Chapter 10
+25 BONUS
Ruth was livid, demanding Chad punish Irina. But Chad? Completely smitten with Irina. He ignored Ruth’s tantrums and shielded Irina like she was untouchable.
Then, things got worse. A provincial task force launched an investigation into organized crime, targeting Chad’s operation. His men started getting arrested left and right, caught red–handed in their dirty dealings.
Ruth panicked, blowing up my phone with calls. I blocked her without a second thought.
Why? Because I was the one tipping off the authorities.
In my last life, I’d been forced to work as Chad’s right–hand woman, dragged into his criminal world. I bided my time, secretly collecting evidence to take him down.
But before I could act, Ruth ruined everything–and got me killed in the process.
This time, I stayed far out of reach. Chad didn’t even know who I was. When his empire crumbled, he had no idea I was the one behind it.
As he searched for a traitor, all eyes landed on Ruth.
Not long after, she vanished.
After an intense 24–hour search with dozens of police cars scouring the city, they found Ruth in an abandoned factory.
Her hands were tied, and her tongue had been ripped out.
Meanwhile, Chad made a desperate attempt to flee the country. He bought a ticket for a midnight flight, thinking he could slip away unnoticed.
But I’d already tipped off the authorities. Every highway and airport in Ashport was locked down.
Right as he was about to board, Chad was arrested.
And the kicker? The only person with him was Irina.
He had planned to escape with her, leaving Ruth behind to deal with the fallout.
When the news hit the hospital, Ruth completely lost it.
She thrashed wildly, her screams muffled by the blood pouring from her mutilated tongue. In a frenzy, she lunged at the window of her 20th–floor room, trying to throw herself out.
The nurses tackled her just in time, sedating her before she could do any more damage. She crumpled onto the floor, unconscious.
A month later, she was transferred to a mental institution.
***
After school, I packed my bag and caught the bus to the psychiatric hospital.
Ruth was strapped to the bed, iron chains shackling her wrists. She’d just been dosed with her meds and was passed out, her face pale and lifeless.
The blank walls behind her were covered in scratch marks and messy red scrawls:
[Why?]
