Paralyzed by His Lies

Chapter 9

I went on, my voice calm but steady.

"So you came up with those 99 punishments. And I went along with every single one of them, didn't I?"

"Do you even know what kind of mental state I was in when I completed the 99th?"

"You're still upset over some harmless little pranks? Come on, it wasn't that serious. I just made you stand in the rain a little longer. Was that really such a big deal?"

"And didn't you get soaked and catch a fever yourself that day trying to stop Isabella from leaving?"

So in his mind, it had all been harmless fun.

"You want my forgiveness? Fine. Then do you dare open the video Lucas sent you? Didn't you record every single one of those 'little punishments'?"

Alexander didn't hesitate, he pulled out his phone, confident.

But as soon as the video started playing, those vile, degrading words echoed through the café speakers. Heads turned. People stared.

If Alexander hadn't chased me so relentlessly, I would've let this wound stay closed.

But he didn't stop, so I didn't either.

"How... how could this be?" he stammered. "You, "

"You saw it yourself," I said flatly. "I was raped."

"Tell me, Alexander, do you really think there's anything left between us?"

He had no answer. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Then his expression shifted, panic, rage, guilt, all rolled into one.

"It was Lucas. He lied to me. He told me they were just going to scare you. I'm going to kill him."

"Lucy, this is all his fault, I'll get justice for you."

But hearing him try to wash his hands of it made something inside me snap.

"Without your approval, could Lucas have done this?"

"Without your permission, would Sophia have ended up in the Quinn house?"

"Everything that happened, every nightmare I went through, started with your stupid idea of those 99 punishments."

"I hate Lucas, yes. But I hate you more."

The words hit like a slap.

Alexander's body jerked as he fell out of his wheelchair.

He used his arms to crawl toward me, dragging himself across the floor like a man possessed.

"Lucy, please... please don't hate me. I'll do anything you want."

Only then did I realize, his legs really didn't work anymore.

But I didn't care. I didn't want to know.

"My only request," I said, "is that you disappear from my life. Forever."

His hand froze where it had landed, right at my feet.

The light in his eyes died out. For the first time, Alexander Quinn looked utterly defeated.

"Alright," he whispered. "As you wish."

Those three words seemed to take everything he had left.

And with that, he went completely still.

I didn't look back.

As I stepped out of the café, a strange lightness filled my chest. I could breathe again.

I had finally let go of Alexander Quinn.

"All done?"

Eric's voice came from beside me.

I blinked, surprised. "You were here?"

"No need to ask, I'll just tell you," he said casually, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm not as easy to fool as your cousin. I waited for you the whole time."

I smiled softly. "So if I didn't come out, you would've just kept waiting?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I would've waited one more minute. Then I was coming in to rescue you."

That made me laugh, and all the emotion I'd been bottling up spilled out in one breath.

"Eric... do you like me?"

"You finally noticed," he said, amused.

"But I used to, "

"That's the past," he cut me off gently. "I'm your future."

He told me he'd been drawn to me the first time we met at that club.

I was a total mess, but still clutching a bottle of vitamins disguised as painkillers, insisting I had to deliver them.

He thought it was some emergency medicine.

He didn't know then that I'd end up being Jason's cousin.

But after that, the more we saw each other, the more intrigued he became, until that curiosity quietly turned into love.

Having grown up overseas, he didn't care about my past.

And just like that, we became a couple.

Alexander Quinn vanished from my life completely.

On the day of my wedding with Eric, a package arrived.

Inside was a note and a newspaper clipping.

"I promised never to see you again. Congratulations on your marriage."

The article was about those thugs being arrested and handed heavy sentences.

The Lucas family had gone bankrupt. After returning to the States, Alexander had personally set a trap. Lucas walked right into it, thinking he was smart, only to fall into the pit himself.

And that woman Sophia? She'd been Lucas's girl all along. They'd sent her to Alexander, hoping she'd get pregnant and secure a spot in the Quinn family. The first step of their plan? Get rid of me.

The people involved were blind to it, but the ones on the outside saw everything clearly.

Lucas had noticed Alexander treating me differently all along.

The irony? I'd loved Alexander. And deep down, he had loved me too.

But he never realized it.

By the time I reached that realization, all I felt was exhaustion.

So I tossed the note and the article aside. Not out of anger, just indifference.

"Why are you zoning out here? The wedding's about to start."

Eric appeared beside me, grinning. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts."

"Of course not, Mr. Spencer," I laughed, taking his hand. "Take care of me for the rest of our lives."

He kissed my fingers. "Gladly. For the rest of our lives."