Chapter 402

Nina's eyes snapped open, her breathing quick and shallow as she bolted upright.

Her voice shook with a mixture of fear and disbelief."What did you just say?"

Linden wiped a smear of drool from his mouth, a crooked smile spreading across his face."Sweetheart, wasn't it your idea? Spend a night with me, and in exchange, I'll take Cedric out for you?Relax, once it's done-even if it costs me my life-I'll make sure Cedric's gone for good."

Nina stared at him, frozen in shock. Her voice came out barely above a whisper."Kill Cedric?"

Before she could process the horror of his words,Linden surged forward, forcing her onto the mattress beneath his weight.

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision.

Kill Cedric.

The words echoed in her head like a relentless drumbeat.

Natalie and Elyse had used her innocence as a pawn,trading it for Linden's promise to eliminate Cedric.

How could they expect her to agree to such a vile scheme?

Desperation ignited within her, and she thrashed wildly against him, a single thought burning in her mind-she had to destroy everyone who had brought her to this moment.

But Nina's small frame was no match for Linden's brute strength.

He easily overpowered her, pressing her into the bed with a sadistic grin. He flipped her onto her stomach,forcing her into a humiliating position on her knees.

"Linden!" she screamed, her voice raw with terror and fury. "Let me go! Look at me-look who l am!"

Linden's lips pressed against Nina's back, his laughter dripping with cruel arrogance. "Of course, I know who you are-you're my precious Natalie."

Nina twisted against his grasp, her strength ebbing as despair consumed her.

His weight crushed her resolve, leaving her drained and motionless. She shut her eyes tightly, hot tears slipping down her cheeks, tracing paths of silent agony.

Her voice broke unexpectedly, raw and desperate."Daniela!"

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the inevitable as Linden's movements became more deliberate.

Her heart sank into a void of betrayal, her spirit utterly shattered.

In that moment, she wished for nothing more than an escape, even if it meant death. A sudden, jarring sound shattered the suffocating tension in the room.

Linden's heavy body slumped against her, unmoving.

Nina froze beneath his dead weight, her breath caught in her throat.

She didn't dare to shift, her ears straining against the eerie silence that replaced the heated chaos.

Slowly, she cracked her eyes open and glimpsed Linden lying unconscious, sprawled across her.

It took her a moment to register what had happened.

"What's wrong? Can't get up? Or maybe you want to keep going?"

Nina blinked, confusion and disbelief swirling in her tear-filled eyes. Was she dead? How else could she be hearing Daniela's voice?

With great effort, she shoved Linden off her, her trembling hands barely steady. She sat upright and turned to the source of the voice. There, lounging on the opposite sofa, sat Daniela, her expression unreadable.

For the first time, her heart surged with something close to relief. She had never wanted to see Daniela -or hear her voice-as much as she did at this moment.

She was saved.

She had no love for Daniela, and she knew with absolute certainty that Daniela felt the same about her.

But right now, none of that mattered. With Daniela present, she was certain that nothing worse would happen.

She didn't like Daniela, yet, in this moment, she trusted Daniela completely.

Nina's eyes brimmed with tears.

For the first time, she dropped to her knees before Daniela, her voice trembling with sincerity as she called out, "Daniela!" Daniela's expression didn't waver as she regarded Nina on the floor. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed Nina a long trench coat, then motioned for someone waiting outside. The person entered and began hypnotizing Linden, planting the illusion that he had spent the night with Natalie.

Nina remained where she was, watching every calculated move Daniela made.

Still on her knees, she shifted back slightly, her anger etched across her face. Yet, despite the fury swirling inside her, a strange calm settled over her,taming her emotions.

Lowering her head deeply, she bowed towards Daniela. "Daniela, let me take care of this myself.Please."

Daniela's gaze rested on her, unreadable and cold.

Nina's voice was firm. "This is my revenge. I want to see it through on my own."

Daniela's indifferent eyes lingered on Nina, her tone

sharp and unyielding. "You could just walk away, you know. None of this has to involve you anymore. Leave the Dury family, and you'll have the freedom to live the life you choose."

Still kneeling, Nina straightened her back defiantly."No! I won't walk away! I will take my revenge myself!Every tear they've made me shed tonight-I'll make them pay for it tenfold!"

The events of the night would never fade from her memory.

Neither the trap laid for her nor the humiliation she'd endured.

The deepest wounds had been inflicted by those she should've been able to trust most. And, in a cruel twist of irony, her salvation had come from the one person she had despised.

She would never forget any of it.

Daniela gave Nina a brief glance, then rose to her feet and said, "Alright." Nina followed her without a word, her movements mechanical as though her body acted on instinct.

The car ride back to the hospital was shrouded in silence. Nina sat motionless, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window, her expression unreadable.

It was often said that growth happened in an instant.Nina had always dismissed that notion-until now.

The car pulled to a stop at the hospital.

Before getting out, Daniela instructed the driver to send Nina back home. As Daniela reached for the car door, ready to leave, Nina grabbed her sleeve.

There was something almost childlike in the way Nina clung to her-a tentative yet heartfelt plea for reassurance.

"Daniela, why did you help me?" Her voice was soft,quivering, the question heavy with unspoken emotion.

The faint glow of the streetlight cast Daniela in a half-shadow, obscuring part of her face. There was a time when this shadowed visage had terrified Nina,embodying all her fears. But now, she felt nothing but an unexpected warmth and safety.

Staring at Daniela, Nina was struck by the stark realization that the people she once trusted,the ones who had worn friendly faces but harbored dark intentions, were the true monsters in her life.

"Daniela, you could have turned your back on me.Why did you choose to save me in the end?"