The Mad Ҡìղց

Betrayal 2

Zhan stared at Nie Huai, unable to speak, as Nie's screams filled the air.

"I want you to suffer, Zhan," Nie whispered now, his voice low and ragged. "I wanted to see you suffer. I wanted to see you feel the pain I felt when you murdered Zen."

Silence fell over them again, the weight of Nie's words hanging heavy in the air. Zhan couldn't move, couldn't think. His heart hammered in his chest as the gravity of the situation fully sunk in. Everything—his choices, his actions—they had all led to this moment. To this terrible, inevitable confrontation.

"I'm sorry, Nie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was..." Zhan started, but the words faltered on his lips. He didn't know what to say because nothing could change what had already happened.

But his apology fell on deaf ears. Nie turned away, his body trembling with emotion. Eowyn merely looked at Zhan with cold indifference.

Nie's words dripped with bitterness as he spoke, his voice a low tremble. "Then she told me about the twin jade amulet, and I remember... you took the other half from Zen's neck."

His face twisted into a sad, distant expression, his eyes flickering with memories of betrayal. "I stole the amulet," he continued, his tone nonchalant, "when I was helping you prepare for the ceremony." He paused, eyeing the other, "Gwyneth and Eowyn... they refined it into a beautiful pocket knife."

Nie hesitated, his hands trembling slightly as he clenched them into fists. "And I wanted to test the knife, so I made someone insult Wang on the day of the ceremony." His eyes darkened. "But Cheng killed him. I thought Cheng was different, better, but you're all bloodsuckers, aren't you?" he hissed, his voice rising with a sharp edge of frustration. "The same, every one of you."

There was a brief silence between them, an unspoken tension hanging heavy in the air. Nie's expression grew darker still as he pressed on, his words biting. "Eowyn... she made someone spill his drink on Cheng. And when he left to change, I wanted to attack him as myself."

His eyes narrowed as if recalling each detail with painful clarity. "But then Meng followed him. So Gwyneth, she... she made me look like Wang," Nie sneered, the name leaving a sour taste on his tongue. "And I stabbed him. I stabbed him thinking it would end there."

The weight of his words lingered like a heavy storm cloud, but there was more. Nie's anger flared again, his voice now rising to a near-shout. "But that wasn't enough, was it? You... you protected him!"

Meng's breath came in ragged pants, her chest heaving as she tried to process what she had just heard. Her mind spun wildly, trying to make sense of the tangled web of revenge, betrayal, and curses that had been laid bare. She slumped to the ground, her heart pounding in her ears. A wail tore from her lips, raw and jagged, as her heart shattered all over again.

Chang and Duan Dan held her on both sides, their grips firm but trembling. Their eyes were red from crying, their faces pale with disbelief. Nie Huai Sang. Who could have guessed?

Zhan's heart pounded in his chest. He didn't want to hear the rest, but he knew he had to. Nie's voice grew louder, more frantic.

Wang's blood ran cold. He knew what was coming next.

Nie's voice cracked, and with a final burst of fury, he screamed, "You protected him!" The agony and resentment in his scream filled the air, making it clear this was no simple confession. His pain ran deep, raw, and open for the other to witness.

It was clear that whatever had once connected them had shattered into pieces beyond repair, their loyalties splintered and bloodied.

I remember that night clearly. Nie laughed mockingly. Wang was in the garden, his body heaving as he threw up into the flowers. The sound of his retching was harsh and raw, and the sight of him, usually composed and strong, reduced to this state was unsettling. I was standing not far off, watching the scene with a cold, disdainful expression, my lips curled in a sneer. I hissed under my breath, a sound of disgust and frustration. Wang had been calling you repeatedly, but you didn't answer.