I reflexively drew a dagger to strike.

A shadow lunged from behind and slammed a foot into my chest, sending me flying ten meters. I crashed into the wall hard and staggered to my feet, meeting Hendrix's cold, furious gaze.

"I told you—don't touch Cassidy!" he barked.

"Leila's death had nothing to do with her. She brought it on herself!"

He pulled Cassidy protectively behind him, the same way he once shielded my sister. Seeing the rage flare in his face, I laughed—bitter and scornful.

"Hendrix, you know Leila better than I do," I spat. "You really believe she would hurt someone? If she were capable of such cruelty, our parents wouldn't have died that night."

When our parents were silenced, my sister was the only one left at home. She'd been hidden trembling in a wardrobe, too terrified even to speak. I spent six months guiding her through therapy until she could barely breathe past the memory. It was then I learned the man I loved loved my sister.

Hendrix's expression hardened; his voice icier than before.

"Leila wasn't that kind of person. But she had a sister like you. If not for you, she wouldn't have gone astray!"

"Vienna, you never reflect on yourself. Your arrogance killed your parents, and your cruelty killed Leila. After all these years, you still don't see it?"

"You're the source of all evil—the real murderer!"

Each accusation stabbed through me like a dull knife, cutting deep but leaving me numb.

Beside him, Cassidy began to sob pitifully.

"It's all my fault," she whimpered. "If I hadn't come, Ran wouldn't be so angry. Even though she hit me, I don't blame her. Just take it as me repaying my debt to Leila…"

Her fake tears glistened under the dim light, and rage flooded through me.

In a blink, I lunged forward, stomped on her calf, and forced her to kneel. My hand clamped on her hair as I slammed her forehead into the ground—right in front of my sister's portrait.

"You called me cruel?" I hissed. "Then let me show you cruelty!"

The sound of her skull hitting the floor echoed in the hall.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Hendrix drew his pistol and pressed the muzzle to my temple. There was a sharp snap as he pulled the trigger.

Cassidy screamed hysterically.

"Hendrix! Save me! Vienna has gone insane! Do something!"

Sneering, I spat, "Weren't you just saying you don't blame me? Cassidy, what are you playing? Who are you pretending to be pitiful for?"

I hauled her up by the throat and shoved her until she faced my sister's photograph.

"Look at my sister's face. Everything you have today wasn't earned—it was given to you by Leila!" I leaned close enough to breathe on her. "Too bad I'm not Leila. When I kill, I don't hold back."

Hendrix's whole body trembled, his voice hoarse with fury.

"Enough!" he roared. "Vienna, how far are you going to go?"

"Leila is gone! She's dead! No amount of revenge will bring her back!"

I lifted my sister's framed photo and placed it between us. My smile was more painful than tears.

"Then do it," I said softly. "Shoot me, right here, in front of Leila."

"You broke your promise once already—what's one more time?"

Cassidy crawled to Hendrix's legs, clutching them desperately.

"Shoot her! What are you waiting for? As long as she's alive, my child and I will never be safe!"

The room fell silent.

Hendrix's gaze locked on my sister's smiling face in the photo. For a long time, he didn't move. Then, with a heavy breath, he lowered the gun.

His voice was quiet but resolute. "Vienna don't make any more mistakes."

"If Leila were still alive, she'd never want to see you like this," Hendrix added.

I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face. "You have no right to mention her name."

He sighed, the sound heavy with defeat. "What do you want, Vienna? As long as you don't hurt innocent people, I'll agree to anything."

Before his words faded, a sharp pain exploded in my waist.

I looked down—a dagger was buried in my side, blood flowing freely.

For a split second, a cold, ruthless light flashed in Cassidy's eyes before she quickly replaced it with a look of terrified innocence. Her hands trembled as she backed away.

"It wasn't me! I didn't stab you—you ran into it yourself!" she cried, her voice shaking. "Please, don't hurt me!"

My face hardened into ice. "You're begging for death."

I yanked the dagger out and drove it straight into her abdomen.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

The sound of steel against flesh echoed in the air. Her body went limp, sliding to the floor as blood seeped through her dress.

By the time Hendrix realized what had happened, Cassidy had already collapsed, unconscious.

He seized my throat, eyes burning red with rage.

"She's innocent!" he roared.

"Vienna, how did you become this kind of monster? This—this is why I despised you back then! I only ever loved Leila because she wasn't like you. Five years later, you're even worse! I should've killed you when I had the chance! I should never have helped you avenge your parents!"

His furious expression overlapped with the memory of that night five years ago.

Back then, these same hands were wrapped around my father's murderer's neck. Now, they were choking me.

I clawed at his wrists, my nails digging into his flesh until blood welled up beneath them.

"Then kill me!" I spat. "Do it!"

Tears mixed with blood as they dripped down my chin, each drop burning against his skin.

He froze, his fingers trembling.

After a long, heavy silence, he released me and slammed his fist into the wall instead.

"I'm tired, Vienna," he muttered hoarsely. "I don't want to keep doing this with you."

"Take those three stabs as repayment for everything the Wilson family once did for me."

"From now on, we're strangers. Touch Cassidy again, and I'll make sure you regret it."

Through my blurry vision, I watched him carry Cassidy away, leaving behind nothing but blood and shattered glass.

At some point, my sister's framed photo had cracked down the middle—a perfect reflection of what we'd become: fractured beyond repair.

My sworn brother stumbled toward me, panic laced his voice. "Vienna, you're just going to let her go? How could Hendrix treat you like this? You're his sister!"

I let out a bitter laugh, pressing a trembling hand to my bleeding side.

The blood soaked my palm instantly. "I won't let her go," I said quietly. "Not unless I die first."

"Between me and Cassidy, only one of us gets to live."

—

At the hospital, after hours of emergency surgery, Cassidy survived.

The child in her womb—Hendrix's child—was saved as well.

Hendrix never left her side, his expression clouded with guilt and fear.

When she finally woke up, she broke into tears the moment she saw him.

"I didn't kill anyone, Hendrix! I swear I didn't! You believe me, don't you?"

He quickly pulled her into his arms, his voice low and gentle. "I know you're scared. I don't blame you."

"Don't worry. No one will ever hurt you again."

Her tears flowed harder. "You're lying! You'll never marry me! You'll go back to the Wilson family once I'm gone—I mean nothing to you!"

"I'm not lying," he said softly. "We'll get married in three days. I promise."

To prepare for the wedding, Hendrix worked tirelessly.

The gown was one he had once designed for Leila. Even the wedding ring had been crafted from Leila's keepsake.

Everything was set.

The ceremony was flawless.

Until the moment the bride was supposed to walk down the aisle—the doors stayed closed.

Then the massive LED screen behind the altar flickered on.

Instead of wedding photos, a single image filled the hall—Cassidy's terrified, blood-drained face.

A deafening thud split the air.

A large gift box fell from above and crashed right in front of Hendrix.

The box shattered open—splinters and silk ribbons flying—spilling out a heap of bloody, mangled flesh.