Chapter 229

"Michelle!"

Bruce's pupils constricted as he lunged toward the staircase like a madman. The fruit knife in Michelle's hand gleamed coldly under the light, its blade already pressing a thin red line against her slender neck.

Tears streamed down her face as her voice trembled uncontrollably. "Bruce... Don't come closer... Let me die..."

"How could a cripple like me ever deserve you?"

"I don't blame you for falling for Bella... I just hate myself... for not even being able to stand..."

Bella watched the farce with cold detachment. If she truly wanted to die, why wait until Bruce arrived? Such clumsy acting, yet someone still fell for it.

"Put the knife down!" Bruce's voice shook. "I've never thought of you as a burden!"

He stepped closer, his eyes filled with anguish. "Michelle, you'll always be the one I love most. Your injury only makes me cherish you more."

Michelle wept pitifully. "Then what were you doing with Bella earlier?"

"I despise her!" Bruce declared without hesitation. "If I cared about her, why would I have married her off to Simon?"

"But they're divorced now..." The knife pressed deeper, blood trickling down the blade.

Bruce's breath hitched. "If you drop the knife, I'll send her away immediately!"

"Marry her to my brother, please?" Michelle suddenly lifted her tear-filled eyes. "They're in love..."

Bruce frowned slightly. His mind flashed to that rainy night—Hugo pinning Bella down in the rose bushes.

"You can't bear to?" Michelle's voice turned sharp.

"Of course not!" He seized her wrist holding the knife. "I'll send her over tonight!"

A faint smirk curled Michelle's lips, while Bella's face turned deathly pale.

Hugo—that demonic name sent chills down her spine. The hostess he'd beaten to death last month still lay at the bottom of the moat...