Chapter 21
Julia was supported by the housekeepers and escorted out. Soon, only Dylan, Kaitlyn, and the man who had just been thrown in remained in the basement.
Kaitlyn stared at the man she had once loved with terror in her eyes, as if she were looking at a monster.
“Dylan, are you insane? You’re crazy! Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
Her voice was hoarse. She sounded like she hadn’t had water in a long time and was laced with exhaustion.
Dylan glanced at her. Then, he got up and walked toward her. Holding her chin, he looked straight into her terrified eyes and suddenly broke into a fit of laughter.
“Retribution? What do I have to be afraid of? Did you all think of retribution when you did all those things back then? And now you have the nerve to say that to me?
A flicker of confusion passed through Kaitlyn’s eyes.
Those things? What things?
Sensing this might be a misunderstanding, Kaitlyn clung to that thread of hope. She forced a few tears out and tried to appear pitiful and innocent.
“Dylan, are you perhaps mistaken? What are you saying? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Her voice trembled, but she mustered the courage to speak. However, the next second, he shoved her hard and then picked up a handkerchief to wipe his hands as if he had just touched something filthy.
Humiliation and rage surged through Kaitlyn. However, her current situation was so dire that she didn’t even dare to argue back
Kaitlyn had imagined many possible reactions from Dylan, but she had never imagined that he would suddenly explode with rage at her words.
The disgust and hatred in his eyes felt like a dull blade slowly cutting her open, dismembering her spirit piece by piece in an agonizing fashion.
But what truly broke her was what he said next.
“Five years ago, you staged an entire act that nearly got Jules sexually violated. Now I’m just letting you have a taste of your own medicine. You’d better hold on- otherwise, this game won’t be fun.”
At that moment, Kaitlyn felt as though all the blood in her body had frozen in an instant.
Julia, who had just left. Those people whose hands had recently been broken. Herself, locked in this basement. And this man beside her, whose face was unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable.
All the clues wove themselves together in her mind, forming a conclusion she did not want to accept.
“So… you did all this… for Julia?”
Dylan did not answer her directly. He confirmed her suspicions by saying, “Jules will definitely forgive me once all of you get what you deserve.”
Then, he casually dropped a line, “She’s all yours. Remember this–the worse she ends up, the better your chances of getting out of here.”
At those words, the man’s head snapped up, and a disgusting grin spread across his face. He watched Dylan walk out of the basement while promising eagerly, ” Don’t worry, Mr. Schneider. I won’t let you down!”
Upon seeing the man approach, Kaitlyn instinctively tried to escape, but the chains held her in place. There was no escape.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Dylan’s figure recede into the distance, and she finally broke down, wailing.
“Dylan! You can’t do this to me! I was wrong! I’ll apologize! Don’t leave me here! Dylan!”
The basement’s soundproofing was done well, but even that couldn’t block out Kaitlyn’s cries and pleas.
Those who had once tormented Julia were now getting what they deserved. By all rights, Julia should have felt a sense of justice being served, yet she didn’t feel even a trace of satisfaction.
Dylan walked up to her. He crouched down and asked gently, “What do you think, Jules? Are you satisfied? If you’re not, just tell me. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you feel better, to earn your forgiveness.”
She looked at him, the man whose suit remained perfectly pressed, even now. The weight pressing on her chest still hadn’t lifted.
She thought for a moment. Then, staring at that face that had always remained detached, Julia finally realized what had been bothering her all along.
“Is that all?” she asked.
Dylan froze for a moment, then quickly softened his expression. His eyes were filled with deep affection. It was as if he wouldn’t be angered by whatever she said, that her complaints could only mean that he hadn’t done enough.
“What do you think is missing, Jules?”
Her gaze grew colder, still locked on his face.
In a calm voice, she said, “Someone’s missing. Dylan… they weren’t the only ones who hurt me.”
At those words, Dylan’s expression darkened. He grabbed her wrist and asked in a restrained voice, “Who else? Tell me. I told you before–I won’t let anyone who ever hurt you off the hook. They will all pay.”
Chapter 22
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