Evadne''s eyes shed a dangerous crimson, feeling as if an invisible hand was squeezing her insides into a mangled mess of blood and flesh.


    After a moment, her voice emerged, raspy and trembling:


    "Avery, you hit the nail on the head. I do think about you all the time - about watching you die."


    "Ha... Evadne, you''re adorable."


    Avery''s voice wasced with affection. If it weren''t for the distance of a phone call separating them, he would have kissed her recklessly. "Even when you hate me, I''m hopelessly, deeply in love with you."


    "You, with your venomous, cold-blooded heart, understand love?"


    Evadne''s eyes were sharp as des, a chilling sensation swirling in her chest with each tremulous word. "Don''t desecrate such a sacred emotion. You''re not even worthy of mentioning it!"


    "Evadne, I do love. And I don''t think I''ve ever been wrong in that. My love for you is the purest, most sincere. It''s always been you. Only you."


    Avery''s voice was low and hoarse, filled with a restrained agony. "From the moment we met when I was just ten, I''ve loved no one else but you, Evadne." Evadne shut her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath, barely holding back nausea.


    "Thaddeus never loved you from the start. His heart belonged to another. You spent three years of your youth married to him, giving your all, tending to him meticulously. Yet, in the end, his heart still strayed to another, showering her with all the tenderness he could muster, even casting you, his so-called wife, aside.


    You returned to the Ashbourne family, bearing a heart full of scars, only to find yourself once more in the spotlight for your talents, reiming your status as Miss Ashbourne. And it was then he started to see you differently.


    But had you remained the quiet, unassuming, and tender-hearted woman by his side, would Thaddeus have ever noticed you? Would he have fallen for you? Not at all.


    How is that different from being fickle?"


    Evadne''sshes fluttered, steadying her spirit.


    Yet, those malicious words felt like a blunt knife, slowly and deeply slicing at her heart.


    "And me? Since that year I turned ten and met you, up to this very moment, I''ve never loved another woman. My heart has only room for you, Evadne."


    Avery''s words, heavy with emotion yet tinged with a hint of madness from unrequited love, flowed through her ears. "For you, I could embrace madness, descend into depravity, destroy the world.


    My life is a void of darkness and solitude, only you can breach my heart, only you are vibrant, alive, the one thing I''ve always yearned for.


    His love, shallow, promiscuous, and bted... How can his cheap affectionspare to mine? What right does he have to love you?"


    "Avery, even now, do you expect to drive a wedge between me and Thaddeus with such vile tactics? Save it."


    Evadneughed brightly, love dispelling all shadows. "Yes, Thaddeus might have loved someone else once, might have hurt me, but even so, I choose to love him, to be with him. In contrast, you''ve resorted to every scheme, calcted every move, all in vain. To me, you''re nothing but a sewer rat."


    Her words dripped with scorn, utterly dismissing his fervor. "Avery, does it ever ur to you how pitiful you are?"


    A suffocating silence followed.


    Then, gently, he spoke:


    "Evadne, if that''s the case, let me see you onest time, okay?"


    Evadne clenched her teeth, "In your dreams."


    "Evadne, who are you talking to?"


    Debby, cradling a basket full of wildflowers, stood in the garden, peering at


    Evadne''s silhouette. "Is something wrong?"


    "It''s nothing, sis!" She responded with a radiant smile.


    The next second, her phone buzzed-


    A message popped up.


    "Evadne, don''t rush your decision. Look at what I''ve sent you, then decide." His voice was seductive.


    Evadne bit her lip, opening the message to find a clear photo jumping into view.


    It was taken from a low angle, showcasing her Darcy, standing confidently on a stage, the center of attention.


    "Avery... what are you nning?!"


    Evadne''splexion turned deathly pale, her eyes reddening with fury. "I warn you, don''t touch my family, or I swear I''ll kill you myself!"


    "Well then, dying by the hands of the woman I love most would be a no-regret way to go."


    Avery''sugh was fearless, echoing a chilling and eerie tone. "But before you get your chance, I''ll be taking someone with me.


    I''ve ced four timed bombs at the event venue, hidden well. Even if the police were to search, they wouldn''t find them easily.


    And I can detonate any one of them at any moment, ording to my whim. Are you curious about the destruction it would cause, Evadne? Want to see?"


    A bone-chilling dread raced up Evadne''s spine.


    Amidst overwhelming fear, her mind buzzed, her chest aching with pain.


    Today, Darcy had redistributed a portion of the police force to assist Thaddeus and her elder brother, leaving the event''s security thinly spread.


    At this moment, if Avery targeted Darcy, taking his life would be effortless.


    "If today bes his death anniversary, do you think your sister could withstand such a blow? Would she have any hope left?" Avery''s tone was eerily calm yet terrifying.


    Evadne slowly turned, looking at Debby who was blissfully unaware, her voice hoarse with rage:


    "Don''t touch Darcy. I''lle to you."


    "Evadne, good."


    Avery''s voice was filled with satisfaction. "I''ll be at the Rose Sanatorium in the eastern outskirts of West City, waiting for you."


    Suddenly, his voice deepened:


    "Don''t tell anyone, especially not Thaddeus. I don''t want anyone ruining our date.


    You know me; I get upset easily, and even I can''t predict what I''ll do next."


    The call ended, leaving the screen pitch ck.