Chapter 231

• John’s POV
• The silence was so sharp it scratched at my eardrums like cut glass. The giant screen turned pitch black, like a gaping mouth devouring all light, while those disgusting clips—Grace spitting venom into the camera, luring Lily into the trap—burned themselves into everyone’s retinas, and even deeper, into my bones. The soft hum of whispers buzzed like a swarm of poisonous bees. Their target was no longer Lily. It was the woman in my arms, trembling all over, a strange red trail snaking across her lips.
• "Poor Lily"… "Blame her"… These fragmented snippets of words had barbed hooks. They kept stabbing at my ears. I could feel Grace struggling to hold back a sob; her whole body was so tense it threatened to snap at any moment. She bit down hard on her lower lip. Bright beads of blood ran down her pale skin and bloomed into tiny, desperate flowers on her elegant, expensive dress. She didn’t even notice.