, quietly watching the world outside the low window. Did people remember some forgotten things just before death? She thought of the times she and her sisters were often punished by their father for being mischievous, of her mother combing her cloud-like black hair with a yellow wooden comb, of her brother Victor, of her classmates at the American church school… She prayed again and again for her family and friends to be safe and happy. However, what she didn’t expect was that the last thing that surfaced in her heart was a pair of ice-blue eyes. He would also perish in the fire. He deserved it, but why did she feel a trace of sympathy and guilt for him? Clearly, he had cruelly abused her, yet at this moment, she felt she owed him something.
If on that night at the opera house, she had accepted the rose from his hand, would things have been better? If when he entered the basement, she hadn’t deliberately exposed him but instead continued to lie in bed pretending to sleep, allowing him to say goodnight to her and leave quietly, would it have been better? If she hadn’t rashly barged into his room, and when she saw his heart hovering on the edge of a dark abyss, struggling and in pain, instead of using cold words to provoke him, she had just watched him and continued to listen to him… If… she didn’t want to imagine what the outcome would be if all these “ifs” became reality. She had never dared to hope for anything; she just didn’t want to owe anyone anything. Besides sympathy and guilt, there was also a deep-seated sorrow buried in her heart. She no longer had the strength to think about those things, coughing continuously until she fainted from the thick smoke.
In the yard, amidst the flickering firelight, two armed sergeants were escorting a struggling woman. One of the soldiers kicked her hard on the leg, causing her to kneel on the ground, crawling before him. He leaned down slightly, using his long fingers clad in white gloves to push aside her messy brown hair, revealing her face. Her features were exquisite and beautiful, especially her pair of soul-stirring eyes. He sneered, “My little cat, we finally meet.”
The woman returned his sneer, her sapphire blue eyes devoid of fear. “Ryan, you beast in human skin, this time you win, but unfortunately, you will gain nothing from me.” As she spoke, her pupils suddenly constricted, a hint of smugness curling her lips. Just as she was about to execute her final plan, he swiftly seized her throat, his movements as agile as a wolf.
“Ugh…” Her jaw could not close, her brows tightly furrowed, glaring at him from the side, her mouth forced open in an ‘O’ shape by his grip, unable to utter a single syllable.
He threw her to the ground with precise and brutal force, deliberately letting her forehead hit the hard surface, blood gushing forth. She felt a wave of dizziness, her vision blurring, her ears buzzing, only hearing his ghostly voice above her.
“When did the docile Persian cat turn into a beautiful snake? Someone, pull out her venomous fangs for me.” He said to the two sergeants, who wasted no time in following his orders. He dusted off the dirt from his white gloves, turning to the adjutant standing beside him, saying, “It seems this woman really has something valuable hidden in her mind.”
His brows slightly furrowed as he turned away, no longer watching his subordinates as they used pliers to forcibly extract her teeth one by one. Her ice-blue eyes gazed towards the house illuminated by the flickering flames, where firefighters were desperately trying to extinguish the fire. But the blaze was fierce, having already consumed most of the rooms from the first to the second floor, the crimson flames lighting up the dark night as if it were day.
The woman spat a mouthful of bloodied saliva at him, the ground littered with her white, blood-stained broken teeth. Despairing, she hissed, “You beast in human skin, you kill without mercy, your sins are countless, you are destined for hell!”
“Can you say something new, my little cat? I’ve heard that too many times.” He elegantly turned around, his red lips curling into a smile.
The woman’s eyes widened, staring at him intently, her hair disheveled, her lips smeared with bright red blood. The loss of her teeth made her appearance even more terrifying and ferocious. She let out a piercing laugh, “How many loved ones have you torn apart? How many innocents have died unjustly? It’s time… hahaha!” She threw her head back and laughed loudly, as if she were a born madwoman.
He stared at her, suddenly understanding something from her expression, his eagle-like sharp eyes narrowing in realization.
