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 online, accompanied

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Chapter 253

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like he'd been thrown into

plan he'd thought was foolproof had been

Work

video was now public. At this point Zackary could only pray

the sound of shattering glass echoed

had smashed the window, and a handful of sharp stones hit

began to stream down

shouted. His car had already been vandalized by groups of students earlier, and now

Zackary didn't dare

the situation spiraling out of control, the school wouldn't want to escalate matters further. Zackary's only option now was to tie his fate to theirs, to share in both

made his way to Cade's

was sitting there, his head in his

school administration had already received

begun to spread beyond the campus, and if it continued, it would affect the

of faculty members was gathered in

of disdain and

by my impulses. I know I was wrong. I'll never do anything like this again. Please, for the sake of my years of service, even if I haven't contributed much, I've at least worked hard. Please help me out here." Zackary pleaded. Cade

much so that they'd probably parade him through the streets, pelting him with rotten vegetables and eggs if given the chance. As long

the school." Zackary nodded hastily, understanding that the school was willing to cover

Wrapping himself up tightly, he sneaked out through

had no choice but to wait by the roadside for a

a black business car

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

you... Help..." Zackary's plea was cut short by a heavy blow to his head. He felt a rough burlap sack thrown

his ears. When Zackary finally came to, he

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Chapter 253

completely disoriented.

sealed with duct tape, muffling his

growing louder and closer. Zackary, still blindfolded, couldn't