bChapter /b76

bNyssa /bpov

I watched carefully, taking in the expression of horror that shed bacross /bAria’s bface /bas she heard my words. Her eyes were wide in disbelief, her breathing rapid as she blinked repeatedly, while Ethan looked just as stunned, his eyes narrowing in confusion at what I’d just said.

“W–what did you say? Poison? Are you joking?” Aria asked, her voice thick with shock, as if she expected me tough and say it was all a prank. But the poison should’ve already started boiling her from the inside.

This was far from a joke and the way her brows furrowed in growing difort and pain told me she was beginning to realize that.

“Joke?” 1 echoed, chuckling under my breath as I watched her, amusement in amusement. “Do you really think this is a joke, Aria? How’s your body feeling? Weird, right? Like it’s heating up from the insideb?/b”

She clutched at her chest, coughing as bsweat /bstarted to bead on her forehead.

“I–I feel hot…. I feel-”

“That’s the poison, Aria,” I cut in with a smirk. “The first stage makes you feel like your insides are being boiled alive. Thenes the second stage, the pain. So intense, you’ll beg to die. And then the third stage?” My grin widened “You’ll start coughing up blood and losing consciousness. If you’re lucky, you’ll die from bblood /bloss. If not… you’ll melt from the inside

out.

I watched as Aria band /bKieran both stared at me, their eyes wide with shock as they listened, but I simply nced at the

clock and echoed lightly,

“Oh, we’ve got nine minutes left. Haha, time really does fly when you’re having fun.”

“Nyssa!” Aria screamed, but the very next second, the sound that escaped her lips turned into one of agony. She copsed to the ground, doubling over as a scream of pain tore from her throat.

“Ahhhh! It hurts! Ahhhhh!” she screamed, copsing to the floor as she rolled across it, tears streaming down her cheeks. The room filled with nothing but the sound of her screams, screams that could terrify anyone who heard them. But me?

I felt nothing. In fact, I almost wanted tough at her cries, but I held it in. Instead, I held up two fingers and mutteredb, /b

“Stage two. The agonizing pain,” I hummed, cing a hand on my hip as Aria kept screaming,

The sight seemed to shock Kieran so much that, for ba /bmoment, he just stood there, staring at Aria in disbelief, frozen in. ce, unable to tear his eyes away from her. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He simply stared.

“It hurts! It hurts! Kieran, it hurts so bad!” she sobbed.

That seemed to snap him out of it. He blinked, then turned a sharp re on me. Before I could react, he suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me toward him, not that it took me by surprise.

His familiar scent wrapped around me as he leaned in close, his voice low and furious, his eyes shing red with rage.

TUT THU, 21 ILI

“What do you think you’re bdoing/b?!” he hissed. “How could you feed your friend poison? Is this a joke? Where’s the

antidote?

For a moment, I met his gaze calmly, unmoving.

“My friend?” I echoed with a mockingugh, shaking my head. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all night. I can’t believe you just called her my friend pfft.” Iughed bagain /band yanked my arm back with all the strength I had.

Kieran looked stunned by it as I stepped away from him, wiping the wrist he had touched on my dress like I was trying to rid myself of his grip. Then I spoke, voice cool and bsharp/b.

“And can’t you

bsee /bthis isn’t a joke, dear Kieran? Look at her–bdoes /bshe look like she’s acting?” I asked, raising a brow And as he turned to see Aria still screaming in pain, I added, “And as for the antidote… you’ll have to pay the price for it, if you

want to bsave /bher.”

I adjusted my cap with a cold expression, then nced at the time again,

Seven minutes.

That was all Aria had left to live if she didn’t get the antidote I had created.

“What do you mean by that?” Kieran asked, frustration clear into his voice. “How could you do something like this, Nyssa? You poisoned your friend and you’re acting like you don’t care. Is it because you think I cheated?” he questioned, stepping toward me, running a hand through his hair. “Why can’t you trust me, Nyssa? I didn’t cheat on you. I would never do that. You’re the only person I truly love. So stop this… and hand me the antidote, right now.”

As I listened to him speak, I wasn’t sure if I wanted tough or cry at how stupid he sounded.

He wasn’t cheating with Aria, yet she was in his house,te at night, wearing nothing but his shirt?

Come on, Kieran. Even my bpast /bself wouldn’t have believed that if she saw Aria like this. But the truth was, I didn’t care

anymoreb. /b

Time was running out. And I had to do what I came here for.

“I don’t want to hear it. Think whatever you want but time is running out, Kieran, and the third stage should begin right about… now.b” /b

As soon as I finished my sentence, Aria, who had been screaming, suddenly began coughing up blood, and if I hadn’t stepped back, it would’ve stained my clothes.

It was good that I had.

“K–Kieran…” she stammered out, too weak to scream anymore as blood poured from her mouth.

“Aria!” Kieran yelled in shock, rushing to her sideb, /beyes fixed on me as he held her close.

“Aria, Aria. Can you hear me?” he kept calling, but she didn’t respond, just whimpered through the pain.

And I just stood there and watched.

Call me heartless if you want–I didn’t care. These were the same people who had caused the deaths of everyone loved my father, his beta and gamma, Serena, half the pack… my life… and my unborn child.

I reached out, wrapping my arms around my stomach as I nced down.

Because of them, I had lost everything. And in this lifetime, I had promised myself I would inflict the same pain on them.

So no.

This couldn’t faze me.

No… it shouldn’t faze me.

If karma was a bitch, then I’d be that bitch

E