Torment 6

6 

I clutched my bag tightly, stepping back two paces, not wanting to be too close to him. 

“What are you doing here?” 

Blake simply reached out, snatched my bag, and held it in his hand, then smiled. “Picking up my girlfriend from work, what else?” 

But something felt off. His appearance here, at this moment, was too coincidental, too sudden. 

I kept my face stern, trying to suppress the unease in my heart, and looked straight at him. “You don’t need to pick me up. I’m not that precious. If you have this much free time, you should spend more of it with Chloe.” 

At the mention of her name, Blake’s eyes flickered, as if something had been pricked. 

He held my bag in one hand and suddenly wrapped the other around my waist, his voice low and soft. “I’m sorry for putting you through so much recently, Skylar.” 

“You know, ever since Chloe got sick, she can’t be left alone for a second. I’ve been with her every day, and my emotions have been a bit out of control…” 

“Tonight, she even cooked for you especially. She’s waiting for you to come back, wanting to apologize.” 

He sounded sincere, but something still felt wrong, like a thorn stuck in my heart. 

I immediately pulled out my phone, my thumb pressing the numbers 9-1-1, and held the 

screen up for him to see. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe that? Last time, she 

explicitly said she wanted me dead, and I remember every single word. What new act are 

you two putting on now?” 

Blake’s face darkened, a flash of malice in his eyes, but he kept smiling and trying to 

appease me. “How could there be a scheme, Skylar? After all these years together, don’t 

you trust me?” 

I scoffed, a much colder laugh echoing in my mind. 

It was precisely because I trusted him too much before that I ended up so scarred. 

Seeing his persistence, my guard rose even higher. Blake suddenly slammed my bag to the ground, placed his hands on his hips, and pointed at my nose, roaring, “Skylar! I swallow my pride to pick you up, and you still give me this attitude?” 

“Chloe is willing to humble herself and apologize, what more do you want?” 

< 

“Let me tell you something clearly: if you want to be part of the Davis family, you have to treat Chloe like royalty!” 

The words “like royalty” exploded in my mind like thunder. 

In an instant, everything clicked. 

All of Blake’s actions towards Chloe-protecting her, indulging her, even the way he looked at her… That wasn’t how siblings acted. They had crossed a line. 

I suppressed the disgust welling up inside me, pressing my phone tightly against my 

chest. 

“Blake, leave right now, or I’m really calling the police. If you get arrested, let’s see how you can ‘take care’ of your ‘dear sister’ then?” 

I intentionally emphasized “dear” with heavy sarcasm. 

He froze for a moment, not catching the irony, just glaring at me, gritting his teeth for a 

few seconds. Finally, he cursed, turned, and walked away. 

It wasn’t until his figure completely disappeared around the street corner that I finally 

sighed in relief and called a taxi home. 

I lived in an old building in the older part of town, with peeling paint, messy wires, and even a flickering streetlamp that looked like a ghost light. 

Compared to the mansion Blake and Chloe lived in, it was a world apart. 

But when they first moved in, I was the one who paid their rent. 

Back then, Blake claimed poverty, saying his sister was gravely ill and he wanted to bring her to the city for treatment. My heart softened, and without a second thought, I handed over my savings, even paying a year’s rent for them. 

At that time, I truly considered Chloe family. 

I ran to hospitals, pulled strings, waited in lines for appointments, even secured a highly sought-after specialist appointment for her at the best hospital, working myself to the 

bone. 

But what did she give me in return? 

She used some dark, unseen curse to slowly drain my life away. 

Thinking of this, my chest felt heavy, and I sighed. 

I pulled out my phone, turned on the flashlight, and was about to cut through the dark alley when, suddenly, a gust of wind swept past behind me. 

Before I could even turn around, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck. My vision went black, and I collapsed. 

I was woken by a bucket of cold water. 

As consciousness returned, I found myself tied to a chair, unable to move. 

In the dim room, only Chloe stood before me, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes so dark they could drip with malice.