"Maniac!"


    Lysander didn''t even flinch as blood dripped steadily from his palm, soaking


    through the front of his shirt. He advanced, step by relentless step, his eyes cold and wild.


    Driven by terror but refusing to back down, M held her ground.


    She''d never expected Lysander could be this ruthless, this extreme-so


    desperate he didn''t care if he lived or died. He really was a madman, through and through.


    What now?


    There was no way she was going to let this man ruin the rest of her life. She''d already wasted years on him; with her whole future ahead of her, why should she tie herself to a lunatic''s fate? It wasn''t worth it.


    Not at all.


    "You-you say you love me?"


    A sudden idea struck M, inspired by the Red Hat robot''s hidden voice files. She seized her chance, blurting out the question.


    Lysander halted.


    He stared at her intently, noting the flicker of hatred and disgust in her eyes. Something seemed to dawn on him. He forced a bitter smile, his gaze sharp and inscrutable.


    He answered, "No. I don''t love you. Someone as heartless as you doesn''t deserve my love-only chains and darkness."


    He''s insane, M thought, drawing a shaky breath.


    She''d wanted to use this as leverage, to turn the conversation and steer things toward her own goal, but now it was clear-she was out of options.


    Of course. She and Lysander had never trulymunicated. Reason never worked between them.


    The realization made her pause, thenugh softly at herself. Maybe he was right —maybe she really didn''t have a heart. Even now, all she could think about was how to get out of this marriage cleanly.


    But she had cared, once.


    She really had.


    Snapping out of her daze, M tightened her grip on the bloodstained knife. She looked up, her eyes clear and cold. "Lysander, are you really willing to abandon your mother?"


    Lysander''s face hardened.


    As expected.


    If there was anything Lysander valued above all else, it was his mother, Felicity Fontaine then the Montgomery family name.


    Seven years of marriage, at least she''d learned that much.


    "Your mother''s health has been fragile for years; her nerves are shot. If anything happens to you up here tonight, it''ll destroy her-you know that as well as I do. And the Montgomery family would be ruined right along with her."


    M hated using the one person who''d shown her real kindness, the woman who''d treated her like a daughter. But she had no choice.


    It was the only card she had left.


    Seeing Lysander hesitate, clearly weighing her words, M pressed on. "You say you know me, Lysander. Then you should know I see no hope if I stay by your side. If not today, then someday, we''ll both go down together."


    "When hope is gone, reason disappears. Are you really willing to destroy your mother—and the Montgomery family-just to keep me trapped?"


    He narrowed his eyes, his voice icy. "Is that a threat?"


    "Yes."


    M took a bold step forward, meeting his gaze with unwavering resolve. "You''ve driven me to this, Lysander. You''ve left me no way out. Your mother has always been kind to me, treated me like her own. I care about her too. If I can''t go on, I''ll make sure she''s thest person I see."


    She pressed the de to her throat, the metal cold against her skin. Her lips curled in a strange, almost mocking smile-a mirror of Lysander''s own.


    She whispered, "Just like this-slice by slice, blood pouring out, copsing in the arms of the one woman who''s been like a real mother to me. Then at least I''ll have no regrets."


    Would she really be the only one destroyed then?


    Her hand slipped, the knife nicking her skin and drawing a thin line of blood. She winced at the sting.


    Lysander''s hand shot out, gripping her wrist and yanking it away.


    M wrenched herself free, stepping back. She ignored the shallow cut on her neck, her voice t and calm. "I want to live, Lysander. Let me go. Give me a way out."


    He said nothing.


    Outside, a storm howled against the windows.


    When he finally seemed to calm, M set the knife aside. She reached into her crossbody bag, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood from her hands. Then, with careful precision, she took out a waterproof folder and produced a divorce agreement.


    She ced it on the table, along with a pen.


    Her signature was already there.


    Sitting down at the small table, she looked up at him with eyes as cold as ice, though her voice came out soft and gentle.


    "You know this is the only way, Lysander. Some things can''t be fixed. Lies can never be truth."


    "Sign the papers. Let''s leave the past behind."