Revenge Of The Jilted Bride

Jilted Bride 253

Chapter 253

With Carly and Lesly leading the way, Ophelia found her way to Briony's dorm room.

The buzz of gossip in the hallway instantly fell silent as soon as Ophelia appeared.

It wasn't hard to see why. Ophelia carried an aura of cold intensity that made everyone feel like the air had grown thinner.

The moment she stepped into the dorm, Ophelia could immediately tell which bed was Briony's.

It was the first one on the left near the restroom, marked by a faded blue plaid sheet and a thin, neatly folded blanket. The desk above it held nothing but a few basic toiletries.

In stark contrast to the other three beds in the room, Briony's was so clean and sparse it looked as though no one lived there.

Even if Briony had prepared for her death, she still hadn't wanted to inconvenience others.

Ophelia opened Briony's locker. Aside from two sets of equally faded clothes, there was nothing inside.

She seemed to be searching for something.

The other two roommates, unaware of the situation, tried to step forward but were quickly stopped by Carly and Lesly. A quiet explanation from them was enough to ensure no one interrupted. "Professor Spencer, what are you looking for? Let me help you," Lesly offered, eager to assist.

Ophelia shook her head. She lifted her gaze toward the bed.

Ophelia reached out, running her hand over the mattress. It felt hard, with only the thin sheet separating it from the bed frame. But under the mattress, she could feel something hidden.

Pulling back the sheet, Ophelia uncovered a meticulously placed design draft, à drawing almost 3 feet long, composed of dozens of A4 sheets taped together.

She picked it up carefully. Every line was hand-drawn, the paper slightly yellowed with age. It depicted a layout of schools, homes, and other structures.

Briony's handwriting was elegant, just like herself, calm and graceful, like a breeze through the mountains.

Ophelia's thoughts drifted back to a memory of the girl with the missing fingers. That child had always held a small stick between her thumb and ring finger, sketching smooth, flowing lines on Gloomhaven's sandy shores, skyscrapers, houses, schools... "Ophelia, when I grow up, I want to be an architect. I want to build houses and schools in Gloomhaven so that everyone has a place to live and a chance to learn..." Briony smiled.

Her innocent voice echoed in Ophelia's ears as if it were only yesterday.

"I'll make it happen for you," Ophelia murmured.

Her suppressed tears fell onto the aged paper.

Ophelia carefully rolled up the draft and, with one last look around, left the dorm room.

*****

at the evidence circulating

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<

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Chapter 253

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like he'd been

he'd thought was

Work

At this point Zackary could only pray the school

mind, the sound of shattering glass echoed through

a handful of sharp stones hit Zackary squarely

immediately began to stream down his

already been

didn't dare

to escalate matters further. Zackary's only option now was to tie his fate to theirs, to share in

Zackary made his way to Cade's

was sitting there, his head in

school administration had already received calls from

and if it continued,

group of faculty members was gathered in the

Zackary looks of disdain and contempt

of my years of service, even if I haven't contributed much, I've at least worked hard. Please

him with rotten vegetables and eggs if given the chance. As long

understanding that the school

cue, he didn't press his luck. Wrapping himself up tightly, he sneaked out through the school's less-crowded

wrecked, Zackary had no choice but to wait by the roadside for a

black business car screeched to

it had even stopped completely, two burly men in black suits

head. He felt a rough

past his ears. When Zackary finally came to,

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Chapter 253

completely disoriented.

sealed with

Zackary,