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12.04
Chapter 2
12.04
I stood on the steps, watching this hellish scene unfold with cold detachment. I felt no pity, only the icy sati- sfaction of vengeance served and the bone-deep weariness of a long-settled debt.
Marcus stood beside me, his voice low. “Ms. Vance… Shane…”
My gaze fell, hard and unforgiving, on the woman draped over the coffin, a portrait of utter madness.
“Aria! It was you! This is all your fault!” she shrieked, finally noticing me. “You let him die! You killed my brot- her, you bitch! I’ll kill you! I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
“My fault?” I finally broke my silence, my voice cutting through her hysteria. “Isabelle Kinsman, I want you to look into that rotten heart of yours and ask yourself a few questions.”
“Who was it that, just as I exhausted my energy to find your brother, threatened me with my parents’ lives and stopped the rescue?”
“Who was it that branded me a fraud, threw me in a basement, and tortured me until I died in agony?”
“Who was it that broke into my home, beat my elderly parents, and threatened to turn them into living tors-
os?”
“And who was it that, after the Skull Gang gave a clear warning that the presence of a Tracker meant a death sentence, still foolishly and arrogantly dragged me into the center of this kidnapping?!”
I laid out the truth of my rebirth, every word a dagger, every sentence a testament to the sins Isabelle had committed across two lifetimes. The guests gasped, their expressions shifting from shock to pure revulsion.
“You…” Isabelle’s lips trembled, but no words came out.
“Your brother, Shane Kinsman, was killed by your stupidity, your arrogance, your cruelty, and the karmic debt you personally accrued! You, Isabelle Kinsman, are the one who pushed your own brother into his grave!”
“No! It wasn’t me! You’re lying! It was the Skull Gang! It was… it was you! You witch! You’ll die a horrible dea- th! I’ll haunt you from beyond the grave!”
The wail of sirens grew louder, rapidly surrounding the estate. A swarm of police officers rushed in, their sharp eyes taking in the chaotic scene before finally settling on the deranged Isabelle and the coffin before
her.
An officer stepped forward, “Isabelle Kinsman! We have a formal complaint and irrefutable evidence against you for charges including, but not limited to, illegal detention, aggravated assault, and involvement in organ-
ized crime. You are under arrest!”
Two female officers moved in swiftly, cuffing a struggling and screaming Isabelle.
“Let go of me! Do you know who I am? I’m Isabelle Kinsman! Marcus! Aria! You’ll both rot in hell! I’ll get you! Shane! My Shane-!”
Her curses and sobs faded as she was dragged away and forced into a police car.
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Chapter 2
I watched the car speed away, taking all the chaos and sin with it.
“Prison will be the best place for her,” I murmured, my voice devoid of emotion. “I hope she enjoys the ‘living torso’ package I’ve arranged for her.”
The threat she had made against my parents in my past life…
In this one, she could savor the taste of that living death herself, in an endless cycle of terror and despair.
The wind swept through the courtyard, carrying the first chill of winter.
A blood debt that had spanned two lifetimes was, at long last, finally settled.
