Chapter 1188:

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The gardener had confessed so readily because Zane had deployed a chemical truth serum he’d been carrying in his pocket — a compound that, when inhaled, made subjects incapable of lying.

He’d originally synthesized it specifically for use on Eaton, but it had proven useful today nonetheless.

After a moment’s deliberation, Zane started the engine and steered the car toward Eaton’s private villa in the city center.

When he arrived, he bypassed the main entrance entirely and headed directly for the basement.

The door was secured with an industrial-grade padlock, but Zane pulled a hammer from his bag and brought it down hard, shattering the mechanism.

The broken lock clattered to the concrete floor.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zane shoved the door open.

A blast of frigid air rushed out and hit him like a physical force, chilling him to the bone. In the center of the room stood an ornate crystal coffin, its surface completely obscured by a thick layer of frost that made it impossible to see the features of whoever — or whatever — lay inside.

Zane moved forward slowly, his heart hammering, and leaned over the coffin to peer through the frost.

His pupils contracted to pinpoints, and his entire body went rigid with shock. “This is impossible,” he breathed. “How can this be?”

A devastating punch connected squarely with Zane’s cheek.

𝘉𝗲 р𝘢r𝘁 𝗈𝗳 𝘰𝘂𝘳 𝗰𝘰mmu𝗇𝗶𝘁y o𝗻 𝗴a𝘭novе𝗅𝘴.c𝗼𝘮

The force sent him flying backward, and he slammed into the concrete wall with bone-jarring impact.

He lifted his head to find Eaton standing over him — he hadn’t even heard him enter. A slow, knowing smile curved his bloodied lips. “You came back.”

Before Zane could say another word, Eaton’s hand shot out and closed around his throat, hauling him up off the floor. “I warned you last night to stay out of that basement. Why couldn’t you just listen to me?”

Even as he struggled for air, Zane’s smile only widened into something unhinged and manic. “I always thought you’d seen through my cover — that you were monitoring me for Gracie’s sake! But I never imagined you’d be hiding my own corpse in your basement!”

His eyebrows arched with cruel amusement. “What is this — guilt? Regret? You pushed me into despair, watched me die, and now you can’t live with what you did? Or do you just want to stare at my corpse and wallow in nostalgia?”

Eaton’s pupils shrank to pinpoints. “What — what are you talking about?”

“Don’t understand?” Zane’s laugh came out wild and broken. “I’m Theo! You don’t need to mourn over a frozen corpse anymore because I’m standing right here!”

Before entering the basement, Zane had been cautious — prepared for Eaton to potentially discover him.

But after seeing his own preserved corpse surrounded by walls plastered with photographs documenting his entire life, how could he possibly misunderstand Eaton’s obsession?

From the very beginning, Eaton’s feelings had gone far beyond simple friendship.

Eaton’s grip released abruptly, and Zane dropped heavily to the floor. He collapsed against the wall, laughing hysterically, his expression twisted with contempt. “So you’ve been in love with me this whole time. How absolutely pathetic.”

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