Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 180

Chapter 180

The insult came out in broken gasps, but Annie’s expression remained unreadable. She watched as his head lolled to the side, his body trembling in its final moments. His defiance, though weak, made her lips curl in disgust.

“Loser?” she repeated, her voice low and deadly. “I think you’ve got that backwards.”

She didn’t hesitate, but raised the dagger one last time, her grip sure and unwavering. In one swift, calculated movement, she plunged it into his chest right through his heart. His body jerked once and lay still. The room was silent except for the sound of her breathing.

Annie stepped back, wiping the sweat from her brow as she took in the grim scene. Blood was everywhere: on the couch, the floor, and even splattered on her clothes; yet she was bothered by none of it.

Night turned into a marathon of cleaning for her. She dragged his lifeless body out into the backyard to a shallow grave.

She finally left the house, and the weight of her actions finally settled over her, but she did not feel any remorse. Jim was gone, and with him, whatever leverage he had once enjoyed over her. For now, she was free to reclaim her life, to rise above even the Blacks.

ΔΑΛΛΑ

Annie’s phone buzzed as her phone signal came back.

It had been hours since she’d last been connected. It wasn’t until now that she realized how dependent she was upon the internet, keeping her connected with everything in her life. She took an abrupt breath inward and unlocked her phone, began to scroll. Her pulse rapidly quickened on–her notifications poured in.

her favor. Comments riddled

a shaking voice. She kept scrolling down

Emma.

detail. Annie’s jaw clenched, and her hand tightened on the phone as Emma’s calm

her brain wracked her mind to register what she was saying. A string of swearwords left Annie, echoing off in the little car. The fist of her free hand was still clenching and relaxing, shaking with her anger. Emma wasn’t

matter how much

agony

get.

Emma was fiery, bold, and unapologetically strong; her voice carried authority while her eyes

blood boiled when Emma talked of the three fools that she has sent to her five years

haywire. Those men were her only connection. Or, actually, not directly traceable to her–at least, something that easily gave her out–but then police were something, and too professional by their own kind. She knew they would dig, and they

against her, she felt

Sat, Feb 1

Chapter 180

neither was she here to

through Annie’s mind. Public

was out of the question. She had faked her own

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