Chapter 24
Watching Serena’s growing hysteria, Hunter felt an eerie calm settle over him. His voice was steady as he responded, “I love Nadine now. I was wrong before, and I owe you an apology,
Serena.
“But this ends here. All I want is to see Nadine again. Those five days were for her, not you. I don’t love you.”
His words shattered Serena’s last hope. She had lied to him. Nadine had already crossed over, so she was gone forever. But like Nadine before her, one “I love you” from Hunter could still grant her life.
Yet after all her scheming, she’d failed! Seeing his guilty yet expectant expression, Serena burst out laughing.
Her time was running out, but she’d make sure Hunter suffered too. She needed to make sure he’d live in agony and consumed by hatred!
“Give up, Hunter! Nadine’s never coming back! I tricked you!
“Think
you can make amends? Impossible! You hurt her! You failed to save her! You’ll never see her again!
“And now you’ve divorced her! You gave up everything for nothing! Nadine will never return to you!”
The truth crashed over him. So, all his sacrifices meant nothing. Nadine was truly gone.
Rage erupted in Hunter’s eyes. Those five days of humiliation were all a lie!
“You’re dead!” He lunged to strangle her, but Serena was ready.
A knife flashed as she plunged it into his body. All those days of torment, five days of despair, and this final moment of madness–Serena stabbed wildly, again and again, pouring every
ounce of hatred into each strike!
“Hunter Goldman! Let’s die together!”
The scene turned gruesome. No one could count how many times the knife plunged in as
Serena laughed maniacally. Already weakened from his wounds, Hunter lacked the strength to stop her frenzied attack. He collapsed silently into a pool of blood.
Even in death, he never got to tell Nadine that he loved her. Blood loss and despair made his breathing grow fainter.
Then, that was when he saw her–Nadine. And that ever–present fly, now landing on his body.
Chapter 24
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Suddenly, Nadine’s voice echoed in his ears. “I just needed one sentence from you. Just say ‘I love you.“”
The familiar voice made him reach out. He wanted to respond, to tell her he’d truly fallen in love with her. But blood filled his throat, stealing every word. The realization struck him that they’d missed their chance long ago.
Hunter closed his eyes as tears of anguish streamed down. Meanwhile, Serena alternated between broken laughter and sobs. Her time was nearly up too.
The fifth day brought no salvation–only hatred and despair. She hated Hunter and Nadine. These five days gave her everything she wanted… everything except another day.
Gradually, her body began dissolving. She murdered Nadine, convinced she would naturally ascend as Mrs. Goldman. Yet when the final moment came, the fifth day’s curse claimed her too, trapping her forever in this endless twilight.
Everything reached its bitter conclusion–love and hatred, regret and remorse, as well as hope and despair. All of it dissolved into the eternal night of that fifth day.
