Chapter 123 - And the Curtains of the Horrid Night Closed

Sophie has lost it for good.

Much like her driving, she has no control of her emotions anymore. Seeing Adrian hold Cassidy so dearly had pushed her far enough. Envy had completely taken over her, which was followed by many more rioting feelings. She was as enraged as she was discontented. Her patience had already reached its limit.

She could no longer tolerate how she kept missing and missing.

"That ugly freaking bitch...! Why can't she just die already...?!" Sophie bolted out while steering her wheel and driving her car like a madman. 

"Because of her, I'll be getting myself in trouble! Tonight was supposed to be the last one! This was the last one! He won't let me get away with it anymore! If she doesn't die, he won't...! He won't let me get away again!" 

Blinded by her raging fury, she only passed through all of the police officers and other emergency service staff who tried to make her stop and keep her from going any further. At that point, she didn't care anymore. She didn't care if she got busted out after this. Besides, she still has that certain someone to back her up. There really is nothing to worry about.

All Sophie has to do is to finish what should have long been finished - to kill Cassidy.

"Die, you f.u.c.k.i.n.g bitch...!!!" she exclaimed as she stepped hard on the gas, causing the vehicle to speed up even more.

"Die...! Die...! Die...!"

Eventually, the car crashed onto someone, but it was not her target.

Her eyes bulge wide in utter shock the moment they lay on Adrian. He has pushed Cassidy out of the way with impeccable timing. As a result, he got the perfect range to receive the impact. Yet for as brief as a second before he got thrown in the air, his eyes met with hers.

And Sophie felt like fainting right then and there.

"A-A-Adrian...?!"

Even then, she continued to drive. Though thoroughly shaken, she continued.

She did not look back. Forcing herself to focus on escaping, she just went on and on. Despite the unbearable dread, guilt, and horror that were gnawing at her insides at that very moment, she only carried on - like how she used to do all the time.

Then, for some reason, Sophie found her life flashing before her eyes all of the sudden.

She is a determined and strong-willed woman. Her overflowing self-confidence always gets her looking at every challenge straight in the eye and even giving it a wink. She never stops at any hurdle nor does she falter in the face of any problem. Her relentless attitude makes her remarkable -

Or at least, it is remarkable only in certain situations.

When it comes to dirtying her hands, she is just as determined and strong-willed. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Her greed is her confidence, and her envy is her motivation. Despite how warped it was, she embraced it wholly as it was the reason why she's where she was today. She is remarkable - both in a good and bad way.

That being said, Sophie always goes on and on. She keeps carrying on.

Even when she has practically killed the love of her life, she will get to live on.

'No, it's not my fault... It's not my fault... He made me do it... I wasn't even trying to aim for Adrian... He made me do it...' were the words that kept running in her head the whole time.

Lost in the storm of her rampaging emotions, Sophie failed to notice four certain figures waiting ahead of the road. 

Seven, Rupert, Floyd, and Greg - the Millicent's bodyguards are standing at the sides of the street, holding their guns forward at the same time. As soon as her car passes through them, they begin shooting to make her stop. At this rate, there is no other choice. Either they will force her or let her escape and crash onto more people along the way. 

"W-W-What...?!" Sophie bolted out, completely caught off guard.

The car windows shattered. Bullets penetrate through surfaces. Shards of glass flew everywhere. 

Like what happened with Adrian earlier, she then got to lock eye contact with Seven for a fraction of a moment. 

While his expression is impassive yet firm, hers is flummoxed and frightened. She pales and shudders uncontrollably at that very second. The way he looks at her is like how death itself will do so, especially with how his weapon is aiming at point-blank range. She could not dodge this one nor could she drive any faster than she was already doing.

There is no escape anymore.

And with that, Seven fired his bullet - shooting Sophie straight at the side of her head.

--- 

The hallway is eerily quiet.

Cassidy is right outside of the emergency room along with Edward and Olivia.

It had only been a couple of hours since Adrian was sent to the hospital, but they felt like they had already waited an eternity. Irish, on the other hand, is presently at her own private room, still unconscious. Gertrude was the one who looked after her, but now that her daughter got to settle down, she would most probably show up there and join them at any moment.

Edward is comforting Olivia as she continues to cry. She has been doing it for a while now. He himself wants to have a mental breakdown, but he only settles with staying silent the entire time.     

'Again... It's happening again....' Cassidy agonizingly brooded over on her seat while slumping and casting down her gaze.

'He was right. I'm such a magnet for troubles.'

Her expression is devoid of any emotion - empty, lifeless.   

She feels numb and cold. It's as if all of her strength had completely left her this time around. She wasn't even sure how she managed to get in that place. With her state, she could even barely trudge her way around.

Cassidy knew that the car was supposed to be heading in her direction. It won't be a surprise. After all, she was being chased the whole evening. Yet she should have known that perils couldn't only be found inside the building - it was everywhere as long as the suspect was on the loose. 

'Stupid idiot... And there you were pinning me down and kissing me non-stop earlier... Now, you ended up lying on the worst kind of bed possible.' 

At that, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. 

He shouldn't have saved her like that. He should've just let her. 

Now, Cassidy feels like she is the one who has killed Adrian herself. She should have realized long before that she would also be endangering him when she decided to stay by his side for a while longer. He did protect her like she thought he would, but she never expected that it would be to this extent. 

"What do you have to say for yourself, Cassidy?"

At that all-too-familiar voice, Cassidy tilts her head up before finding herself looking straight at Gertrude.

She appears to be livid. Of course, she would be livid.

Even when she was doing nothing at all, she was already easy to exasperate. Now that her son was put into danger, she would definitely be furious. She even looks like she wants to murder her herself at that very moment.

"I just learned. You were the one those gunmen were after..." Gertrude trailed off with a thick and vehement tone, obviously fuming despite her calm poise. 

"You were the cause of this whole mess. You were the reason for this madness. Say, why didn't you just surrender yourself if you're only going to look this miserable-"   

"Mother, stop that! She didn't do anything wrong!" Olivia then suddenly cut in, defending her sister-in-law.

"She saved me and Irish! And even if she didn't, she is still innocent!"

Gertrude was stunned by this.

Her daughter never talked like that to her before. She even seems to be indignant in Cassidy's stead. Regardless of the reason, it does nothing to diminish the boiling rage she feels towards her. Then again, like what she said, all of this could have been prevented if she just surrendered herself.

"I see that you kept recruiting my children like some members of your pity party, Cassidy. But now that I think about it, you are indeed very pitiful. Why would those people come after you in the first place, I wonder? Could it be related to the past that you kept hiding from us...?" Gertrude continued, not faltering at all.

"No matter the reason, I won't let you ruin my children's future. I won't tolerate your presence in this household anymore. You're a walking disaster and a magnet for danger! And I believe you're smart enough to realize that yourself. So, if I were you, I would leave as early as possible."

While Olivia and Edward reacted both flabbergasted and piqued at that, Cassidy did not respond. She only keeps looking back at Gertrude without any emotion to show - almost like she is already tired of everything at this point. All the while, her mother-in-law just proceeded to blame her for all that had happened.

But then again, it was indeed partly her fault.

"Pack your things up and leave, Cassidy. You're much too dangerous to continue living with my son."