Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 121

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Derek stepped into the abandoned warehouse, the weight of the explosives in his backpack pulling down on his shoulders like the weight of his ruined life. Dim light barely lit the space, but that didn't matter; he had grown used to the darkness, both around him and within. He'd spent the last four years in hiding, his name like a stain in every utterance where it came up. The world hated him, despised him, and Derek had long since stopped trying to prove them wrong.

He opened the bag and stared at the neatly packed explosives. His hands shook slightly as he traced his fingers over the wires and detonators. This wasn't the life he had planned for himself, but life had a way of ripping apart even the best laid plans. Derek was the ghost of his former self, a man once filled with ambition and dreams, now reduced to nothing more than a bitter shadow.

His mind spiraled back to when it all began to fall apart. He had been at an advantage, working his way to lift his family name and claw his way out of the mediocrity he was born into. Then she came into the picture: Emma. She had ruined everything, turning the whole world, his colleagues, his friends, even his family against him.

He had fought back in the beginning, but every attempt had ended in failure, each one plunging him deeper into the abyss. Now he was a wanted man, an outcast living under fake names with stolen identities, having money hidden away in accounts that he could barely use, knowing full well that the moment he stepped into the light, the world would pounce upon him like a pack of wolves.

teeth, anger contorting his face as he pictured in his mind the people who had turned their backs on him. His coworkers, people who once praised his brilliance now spit his name

the reports he had obsessively followed, Emma would be returning to the country soon for a high-profile seminar. She could not miss it, and there Derek

himself as the villain that the world had painted him to be. He wanted them to remember his name for all eternity. He wanted them to feel the weight of who he really was, understand

nothing left to lose, and if he

down, he

realized what was going on was like a dark satisfaction filling him. He wasn't hiding anymore. He wasn't running. If he

AAAAA

length of their luxurious bedroom, her perfectly manicured nails tapping nervously against the edge of her phone. The plush surroundings, once a source

of patience. It had been four agonizing days since the first email arrived, and every moment since then had been a waking nightmare. The blackmailer had her in a vice grip,

rang once, twice, before the other person

any time on greetings. Sharp as a razor, her voice cut through the line: "Have you found out where he is

his voice betraying a hint of uncase. "The email was routed through multiple countries. 18:06

Chapter 121

used advanced methods to cover their tracks. It's taking longer than expected, but I'm working