Natalie froze for a moment.
What was going on? How did the effect of the sedative wear off so quickly?
+25 BONUS
Before she could react, Anathea yanked her forward. The sudden force spun them around, switching their positions in an instant.
Their eyes locked. And in that fleeting moment, Natalie saw the icy unflinching determination burning in Anathea’s gaze that hadn’t been there before.
Then, without hesitation, Anathea let go.
Her body tipped backward, and she fell straight down the staircase
“Oh my god!” Isabel covered her mouth in shock.
Everyone watched, horrified, as the slender figure tumbled down the stairs and dropped on the floor.
Natalie stood frozen at the top of the stairs, her eyes wide with disbelief.
No. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to be the one who fell. Anathea had flipped the situation completely.
Suddenly, Natalie felt the heat of a hundred eyes turning on her. Curious. Suspicious. Judging.
Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed.
“N–No, I didn’t do it!” She scrambled to her feet. “I didn’t push her! She fell–she did it herself!”
Everything had spiraled out of control. Right at the moment when she’d been about to win, Anathea had shattered her perfect plan.
Now, she wasn’t the victim. She was the culprit.
No, she had to get out of here right now.
Natalie struggled to get up as she tried her best to control her weak legs, holding the railing tremblingly.
As she staggered out of the attic, she caught a glimpse of a small figure standing frozen on the balcony across f child had witnessed everything that had just happened.
her. The
But Natalie didn’t have time to worry about that now. She just wanted to escape, or Gregory would come and kill her.
Inside the private chapel, Gregory bolted the moment he saw Anathea fall. The signet ring–an heirloom that symbolized the head of the Sinclair family–fell to the floor, breaking it into pieces.
He had wanted to catch her, but by the time he sprinted for the stairs, it was already too late. In that instant, as he watched Anathea lie crumpled before him, Gregory felt his entire world collapse.
“Annie!”
Anathea lay on the floor, pain pulsing through her. She felt as though every bone in her body had cracked.
She turned her head weakly toward the voice, seeing Gregory stumbling frantically and crashing to his knees as he rushed to her side.
His knees scraped raw against the harsh stone tiles. His eyes were bloodshot, clouded with tears that looked almost like blood.
He scooped her into his arms, hands trembling as he cupped her face. Gregory called Anathea’s name over and over again, his voice tinged with fear.
This was the third time Gregory had cried in front of her.
Chapter 428
His tears fell hot against her skin, but she felt cold, because her heart had already gone numb.
In a daze, she seemed to hear the words he had said to her just days ago. He sounded serious and sincere.
“Annie, I think you still have feelings for me.”
“You said you’ve lost your courage to feel something for someone. Then, let’s find it back together, okay?”
“Even until the very end of my life, I’m willing to find your courage back every step of the way.”
“I’m serious. I want to start over with you.”
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Anathea watched as Gregory, like a man possessed, shouted for someone to call an ambulance. She watched how he looked as if his entire world collapsed when he touched the part of her body drenched in blood.
She wanted to laugh at how he was still putting on this show of deep affection, even now.
But she couldn’t. She didn’t even have the strength to twitch the corners of her lips.
So, she simply watched as Gregory teetered on the brink of anguish and despair. He was saying something, his voice sharp and shaken, but she could no longer make out the words.
Anathea was just too tired, and her eyelids were heavy:
