My Boyfriend Drained My Blood to Please His Stepsister novel Chapter 8

"Chloe, I was wrong… I was so wrong…"

"Please… Please forgive me."

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with raw pain and desperation.

"Forgive you?" I let out a cold laugh.

SMACK.

I slapped him across the face, hard.

His head jerked to the side, a red handprint immediately blooming on his cheek.

"Sure. I’ll forgive you… the day you bring my sister back to life."

My voice was cold, dripping with hatred.

His eyes met mine, filled with regret and sorrow.

"Chloe, I know I hurt you… I know I failed you and your sister…"

"If you want to hit me, scream at me-do whatever it takes to make you feel better."

"I deserve it."

He raised his hand and slapped himself.

SMACK. SMACK. SMACK.

Each hit landed harder than the last, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

I watched him with detached indifference.

"Zane, do you really think this will make me forgive you?"

"The moment you let our child die… the moment you turned your back on saving my sister… you became someone I could never forgive."

"To me, you’re nothing but an enemy."

Zane crawled forward on his knees, gripping the hem of my dress like a desperate man drowning.

"I know you hate me. I know you wish I was dead…"

"But I can’t live without you, Chloe. For three years, I’ve thought about you every single day…"

His bloodshot eyes bore into mine, his tears falling freely.

"Chloe, please… come back to me. Take my life if you want-just don’t leave me again."

He lowered his head and started banging it against the floor.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The dull sound echoed through the space, and blood quickly seeped from his forehead, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

I stared down at him, unmoved.

Just like he had, three years ago, when I was the one kneeling outside his mansion.

Cold. Heartless.

"Zane, don’t you understand?"

I crouched down, meeting his pitiful gaze.

"Do you remember how you treated me?"

"You drained me of my blood. You let our baby die."

"You humiliated me in front of everyone-again and again-for Lily."

"And you stood there, watching as my sister took her last breath."

My voice was soft, but each word was a blade cutting through him.

His head snapped up, eyes filled with agony.

"Chloe, I was wrong. I know I was wrong… I’ll give everything back to you-everything."

"I destroyed the Monroes, I made Lily pay-she’s dead now…"

"I’ll make it up to you, I’ll repay you… Just let me fix this."

His voice cracked, unraveling like a broken man.

Just as we were about to reach it, a chandelier fell from above.

He shoved me toward the exit, throwing himself under it to take the impact.

I was saved, but when the firefighters pulled Zane out, he was covered in severe burns.

He lay in the hospital bed, his body wrapped in bandages, his face horribly disfigured.

When he saw me, his weak eyes flickered with a glimmer of hope.

"Chloe… cough cough…"

His voice was raspy, struggling to speak. He opened his palm to reveal the bracelet my mother had left me.

"Chloe… I got this back from Lily... it’s yours…"

I took the bracelet, a thousand emotions flooding my mind.

He gave a sad smile, "The debt I owe you for saving me… I’ve paid that… but…"

"I still owe you so much… I can never repay it…"

"Sorry… cough cough… I was wrong… In another life… maybe… I’ll pay you back…"

A tear fell from his eye, and his hand dropped limply.

Zane died in front of me.

I looked at the bracelet, and tears finally fell.

But those tears weren’t for him.

They were for the love I had lost, the youth I could never get back, and the regrets that would never be undone.

As they covered Zane with a white sheet, I turned and walked away.

Zane, you died trying to save me, but you still carried the weight of my sister’s death.

This life, the next, forever-I'll never forgive you.

Some mistakes, once made, can never be undone.