To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 79

“Where’s Isaac?”

The moment they entered the hospital room where the brothers were staying side by side, Scott immediately asked.

“He’s asleep after getting a sedative.”

“He must have been really scared.”

“We’ll need to start therapy once he’s discharged.”

“Are you okay?”

Aaron, who had been silent, asked. Susan gently touched the bruises on her neck. The terror from when her airway was squeezed and she had gasped for air was still vivid.

“I have to be okay. What about you… huh…”

The one who was hurt the most was, without question, Scott.

Scott had suffered both a gunshot wound and internal injuries. His lightest injury was a recently broken arm that got broken again.

Susan looked at her twin brother with a troubled face. Scott tried to act like he was fine, but he clearly looked like he was in pain. Aaron clenched his teeth hard.

“That bastard’s insane. I’ll use every means to crush him.”

“…We reported it as an attack by an unknown man. John’s handling the situation now, so keep quiet.”

“What? Are you seriously crazy? We’re supposed to cover up the crime of the guy who almost killed Susan White?”

“That woman, Julia Ashford, was murdered.”

“What does that have to do with this situation?”

“Scott became the prime suspect. Because of what he did to us and the situation with Scott, Victor Lebedev made a deal.”

“I didn’t do it!”

“You didn’t do it?”

Susan’s eyes widened in confusion. Scott spoke desperately.

“I never gave the order to kill her.”

“If it wasn’t you… then who did it?”

“How would I know? You think I’d believe it just because I’m a suspect? Are you crazy? Are we even sure Julia Ashford is really dead?”

“…John confirmed her body. The evidence is solid. It was John’s idea that taking the deal was the best option.”

“And you believe that bastard? John White, the liar?”

“They found a brooch-shaped communicator at the scene…”

Scott’s face turned pale. Only he and Scarlett had those communicators, which were still in the testing phase. Scarlett had supposedly smashed hers underfoot and destroyed it.

“No, wait. It’s possible the researchers stole a few and leaked them. I gave Scarlett two, so maybe one fell into the enemy’s hands. If that’s the case, they’re trying to frame us for her mother’s death.”

“John said he took the extra one from Scarlett and destroyed it. But just in case, they kept the evidence.”

“Just finding the communicator doesn’t prove I killed her!”

“They narrowed it down to you because you sold Noah Ashford into slavery and the two of you had a history of violence.”

“Ugh…”

Aaron, with his eyes closed, let out a groan. Wrongly accused of murder, Scott tried to jump up in protest but collapsed back down from the pain of his injuries.

“I’m just as frustrated about all this… but we have to bury it this time.”

“Don’t say something so ridiculous!”

Aaron, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low, heavy voice. His face was full of worry.

“Yeah. It’s ridiculous. But Scott, even for your sake, this is the best option.”

“Aaron!”

“If this goes to trial, there’s a good chance you’ll be jailed. The investigation and court battle could drag on for years. If we’re unlucky, you might end up taking the blame, and even if the truth comes out, by then, Cravitz will have taken serious damage.”

“Even if Cravitz falls—”

“What’s the point of throwing away everything you have because of that madman?”

At Aaron’s shout, Scott fell silent. His face was full of injustice. But he soon bit his lip and held back his anger. What came to his mind was Scarlett—his poor little sister.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

It must have been a blessing that someone like Noah Ashford wasn’t by Scarlett’s side. It was a wise choice for Scarlett to stay away from him.

“For Scarlett’s sake, let’s keep this a secret no matter what.”

At Scott’s words, the brothers exchanged solemn glances.

Time passed quickly. After Julia’s funeral, Noah packed his things and boarded a ship heading to Natalia. Truthfully, he didn’t have much to pack.

He threw away everything Scarlett had given him. Instead of the luxury clothes and shoes she bought, he packed his old, worn-out belongings. He also returned the communicator she had gifted him to John White.

Noah wanted to get away from Scarlett. Yet at the same time, part of him still wanted to remain under her influence. But he had to move forward.

“Be happy.”

He kept those words deep in his heart. They were her last.

“We’re setting sail soon.”

“Yeah. I never thought I’d leave Wifland.”

After Julia’s death, Noah Ashford was no longer the same.

His violet eyes now resembled the cold winter air, and his once gentle smile now carried hatred toward the world.

“It’s going to be a hard journey.”

“I’ll be fine.”

No matter what was ahead, nothing could be worse than what he had already gone through these past few months.

Noah felt the salty sea breeze. His hair grew damp, but it wasn’t just his hair—it was his heart that had truly grown heavy.

He could never go back. Not to before he lost Scarlett, not to before his mother, Julia Ashford, was murdered.

His childhood had been harsh, but there had still been a sliver of innocence in the young Noah. That purity had once shone like a tiny light in endless darkness.

But now that light was snuffed out by the damp sea air. It was devoured by the darkness of loss.

Loss. He had experienced so much loss.

The loss of his lover, his mother, and his innocence. No—maybe what he truly lost forever was his soul.

‘My revenge will be different from yours.’

On the day he attacked the White mansion, Noah had made up his mind as he turned his back on them.

He would not act like a savage. He wouldn’t kill with bullets like they did. Instead, he would destroy their lives, bleed them dry from within.

He would make the pain unbearable, so they could never escape, and in the end, he would corrupt their souls and leave them rotting in an eternal hell.

They had targeted his life. He would target their souls.

