To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 67

“Ahhhh!”

After Scarlett, Scott screamed too. He screamed like a beast, clutching his broken arm.

Even though he tried hard to grit his teeth, the pain made him cry out anyway.

“Scott!”

Scarlett covered her mouth when she saw his arm twisted in a strange direction. The bone sticking out under the skin was clear.

Noah looked down at Scott, who was groaning in pain, with cold eyes. Honestly, he wanted to break Scott’s neck too. But he had stopped at the arm because Scott was Scarlett’s brother.

“H-hospital…”

Scarlett quickly supported Scott. When she forced him to stand, Scott let out a tearing scream. Hearing that, Scarlett flinched and trembled.

Seeing her strong brother in so much pain was completely unfamiliar to her. The whole situation itself was terrifying.

“S-Scott…”

“Hhh… hhh…”

She remembered when Noah hunted her. She had tried to run away like a mouse but was mercilessly caught. The fear and pain she felt back then were still vivid.

Now, Noah didn’t look like Noah. He looked like the killer from her nightmares. His cold, hard face only seemed scary.

Her nerves were stretched tight. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded heavily again and again. Her fingertips tingled from the terrible memories flooding back.

“S-Scarlett.”

Noah suddenly realized he had shown Scarlett something she should not have seen. He quickly looked at her.

Scarlett’s face was so pale it looked almost blue. Noah, worried, took a step closer. But Scarlett stepped back just as much.

Noah saw what was in her eyes. Fear. Not hatred, disgust, or resentment—just pure fear. His heart sank. He regretted showing her this side of himself, but he did not regret what he did to Scott.

What Scott White had done was something Noah could never forgive. His anger burned endlessly like the cries of sinners trapped in hell. Still, he regretted showing this side to Scarlett.

“Don’t come any closer.”

Scarlett pulled Scott behind her. She tried to shield him with her small body and pulled out a pen she always carried. It was a self-defense tool she had insisted on bringing when they first went to Iodes.

A useless thing against a wizard like Noah, but it was the only thing she could rely on.

Noah bit his lower lip. It was his mistake. He raised his hands to show his palms and slowly stepped back, putting distance between them. Right now, he needed to calm Scarlett and retreat.

As soon as Noah disappeared from her sight, Scarlett helped Scott toward the hospital. Since all the servants had been dismissed, she had to drive the carriage herself.

‘I’ll protect them.’

Scott, Isaac, Susan… She would protect them all. If someone had to die, it should be her and her alone.

When they reached the hospital, Scott had already fainted from shock. After handing him over to the medical staff, Scarlett collapsed to the floor, her legs giving out.

“Are you okay?”

A passing nurse asked her. Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut, unable to fight the waves of anxiety crashing over her. She trembled like a baby bird drenched in the rain.

“Mr. White will be fine.”

“H-he’s not going to die, right?”

“Of course not. It’s just a fracture.”

“But he looked like he was in so much pain…”

“The broken bone must have pressed on a nerve. That’s why.”

“He won’t have any disabilities, right?”

“Don’t worry.”

“P-please, take good care of him.”

Scarlett finally burst into tears. Her trembling hands couldn’t support her, so she leaned against the wall and sagged down. Scott’s terrible screams had made her fear something had gone very wrong.

She curled up, burying her face between her knees. Her body thudded with every beat of her racing heart.

She had always been the one relying on others, not the protector. This sudden reversal choked her. She never knew how painful it was to see a loved one hurt.

“Guardian.”

“…”

“Guardian!”

“Y-yes?”

“We’ve finished treating the patient. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the bone to heal. It’ll take a few months… The patient is sleeping now, so you can quietly go see him.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

She quickly stood up and entered Scott’s hospital room. It was her first time seeing Scott in a patient gown. Scott had always been strong and healthy. Seeing her brother’s pale face made her chest burn with anger.

She didn’t even think about what Scott had done to Noah. That didn’t matter. What mattered was that her brother Scott was lying unconscious.

Just then, the door opened and Aaron walked in. Since she couldn’t contact John or Susan, she had sent someone to get Aaron.

“My God.”

What happened?

Aaron frowned and asked, shocked.

“T-the thing is…”

It was all because of her that Scott ended up like this.

Scarlett couldn’t stop the guilt rising in her chest. She didn’t regret what had happened the night before. Or maybe she did. She didn’t even know anymore.

She loved both Noah and her brothers. If she had to choose one, she couldn’t answer easily. Her heart pounded wildly in this extreme situation, as if her chest would melt.

What mattered now was that she had to make a decision. No matter the past, she had to choose whose side she was on—her family’s or Noah’s.

While Scarlett struggled to answer, Aaron let out a deep sigh. Scarlett clenched her trembling hand into a fist, as if she had made up her mind. She said to Aaron,

“Please take care of Scott. I have something I need to do.”

“Alright. But don’t wander around too much. Get some rest soon. You look terrible.”

Leaving Aaron’s concern behind, she returned home. When she opened the door to the empty mansion, she saw Noah waiting for her at the top of the stairs. Scarlett felt her grip tighten around the gun she was holding.

Noah’s eyes flicked to the gun and back to her. He didn’t look afraid or surprised at all.

