Chapter 194: Carrie’s Defense of Peak Club
“Honestly, I told Kevin I cared about him, but the truth is, I never really treated him well.”
Paige smiled bitterly, “I used to think that his feelings for me were just a weird obsession, but when I heard his voice on the phone… it really made me feel awful. In the future, could you treat him well for me?”
He really… had it rough.
“Whimper…”
The little dolphin whimpered, struggling in her hand, seemingly dissatisfied with her words.
“Don’t be afraid, Enrico might seem intimidating sometimes, but he’s not that bad. You’re so good at being cute, just keep playing that card with him, and he definitely won’t be mad.”
Paige continued to comfort it.
The little dolphin still seemed unsatisfied.
Paige decided to hug it close, rubbing its belly with her fingers, tickling it, “Be good, if you don’t listen, I’ll keep tickling you.”
The little dolphin struggled in her arms, rolling around playfully.
The two uniformed men at Gangnam Hall watched from a distance, exchanged glances, and sighed helplessly.
Paige sat in the white corner of the cell at Gangnam Hall for an entire night, her eyes quietly staring ahead.
She thought that if the slums weren’t rebuilt, she’d be worried about it until the day she died.
But surprisingly…
All she could think about now was Enrico.
Memories replayed in her mind like a movie, scene by scene, tightening around her heart. Her pale, bony hand picked up a piece of candy, unwrapped it, then picked up another, unwrapped it…
Soon, the floor around her was covered in candy wrappers.
On the night before her execution, she ate the entire jar of candy.
…
As the eastern sky began to brighten, the sun slowly rose, casting light on the cool city.
In a small room, Carrie sat quietly on the edge of her bed, her face haggard and pale, her eyes vacant as she stared ahead.
The door was open, and Carrie’s mother sat on the sofa outside, sighing from time to time.
Carrie knew what her mother was sighing about-she never expected her daughter to be so afraid of death, after receiving Paige’s help, only to turn around and betray her so quickly.
Carrie admitted that her betrayal was indeed swift.
She had been held in the police station, not questioned or given anything to eat. She was starved until yesterday when someone finally came for her.
It wasn’t an interrogation at the police station, but a private conversation.
The person wasn’t from the police either.
He was well-dressed, in a suit and tie, and his words hinted that he worked for the President’s office.
“Carrie, how did you meet Paige? Did you know she escaped from the slums?”
“Carrie, I’ve arranged for a doctor to check your health. You know, there are many infectious diseases on Wind Island, so you need to take care of yourself.”
“If you keep your mouth shut, are you admitting to colluding with Paige? There’s no need for this-people from the slums don’t follow the law. She hid her identity and dared to kill.”
“Actually, the surveillance footage of the bar fight captured everything, and you were in it too. But clearing your name would be easy for me.”
“Paige isn’t just any slum escapee; public opinion is divided. If there’s more solid evidence, or a testimony from someone close to her, the more crimes she’s charged with, the easier it will be to quiet the public.”
“Carrie, your mother has worked hard to raise you, hasn’t she? If you committed a crime, what would happen to her? I heard she’s employed at Peak Club-if you don’t speak up, should I invite her over for a chat?”
Carrie remembered every word of that conversation in that small room, as clear as day. She also remembered that she didn’t hesitate much before saying, “Don’t cause trouble for my family; I’ll testify against Paige for any crime.”
She was released last night.
Thinking back on the moment of her betrayal, Carrie’s eyes reddened. She grabbed the plane ticket on her bed and walked out of her room.
Her mother, sitting on the sofa, was miserably slapping herself. Seeing Carrie, she stopped and said, “You’re up so early. I’ll make you breakfast.”
A mother can’t bear to scold her child, only blaming herself for not raising them right.
“Mom.”
Carrie walked over and knelt before her, handing her the plane ticket, “The execution is at 9 AM; the plane takes off at 8. You should pack and leave the country.”
Her mother froze, looking at her with teary, confused eyes, “What do you mean?”
“If I hadn’t betrayed Paige, it wouldn’t have mattered-they wouldn’t let me go.”
Carrie knelt on the ground, looking up at her mother with guilt, “Today’s the public execution. There will be a lot of people. I’ll go to the scene and prove I was forced under duress. That will cause an uproar, and they’ll have to change the sentence. Paige won’t have to die right away.”
But by doing so, she knew she’d be arrested again, and she didn’t know what she’d face next.
So she could only let her mother leave first. As long as her mother was safe, she could go through with it.
“…”
Her mother sat on the sofa, staring at the plane ticket, suddenly understanding everything. Tears streamed down her face, her voice choked, “So this was your plan all along.”
“I worked hard to get into Capital University, but I couldn’t advance further. Paige helped me, found you a better job, and gave me a down payment for this apartment so I could pay it off slowly. During the competition, she put herself in danger to help me.”
Carrie, kneeling on the ground, held her mother’s hand, eyes moist, “Mom, I can’t just let her be sentenced to death without doing something.”
“Good child, a courageous child.”
Her mother gently cupped Carrie’s face, her voice trembling, “I see the news calling your president a wicked woman, but I don’t believe it. She’s been nothing but kind to us-she’s never harmed us. We know in our hearts what Paige is really like.”
“Thank you, Mom, so please, go abroad…”
Before Carrie could finish, her mother tore up the plane ticket, wiped her tears, and looked at her, “Carrie, I’m not going abroad. I’ll stay here. You do what you need to do. If they don’t let Paige or you go, I’ll step in. I’ll fight for you.”
“Mom…”
Carrie’s tears flowed uncontrollably. She couldn’t find the words, finally collapsing onto her mother’s lap, crying her heart out.
The mother and daughter cried together for a long time before Carrie stood up and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed a fruit knife from the rack and clenched it tightly in her hand.
The sky outside brightened a bit more.
Without hesitation, Carrie slashed the knife across her face, blood immediately pouring out, marring her once-beautiful face.
One cut wasn’t enough. She slashed her arm several times, avoiding the arteries.
Her mother stood by, covering her mouth, crying silently.
Carrie smiled at her, “Mom, do I look like I was tortured now?”
Those people framed Paige, saying she was a murderer-Carrie could lie too. After all, who couldn’t tell a lie?All rights © NôvelDrama.Org.