Chapter 345
Chapter 345:
“What?” Liam looked from Skye to Beatrice. “Grandmother p>
Beatrice shook her head violently, the oxygen tubing slipping slightly. She pointed a trembling finger at Skye, mouthing the word “Liar p>
Lana let out a sound that was less human and more animal—a howl of pure, distilled rage.
“It was you?” Lana sobbed, staring at the old woman in the wheelchair. “You old witch! You took my life p>
Lana’s hand went into the pocket of her tattered coat.
“Gun!” a guard shouted.
But it wasn’t a gun. It was a fruit knife—small, serrated, but sharp enough.
Lana didn’t go for the guards. She launched herself at the wheelchair.
Mrs. Higgins screamed and let go of the handles, backing away in terror.
Lana collided with Beatrice. The wheelchair tipped back but didn’t fall. Lana wrapped an arm around Beatrice’s neck, the knife pressing into the loose, crepe-paper skin of the old woman’s throat. A thin line of red appeared instantly.
“Back off!” Lana screamed, waving the knife wildly before pressing it back against the skin. “I’ll kill her! I swear to God I’ll kill her p>
The guards froze, guns drawn but useless. Beatrice was a human shield.
Beatrice hyperventilated, eyes rolling back in terror as the knife grazed her skin. She couldn’t even beg; she only wheezed, pawing weakly at Lana’s arm.
Skye stood perfectly still. She reached up and slowly collapsed her umbrella. The rain immediately soaked her hair, plastering it to her cheeks.
She looked at the tableau: the desperate girl, the terrified matriarch, the helpless husband.
“Skye, help me talk her down!” Liam pleaded.
Skye ignored him. She looked straight into Lana’s crazed eyes. She took a step closer, moving as if to mediate, but stopping just out of earshot of the police and guards.
She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper that only Lana could hear through the rain.
“No one is stopping you, Lana,” Skye breathed. “She took everything. Why shouldn’t you take something back p>
𝘋𝗈𝘸ո𝗅𝗈𝗮𝘥 f𝘳𝗲𝗲 о𝘯 b𝖾.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Lana blinked, the validation fueling her madness.
Beatrice let out a gurgling sob of pure terror. She looked at Skye, and for the first time, she didn’t see a rebellious granddaughter-in-law.
She saw the Reaper.
Liam saw the look in Skye’s eyes. He realized she wasn’t going to help. She was going to let it happen.
“No p>
Liam didn’t think. He lunged.
He threw himself at Lana, aiming to knock her away from the wheelchair.
But his body betrayed him. The severe abdominal wound from days ago tore open with the sudden movement. Pain—blinding and white-hot—exploded through his midsection.
He slammed into Lana, but there was no strength behind it. He collapsed onto the wet grass before he could even grab her wrist, clutching his stomach as fresh blood began to seep through his shirt.
Lana shrieked, startled by the impact. The knife slipped from Beatrice’s throat and slashed downward in panic.