Chapter 985:

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She rested against my chest, then slipped her arms around my neck. Her voice was soft as she tried to calm me. “Ethan, don’t do anything rash. Don’t confront Melisa yet. We need to stay calm. We’re so close to the end now. We can’t let the plan fall apart at the last moment.”

I lowered my eyes to her but remained silent.

Only I knew how close I came to falling apart.

Knowing that Melisa had caused Lianne to suffer such severe damage made an uncontrollable fury burn through me. I wanted nothing more than to make her pay many times over.

But Lianne’s reminder brought me back to reality. We couldn’t afford to make a mistake now.

The plan that had originally been unfolding step by step had to be sped up. The sooner we brought everything to an end, the sooner Lianne would finally be free.

A bitter sense of guilt gnawed at me. If she hadn’t drunk that glass of water in the first place, she never would have had to endure this pain. After taking Lianne home and making sure she was settled comfortably in bed, I left her to rest and went straight to the study. I closed the door behind me, pulled out my phone, and sent Melisa a short message. “Meet me at the usual place tonight.”

Her response came almost immediately. “Okay.”

That evening, I reached the hotel room ahead of time and waited.

It wasn’t long before Melisa arrived.

Ethan’s POV:

𝗪𝖾 𝘂𝗽d𝗮t𝘦 𝖾𝘷𝘦𝗋y wее𝗸 on 𝗀а𝗹𝘯o𝘃𝖾𝗅s.𝗰о𝗆

Melisa had dressed in crimson tonight. Her makeup was immaculate, and there was an obvious brightness to her mood.

The moment she entered, she noticed me beside the window and approached with a smile, cautiously asking, “Ethan, could we skip the blindfold tonight? I want to see you.”

I turned toward her, my face giving nothing away, then stepped toward the door. “I don’t like being watched. If you’re unwilling to wear it, then we’ll forget about tonight.”

She stopped short, then hurried after me and planted herself in my path, bewilderment creeping into her voice. “Why? Have you always had this problem?”

I halted with my back to her and offered the lie I’d prepared. “It’s psychological. My doctor says prolonged eye contact can trigger an anxiety attack. If that makes you uncomfortable, we don’t have to continue.”

For several seconds, she said nothing. Then she rushed to reassure me, “That’s fine! I’ll do it. Please don’t leave.”

I looked back and caught the desperation in her expression, along with her willingness to compromise. Instead of sympathy, I felt nothing but icy contempt and a wave of disgust.

I forced the reaction down and picked up the blindfold from the table. Approaching her, I waited as she obediently lifted her chin. I wrapped the fabric around her eyes and secured it firmly, making certain there was no gap through which she could see.

Once that was done, I turned my back to her and lit the scented candle. Its soft, intoxicating aroma gradually filled the room.

I remained concealed in the dimness, watching as her awareness slowly blurred. A hazy expression settled over her features, and my name slipped from her lips in a muddled murmur.

I watched without reaction, my gaze as cold as ever.

None of it was real. It was all part of the performance.

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