Linda lifted her hands and crossed them over her chest, as if daring Elissa to take her in. “Go ahead. Arrest me. I’m right here!”

Elissa stood frozen, fury crackling in her eyes, watching as Linda spewed venomous words.

“You can’t, can you?” Linda slowly lowered her hands, her smirk curling wider. “So, you agree I had nothing to do with his death.”

A mocking grin spread across her face. She tilted her head and maliciously said, “You must be drowning in guilt right now, huh? Sure, he died because of my words. But the real disgrace? That was all you. It was your shameful behavior that killed him.”

She lowered her voice and added in a chilling tone, “Elissa, it was you. Your grandfather died because of you. You’re the one who pushed him to his breaking point!”

Then she shook her head slowly, her eyes gleaming with a twisted blend of sympathy and scorn. “You actually managed to anger your own grandfather to death. Imagine that. I don’t think you’ll ever know peace again. Can you even live with yourself? Will you ever be free from that guilt?”

As Linda kept talking, Elissa’s fists curled tighter and tighter. Her nails dug deep into her palms. To her, Linda didn’t even look human anymore. She was a demon in disguise.

Then, without warning, Elissa let out a guttural scream. She lunged forward and grabbed Linda by the hair.

“Ouch!” Linda shrieked. “What are you—” She never got to finish.

A blood-curdling scream ripped through the room, followed by a sickening thud. Elissa had slammed Linda’s head hard against the edge of the bedside table.

Blood streamed down Linda’s forehead in dark rivulets.

Linda stared up at Elissa in horror, wide-eyed and trembling. It was as if she didn’t recognize the woman standing over her.

This wasn’t the timid, soft-spoken Elissa she thought she knew. This Elissa looked ready to kill.

? ?: ?ν?

“Miss Holland!”

“Miss Harris!”

Laney and Jane burst into the room at the same time. They rushed forward and tried their best to pull Elissa back. If this went on any longer, the consequences would be catastrophic.

“Let go!” Elissa roared, and with a sudden surge of strength, she tore free from their grasp.

She grabbed Linda’s hair again and yanked her forward. Her gaze locked on the blood running down Linda’s face, and for a split second, a twisted sense of justice surged through her.

Through clenched teeth, she spat, “I’ll fucking kill you. You’re going to pay for my grandfather’s life.”

Deep down, she agreed with Linda. She was guilty too. She had driven Addy to that point, and she couldn’t forgive herself for it. So if she was going down, she’d drag Linda with her.

With that thought in mind, Elissa raised Linda’s head and slammed it against the bedside table. And then again. And again.

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