A cold shiver surged through her, sending static across her skin. Her ears rang. The room spun a little. She froze, her thoughts folding in on themselves. Then, from the eye of the storm, Collin cut in almost casually. Didn t you want him dead?

Her lips parted. She nodded. Then she shook her head.

Then nodded again. No wait. Yes. No. Yes. She sat there, glitching.

Collin raised a brow, completely confused. He clicked his tongue and sighed. What are you doing? Speak. You ve got a mouth, don t you?

That jolted her. She swallowed and tried again. Felix was a jerk, she mumbled. But killing him? That s too far. You did it for me, and I I The rest collapsed in breathy stutters.

Collin, still oddly patient, slid a hand around her waist. You what? he coaxed.

Her eyes dropped to the floor. Her voice came out softer, slower. You didn t have to go that far for me

The realization sank in. He had crossed a line, risked everything, for her. The weight of that truth ached in her chest tender, confusing, unbearable.

Then she heard a quiet laugh from him.

Her eyes flew up. Why are you laughing?

He shouldn t have laughed. She was just so easy to fool. s ? ?s find?novel.net

But Collin didn t let it show. Instead, he offered another charming little smirk, brushing his thumb across her cheek like she was porcelain. You re my wife, he said simply. How could I sit back while someone slandered you in public?

But you can t just kill someone Linsey said slowly, caught in his earnest gaze, her voice tapering off.

Before Collin could say more, she suddenly snapped to attention. The police! she exclaimed, panic overtaking everything else. They ll come for you. You need to hide!

Without waiting, she moved behind him, fumbling to push his wheelchair toward a better hiding spot.

Collin barely stifled another laugh, catching her hand to stop her. Hide? That s not going to help

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Of course it will help! she cut in, still wobbling slightly on her feet from the alcohol. But she looked dead serious. I ll take the blame. I ll tell them I killed Felix. I ve got a motive, and history with him. They ll believe it.

He stared at her. For the first time, he was speechless. You d take the fall for me? he asked slowly, almost not trusting his ears. She nodded with fierce resolve. Yes.

Collin frowned, his fingers tightening around hers as he searched her face. Do you even understand what you re saying? This isn t a slap on the wrist. If they believe you killed him, you could be executed, Linsey.

The words hit her like a blow. Her entire body froze, and for a moment, she looked like someone whose soul had just been yanked out. Collin chuckled under his breath. There it was, the hesitation.

As he had expected she wasn t ready to die for him.

He was just about to tell her the truth when her voice rang out.

Let it be. The words fell from her in a determined whisper. She meant it. She truly believed that if she hadn t existed in Collin s world, he wouldn t have been driven to such lengths. And what was her life, really?

She was an orphan, with no roots. No one would grieve her. In her mind, her death wouldn t matter.

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