Vera Xavier's hands and feet were bound to the sofa. She struggled, but couldn't budge an inch. The ropes bit into her wrists, leaving them raw and bloody.
Cara Preston pushed open the bedroom door and sat in a chair opposite her. "Vera Xavier, I bet you never thought you'd see this day!"
"Cara Preston, what do you want?" Vera Xavier demanded, glaring at her.
Cara Preston was Vera Xavier's best friend. At least, that's what Vera had believed up until three days ago. The events since then had completely shattered her reality: her adoptive mother's brutal death, her biological father leaping from a building, her company being shut down, and finally, being tied up by Cara in this desolate cabin.
"What do I want? I want you to die, of course!" Cara Preston's face twisted into a vicious snarl. "You have nothing left, yet you still have your claws in Nathaniel Nathan. Why should you get to keep him?"
Vera stared at her. "You're in love with Nathaniel?"
"You're such an idiot, and you're only just figuring it out," Cara Preston burst out laughing. "If I wasn't in love with Nathaniel, why would I have put up with you for so long? Why would I have ever let you think I was your friend?"
Seeing the rage flaring in Vera's eyes, she added, "Did you really think a country bumpkin like you was worthy of being my friend? You have no idea how hard it's been, putting up with you all these years!"
Vera finally understood why Cara had been so good to her all these years, always helping her strategize whenever she faced difficulties. It was to the point that for a very long time, Vera had told Cara all her secrets.
Vera gritted her teeth. Cara continued, "Since you're going to die today anyway, I don't mind telling you everything. I'm madly in love with Nathaniel, but he's only ever had eyes for you."
"And another thing. That time you saw Nathaniel and Susan Caldwell in bed together? I orchestrated that. Nothing ever happened between them. All your suspicions were fabrications I carefully planted. Nathaniel never liked Susan. The only one he has ever loved is you!"
Vera was stunned. Her relationship with Nathaniel had been through so many ups and downs. They had been on the verge of getting married, but then Cara had taken her to "catch him in the act" right before the wedding. She had seen Nathaniel and Susan together with her own eyes. After that, she'd written Nathaniel off as a cheating scumbag, and the wedding was canceled.
She lunged frantically at Cara, but the ropes held her fast. Unable to move an inch, all she could do was glare with pure hatred.
Seeing her struggle only made Cara more gleeful. "And that's why you have to die! Only when you're dead will Nathaniel finally be with me!"
She paused, then continued, "I've already planned it all out. Crushed by a series of devastating blows, you decide to commit suicide by turning on the gas. But then, you accidentally ignite it and burn yourself alive. Aren't you satisfied with that cause of death?"
Vera exploded with rage. "Cara Preston, you're a monster! You'll get what you deserve for this!"
A beautiful smile bloomed on Cara's face. "Oh, right. There's one more thing I forgot to tell you. You always wondered why your birth mother treated you so poorly after you came back from your adoptive family, didn't you? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. You're the true heiress of the Caldwell family. The woman you thought was your mother isn't your mother at all—she's Susan Caldwell's."
Vera was frozen in a daze. She didn't know when Cara left, or when the raging fire had erupted around her. The scorching heat baked her, pushing her to the brink of despair. 'I'm going to die, aren't I?'
Just then, Nathaniel kicked the door open and rushed in. He sliced through her ropes and scooped her into his arms, ready to escape. But a roof beam collapsed. A timber crashed down onto her leg, breaking it.
Vera pushed at him. "Nathaniel, get out of here!"
Nathaniel's deep-set eyes locked onto hers. "Vera, if you die, do you really think I could go on living?"
A violent tremor ran through Vera, her eyes welling with tears. 'This man loves me with his very life. How could I have been so stupid, pushing him away time and time again?' She threw her arms around him. "You're such a fool!"
The fire raged, more beams collapsed, and their escape was cut off. Nathaniel held the unconscious Vera close and whispered, "We die together, or we live together."
Vera's fading consciousness screamed, 'I don't want to die! I want to live! If I could just have one more chance, I would never be so foolish again!'
As a tear fell, a golden, crystalline frost bloomed in her vision.
Outside, Cara watched the inferno, her hands clenched into fists. The fire was massive, yet Nathaniel had plunged into it without a moment's hesitation. He would rather die with Vera than live to be with her. A strangled scream tore from her throat, and her mind finally shattered.