I knelt before Lily''s tombstone, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Though


    I''d managed to clean away Victoria''s vile desecration, the weight of what had happened pressed


    down on me like a physical force.


    My fingers traced the engraved letters of my daughter''s name. The moonstone was clean now,


    but I couldn''t shake the feeling that something had been irreparably damaged.


    "Lily, it''s Mom''s fault," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "Mom is sorry for you!"


    The cool night air carried my words away, offering nofort in return. Five years of grief had


    not dulled the pain of losing her. If anything, each new cruelty from Victoria only reopened the


    wound, making it bleed afresh.


    "I should have protected you better," I continued, my voice breaking. "I should have seen what


    Victoria was doing."


    The knowledge that Victoria had yed a role in Lily''s death burned inside me like acid. Even


    worse was Ethan''s continued blindness to her true nature, his willingness to believe her lies


    over the truth that stood right before him.


    I pressed my forehead against the cold stone, seeking some connection to my daughter. "Lily,"


    you haven''te to Mom''s dreams for so long. Are you ming Mom?" Only silence answered me.


    "Are you ming Mom for knowing who killed you, but not avenging you?"


    The thought struck me with terrible rity. I had known-or at least strongly suspected-


    Victoria''s involvement in redirecting the kidney donor that might have saved Lily''s life. Yet


    what had I done about it? Made usations without proof, thrown tantrums that only made


    me look unstable.


    I had failed my daughter in life. I would not fail her in death.


    "Lily, don''t be angry with Mom," I whispered, a new resolve hardening my voice. "Mom will


    avenge you, okay?"


    I kissed her image on the tombstone, the small photograph that captured her sweet smile but


    776


    could never convey the light that had shone from within her.


    +15 Points >


    Rising to my feet, I wiped away my tears with the back of my bloodied hand. The cut Victoria had inflicted throbbed painfully, but I barely noticed it now.


    My reflection in the polished stone showed a woman I barely recognized-hair wild, clothes stained with blood and dirt, eyes burning with a dangerous light.


    Good. Let that fire burn. I would need it for what came next.


    I turned away from Lily''s grave, my mind made up. Victoria Frost would pay for what she had done-not just with her reputation or her standing in the pack, but with her life.


    As I walked back toward the cemetery gates, Gregory Tanner approached, his weathered face


    creased with concern:


    "Ms. Winters, I checked the surveince footage," he said, falling into step beside me. "I''m


    sorry, but whoever did this knew how to avoid the cameras. There''s no usable evidence."


    I nodded, unsurprised. Victoria was too calcting to leave such an obvious trail.


    "Thank you for trying, Gregory," I said, my voice steadier than I expected. "And for your help


    tonight."


    He nced at my injured hand, frowning. "You should get that looked at. It could get infected."


    "I will," I lied, already walking toward my car.


    Gregory hesitated, clearly wanting to say more, but something in my expression must have warned him against it. He simply nodded and stepped back.


    I got into my car and started the engine, my destination clear in my mind. Rosewood Haven-


    Victoria''s luxurious home-was where I would find her.


    As I pulled away from Sacred Moonlight Cemetery, I caught a final glimpse of Lily''s grave in


    my rearview mirror. The white moonstone gleamed in the darkness, a beacon calling for


    justice.


    "I promise, Lily," I whispered. "Mom will make it right."


    (Victoria''s POV)


    I slipped away from the cemetery, carefully avoiding the surveince cameras I''d noted on my


    way in. My heart pounded against my ribs as I hurried to my waiting vehicle.


    That crazy b***h Olivia hadpletely lost her mind. The way she''d attacked me, mmed my head against the tombstone-I touched my forehead gingerly, wincing at the tender spot


    < Chapter 93. Blood and Venge.....


    where blood had begun to congeal.


    +15 Points 2


    I needed to get away quickly. If Olivia alerted the security guard, I could be caught


    on camera


    leaving the scene.


    Starting the engine, I pulled away from the cemetery, my mind racing faster than the car. Olivia''s words echoed in my ears: "You killed Lily."


    A chill ran down my spine despite the warmth of the car''s interior. Did she know something?


    Had she found evidence?


    No, that was impossible. I''d been too careful, covered my tracks too well. If Olivia had actual


    proof, she would have gone straight to Ethan with it.


    And despite his recent coldness toward me, I knew Ethan still harbored feelings for me. If


    Olivia had presented him with concrete evidence that I''d yed a role in his daughter''s death,


    he would have confronted me immediately.


    I rxed slightly as I drove, my logical mind taking control again. Olivia was


    simplyshing


    out, making wild usations based on suspicion rather than fact.


    Her outburst at the Stone Family Banquet Hall suddenly made more sense. Revealing Emma''s


    true parentage had been her attempt to seek justice for Lily, to hurt me the way she believed


    I''d hurt her.


    A smile curved my lips as I pulled into Crescent Moon Mall''s deserted parking lot.


    I''d arranged


    to switch vehicles here-a precaution I was now grateful for.


    As I transferred to my second car, I retrieved the first aid kit Ethan had provided


    for Emma''s


    emergencies. Inside was everything I needed to treat my wounds before returning home.


    I examined my reflection in the rearview mirror, grimacing at the sight. Blood had dried on my