“You know precisely what crimes you’ve committed,” Eric replied with arctic coldness, refusing to engage in her manipulative games. “Ayla was acting under your orders.”
His accusation confirmed that he had indeed pierced through her web of deception.
Shock flashed through Linda’s eyes like lightning, but the reaction lasted barely a heartbeat. Then, as though a heavy weight suspended above her head had finally fallen, she experienced an odd sense of relief. It hurt, but at least the torment of perpetual dread had ended. She had never harbored illusions about concealing her sins indefinitely. From the very beginning, she had understood that truth possesses an inevitable way of surfacing.
“Linda!” Eric’s voice dripped with revulsion as he regarded her, his stare as frigid as if he were examining something utterly repulsive. “First, you orchestrated Elissa’s murder. Now you’ve set your malevolent sights on Hadley! You’re devoid of conscience and humanity!”
“Is that your verdict?” Linda’s eyes widened a fraction, a spasm of anguish flickering across her features. How could such words fail to wound her? The man towering before her had treasured her for more than a decade, consistently elevating her needs above everything else in his world. It was exactly this history that caused her gaze to blaze with bitter resentment as she studied his condemning face.
“So, what fate do you have planned for me?” Linda drew in a steadying breath, her voice regaining its composure. “What’s your next move? Will you deliver me to the police and allow justice to run its course?”
“Should I not?” Eric’s fury erupted like a volcano, his voice climbing to dangerous heights.
Eric’s words struck Linda like a physical blow, shattering her carefully maintained composure. Her voice escalated with explosive agitation. “You dare lecture me about moral obligations now? Eric! Without my intervention, you would have died long ago!”
A harsh laugh broke free from Eric’s throat, soft yet dripping with contempt. Once, that declaration had served as her ultimate weapon. Whenever she wielded those words, he would have surrendered anything—including his very existence. But now those same words rang hollow and pathetically desperate. “Linda, is that all you have left to say?” he inquired with a derisive curl of his lips.
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“And what if it is? It remains an undeniable truth!” Linda shot back, her voice cutting through the air like a blade.
“Yes, it’s the truth.” Eric nodded with deceptive calm before his voice plunged into a menacing whisper that carried more force than any shout. “But allow me to clarify something crucial. Whether I choose to honor that debt remains entirely my decision. If I acknowledge it, you hold the title of my savior. If I reject it, you become absolutely nothing.”
The glacial finality embedded in his words sent an involuntary tremor racing down Linda’s spine.
“Yes, I understand now.” Linda recoiled slightly, her head moving in reluctant acknowledgment. “You no longer regard me as your savior.” She stood alone now, with no one left to lean on but herself.
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