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.

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 with disgust. People who knew nothing about him cursed him as if he were the devil himself. And right at the middle of all that was Emma,

be returning to the country soon for a high-profile seminar. She could not miss

to remember his name for all eternity. He wanted them to feel the weight of who he really was, understand the length he would go

never. He had nothing left to lose, and if he was going to go would

down, he

face when she realized what was going on was like a dark satisfaction filling him.

AAAAA

paced the length of their luxurious bedroom, her perfectly manicured nails tapping nervously against the edge

every moment since then had been a waking nightmare. The blackmailer had her in a vice grip, and she couldn't afford for this to drag on anymore. She couldn't afford to lose. Not after

the number. The phone rang once, twice, before the other person picked

Sharp as a razor, her voice cut through the line: "Have you

a hint of uncase. "The email was routed through multiple

Chapter 121

It's taking longer than expected, but I'm