The kicks did not stop. She was evidently making me her punching bag. I knew she was starting to panic. What stupefied me, however, was how confident she was about the marriage. Even though blood had glued up my throat, I still let out a hoarse laughter.
“It’s no use venting at me, Annabelle. If you really want to know who the Leafensteins want to marry their son to, how about you ask if Zacharias is really a part of their family? You don’t want your plan to go poof.”
Annabelle insisted, “Of course Zacharias is part of their family!”
I put on a smile. “Then, why didn’t Mr. Leafenstein look at him? It’s like Zacharias was invisible.”
Before Annabelle could say anything, Zacharias spat at me. “Shut up! You don’t get to talk! You have no idea how much the Leafensteins have done to keep me safe. My brother ignores me because he doesn’t want anyone to find out I’m second–in–line for his family. He doesn’t want people like you hurting me!”
Annabelle nodded like she’d just heard the truth of the world.
Oh, that made sense. So that was how Zacharias impersonated me and had his fun out there.
Zacharias was getting tired of the sight of me. He swung his arm and told the bodyguard to drag me to the basin. And then the bodyguard shoved my head into the water.
I flailed, struggling to get away from the bodyguard, but he kept pushing my head into the water, pulling me out, and pushing me back in again. Eventually, I started choking, and I could feel my breath leaving my lungs.
The water hit the wound on my head, and the clear liquid turned a light shade of red. I could hear voices coming from above the water, though I couldn’t make out who was talking.
“You think you’re some sort of hero? An heir to a rich family? I think you’re delusional. Now tell everyone you’re a fake, or I’ll drown you right here right now!”
I did not give in. Death was not a stranger to me. Even if I were to meet it again, fear would not clain: me. Wendy would tell Gregory everything after she woke up. He would know how I died. How I was murdered.
He would avenge me, and that fact consoled me. I could rest in peace.
Someone yanked my hair and dragged me out of the water, I coughed violently, and before I could breathe, Annabelle said coldly, “He still won’t talk. Guess we’ll have to get serious if we want to make him confess.”
She told the bodyguard to drag me to the sink, then she yanked a couple of wires off the switch. Snarling, she said, “You know, I’ve always wondered what would happen if I put these in water. Bet it’ll be great. You’ll be our test subject.”
I had no strength left in me, but fear still clasped me. This was the kind of death that scared me. Just when Annabelle was about to toss the wires into the water, the door slammed open.
Gregory was standing at the entrance. And with him was Wendy. He noticed me and the wounds that were covering my body. Livid, he asked, Who did this?”