That calmness only fueled Scarlett’s anger. She ground her teeth and said sarcastically,

“Should I thank you for breaking his arm cleanly?”

“Should I be thankful I only got turned into a slave instead of being killed?”

Their gazes clashed sharply in the air.

“Yeah. You should be thankful.”

“What terrible thing did I ever do to him?”

“Then what terrible thing did I do?”

“Let’s admit it. We’re all tangled up because of the sins of the adults.”

Noah’s cynical reply made him seem like a different person. Scarlett raised the gun. The barrel pointed straight at Noah. It was a fair distance, but she was confident.

Her brother Scott was the owner of Cravitz, the world’s biggest defense company. There was no way she couldn’t shoot.

Noah asked,

“Do you want to kill me?”

“If necessary.”

“That seems like a pretty harsh punishment for someone who ruined your life.”

“Think I can’t do it?”

Scarlett deliberately aimed at the ceiling and fired. The recoil numbed her arm.

Bang!

The chandelier shattered. Noah didn’t even flinch. He only kept looking at her. The sharp crash of the chandelier falling to the ground seemed to mirror the crack between them.

Noah’s lips twisted. He felt sick with betrayal. He had thought Scarlett might side with him, even a little. That she might mourn for him and pity him.

Scarlett, on the other hand, was the one who flinched at the gunshot. She barely managed to stay standing.

“Scott White made me a slave.”

“So?”

“He made me a slave! Scott White did!”

Scarlett’s face twisted miserably. She couldn’t play judge between what her brother did and what Noah did. Both sides were precious to her.

But if she had to choose, she leaned toward Scott. Seeing him suffer with a broken arm made her heart melt. She couldn’t even imagine how Scott must have felt watching his sister slowly waste away.

“I had to cross the line. I had to do whatever it took to survive after becoming a slave.”

“…You shouldn’t have done that to Scott.”

“So now you want to kill me? Even now?”

“You don’t know what else you might do.”

Noah bit his lip hard until it bled. It hurt so much that she could only think of him that way, like a chandelier shattering into pieces.

“You can’t kill me.”

Scarlett knew it too. Noah was a wizard, and she was just an ordinary person. Her wish to kill him was like a tower built on unstable sand, ready to collapse at any moment.

“Because I have no intention of dying.”

Their love had been no more than a fleeting dream. That fact made him unbearably sad. In just one day, Scarlett had turned away from him.

Still, he loved her. It was his love for her that made his heart feel like it was being crushed.

Scarlett struggled to speak. Just thinking about death made it hard for her to form words. She had to choose carefully.

“You said you love me. Then disappear.”

“Stop being selfish. What about me? What about my feelings?”

Her thin fingers trembled on the trigger. Her hand shook so badly she couldn’t aim properly. Just pointing the gun at Noah made her so afraid she could barely breathe.

“Scarlett.”

Noah came down the stairs. Every step he took on the wooden floor made a tiny sound that scraped at her nerves. The closer he got, the drier her mouth became.

“Don’t come closer.”

“Scarlett…”

Noah called her name as if begging her. As if pleading to stop this foolish revenge. One step, two steps—soon he was right in front of her. He gently grabbed the barrel of the gun and pointed it at his own chest. Scarlett’s gray eyes shook violently.

“You can’t kill me.”

His soft whisper made her choke up. Scarlett bit her lip hard, tears welling up. No matter how much she had prepared herself, seeing Noah made all her resolve fall apart like torn rags.

“And I’m not planning to die.”

He reached out and cupped her tear-streaked cheek. His big hand gently wiped away her tears. Feeling the warmth from him, Scarlett closed her eyes tightly, unable to bear the pain.

“So shoot me and find out.”

“Stop…”

What came out between her lips was a sob. It wasn’t because she loved him as much as her family. It was because she was afraid of killing someone.

Even if she tried to rationalize it, one thing wouldn’t change: love that blooms on dirty ground is even stronger than anything else. Her love for Noah was just that tough and relentless.

Reading her confusion, Noah smiled faintly and whispered seductively,

“Just admit it now.”

You love me.

“Stop it!”

“If you pull the trigger, everything will be clear.”

“Shut up!”

“Shoot me, Scarlett. Just shoot.”

If she shot, everything—love, anger, fear—would become clear.

The barrel of the gun trembled. Tears dropped to the floor with heavy thuds. The sound of her chattering teeth rang in her ears. Her breathing grew rough, and every breath was wet with sobs.

Her bloodshot gray eyes glared at Noah. She hated him. She was angry. She blamed him. Why are you doing this to me? Why are you hurting me so much…?

Her finger pressed harder against the trigger. Her breathing grew even harsher. Her heart ached terribly. And then… she let go.

The gun clattered to the ground.

Noah’s eyes folded cruelly. Scarlett’s legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor again. Noah threw a sly question at her.

“Why? Don’t you have the courage?”

You can’t kill me, can you? Why not?

The answer was already clear. Scarlett cried big, heavy tears and covered her eyes with her hand. Her voice came back mixed with sobs.

“I guess I love you too much to kill you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Isaac…”

She had to pull the trigger to protect her family. She had intended to. But in the end, she couldn’t do it.

Because the one in front of her was Noah.

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