The Deadly Charm

Part 45 : The Price of Deception (Final)

The Poison That Comes Full Circle

Night fell heavy on the city.

Tower lights shimmered against the ink-black sky as Yanawadee steered her car toward Kongkiat's upscale condominium. Her heart hummed with quiet satisfaction, the morning still fresh in her mind—everything unfolding according to plan.

She parked in the underground garage and stepped out with calm confidence. The elevator ride was silent. On the top floor, the corridor was empty, the air still. Her heels echoed faintly until she stopped before his door.

A soft knock.

Moments later, the door opened, revealing Kongkiat in a casual shirt, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

"You're here," he said warmly, stepping aside.

Inside, the apartment radiated a quiet intimacy. Soft lighting spilled across the living room like a hush, as if the outside world had faded away. Yanawadee smiled. This space—it belonged to them.

"How was your day?" Kongkiat asked, then coughed sharply. "Kh-hk!"

"You're not well?" Yanawadee quickly dropped her purse and stepped toward him, concern in her voice.

"Just a chill... I've felt off all afternoon," he muttered.

He sank into the sofa. Beads of sweat dotted his brow. A cold dread began to spread from his spine. Discomfort gnawed at his gut like invisible knives.

"Have you taken anything?" she asked. He shook his head.

She turned instinctively toward the kitchen to get medicine. But then—she froze.

A plastic container sat overturned on the sink.

A familiar sticker on its side.

Her hand turned cold as ice.

"Kong... the cookies I ate this morning... where did they come from?"

She held up the box, her fingers trembling slightly.

He coughed again, his voice now barely a whisper. "A-Akira... she gave them to me..."

Then, he collapsed.

A sharp, agonizing cramp surged through his abdomen, forcing him to double over, clutching his stomach in unbearable pain. Cold. Sharp. Burning.

"Wa-dee..." Kongkiat choked out her name, but his voice broke apart. His body convulsed violently. His eyes widened in horror. Something inside was tearing him apart.

Yanawadee screamed.

But even as she rushed to him, she too staggered. A dizzying wave of nausea struck her like lightning. Her vision blurred. Her heart pounded out of rhythm. A searing, icy pain spread across her belly like wildfire.

She fell to the floor.

"What is... happening...?"

Her breath caught. Her muscles trembled. She felt something crushing her chest and twisting her insides. Her body jerked involuntarily. Her voice cracked as she tried to speak.

And then it dawned on her.

The poison—meant for Akira—had come back to her.

And to him.

Kongkiat's body twitched violently. His lips turned dark and dry. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. His limbs thrashed weakly before he finally slumped forward, unmoving.

Yanawadee stared in horror.

She couldn't reach him.

She couldn't help him.

She couldn't even save herself.

The pain was like fire and frost ripping her apart from the inside out. Her body shook. Her vision darkened.

"I... I don't want to die..."

Her whisper was barely audible. Her world dissolved into a void of blackness, and the last thing she felt... was nothing.

No one heard her final scream.

No one would come.

And in the stillness, the poison did its job—perfectly, mercilessly.

Shadow of Death

The luxury condo lay quiet.

Soft footsteps echoed through the corridor. Akira and Kritin walked side by side, their pace steady, their faces drawn tight with focus. The air was cold. Tense.

Leading them was a glowing figure—Lloyd.

The boy-guardian shimmered like starlight. His golden hair and deep sapphire eyes lit the hallway with unearthly calm.

He stopped in front of a door.

"They're in there," he said simply.

Kritin ruffled his hair with affection. "Good job, kid."

Lloyd beamed.

Kritin turned to Akira. "Be ready. We don't know what's waiting inside."

Akira nodded, her expression resolute.

He reached for her hand, squeezed it. Then he moved to the door, wrapped his fingers around the knob, and slowly turned it.

Click.

The door creaked open.

Darkness greeted them.

Kritin stepped inside first. A wave of cold swept out to meet him like death's breath. His eyes adjusted fast, and what he saw made him stop cold.

The stench hit them first—decay. Rot. Death.

Two bodies.

Twisted. Lifeless.

Kongkiat lay near the couch. Pale. His veins bulged grotesquely along his neck and arms, as if something inside had exploded. His face—frozen in terror—stared into nothing.

Beside him, Yanawadee's body lay contorted, stiff. Her skin darkened to a bluish-black. Blood marked her face, her mouth. Her eyes wide open—unblinking, unseeing.

Akira stepped in—and gasped.

She clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress the scream rising in her throat. Her knees buckled.

"Ai—don't look," Kritin said softly, pulling her against him, shielding her from the sight. His other hand reached into his pocket and dialed emergency services.