Thus, his revenge would be as elegant as a devil who could deceive even saints.

“I’m ready for anything.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, by the way, a gift arrived for you before you board.”

“A gift? Who sent it?”

“It’s in your room. Go take a look.”

Victor didn’t tell him who sent it—he just told him to check for himself.

When Noah entered his cabin, he found a tube lying on the desk. Curious, he opened it.

As he pulled out the contents, his face slowly crumbled.

Inside was a rolled-up drawing.

A portrait of himself—drawn by Scarlett.

He recognized it at once. It was the picture she had been working on the day she saved him—the day she gave him his freedom.

He couldn’t look away. It wasn’t just because of the skill.

This portrait was a piece of Scarlett White’s existence. Proof that she had lived. Proof that she had loved him.

“Ahh…”

The drawing was complete. But when had she finished it? Imagining her drawing it while she was so sick broke his heart.

So, this is how you looked at me. This is the face you saw.

I should have been kinder. I should have woken you from your nightmares instead of just watching.

He regretted every moment. And even those regrets became precious.

The delicate drawing tore at Noah’s heart. And in the corner, the signature—“Scarlett White”—made it even worse.

“Hhh…”

Scarlett White.

Her name, written by her own hand. There would never again be a reason for this handwriting to appear.

That thought made Noah sob.

He quickly wiped his tears, afraid they would smear the paper.

His trembling hands hovered over the signature. He couldn’t touch it—he feared it would blur.

That was death.

No matter how much you missed someone, you couldn’t touch them, couldn’t hold them. He couldn’t feel her warmth, couldn’t hear her playful complaints anymore.

Never had Scarlett’s absence felt more real.

There were countless words in the world, but none could express his grief, his loneliness, his emptiness.

Noah Ashford without Scarlett White.

Alone, Noah Ashford.

The moon he once believed was his sank back into the sky. The wolf who loved the moon would forever look up at the blurry moonlight in the dark night, remembering the days they swam together in the lake, the warmth she gave, the light, and its color.

‘What am I supposed to do now?’

Why would you leave me a gift like this?

Scarlett. Scarlett…

This is a cruel trick. How am I supposed to move on?

I shouldn’t hold onto you. I mustn’t.

No—maybe you should have left me a portrait of yourself. I’m scared I’ll forget your face. What am I supposed to do when I miss you?

‘Oh God, you should have taken me instead.’

Why Scarlett? Of all people, why her?

Couldn’t you have taken me instead?

Was there something about her soul that tempted you?

“Hhh…”

Noah hugged the portrait tightly and wept like a wounded animal.

He had always been a beast before her.

Scarlett had tamed him. She was his master, and he was the stray dog that lingered around her.

And now, a dog without its master—what a pitiful sight.

His cries of despair filled the cabin.

“Aaahh…”

Cruel to the very end.

Her gentle cruelty was unbearable.

He hated her for this. Yet, he missed her terribly.

So terribly, so deeply.

It was a modest celebration. The menu was simple, just like their usual meals, and there were no special decorations.

Only the large cake in the middle of the table indicated that today was someone’s birthday.

“I wanted to make it fancier…” Susan said with a bitter smile. The bruises on her neck had mostly faded, but she still hid her neck with a scarf.

Scott was still hospitalized, and Aaron was still recovering, though he wasn’t fully healed.

Isaac, after witnessing that terrible scene, had been having seizures every night and was now in therapy. John had not been invited.

“It’s fine,” said Scarlett, the guest of honor, wearing a white dress with a faint smile.

It was a smile that hid her sadness, but to Susan, Scarlett’s sorrow was obvious.

“Auntie, happy birthday!”

“Thank you, Croissant.”

Isaac handed her a clumsily wrapped present. Scarlett kissed her nephew on the forehead.

She still didn’t know Noah had attacked her brothers. She knew Julia was dead but didn’t know how she had died.

She was unaware of everything, simply killing time, waiting for the day she would die.

“Happy birthday!” Isaac sang in a clear voice.

Scarlett forced her lips into a smile, but her eyes were hollow.

Her once bright, ash-colored eyes were now nothing but burnt-out dust.

The scars of revenge. The traces of love. The proof of pain.

“Happy birthday, dear…”

It was the nineteenth birthday she had wished for so much.
In her past life, when she had been killed by Noah, she had never reached this day.
It was a happy change, but she only felt empty.

Scarlett stared at the flickering candles on the cake.

The candle wax dripped and hardened on top of the cream.
The flowing wax felt just like herself.

Terrible loneliness and unbearable emptiness filled her lungs.

When she breathed in, it felt like the loneliness would leave, but when she breathed out, even more loneliness rushed in.

The bitterness was in her mouth, and the loneliness was deep inside her chest.
She blew out the candles with her loneliness.

“Auntie, hurry and make a wish! A wish!”

“Mm.”

Scarlett closed her eyes and pretended to make a wish.
But nothing came to her.
All she could see in front of her was empty darkness.

Out of the darkness, a shape slowly appeared — Noah’s face.
As his face appeared, she was pulled into a whirlpool of complicated feelings she couldn’t describe.

She quickly opened her eyes to escape from the sticky swamp of emotions.
In her sight, the candles had gone out and smoke was rising.
The gray smoke twisted and spun up into the air like a snake.

She had succeeded in her revenge.
But she didn’t feel happy at all.

She was only freed from her nightmare.

That was all.

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