Chapter 227


    As Willow witnessed a man viciously spit on Aaron’s tom clothes, fury surged through her veins. She sprang to her feet and shoved the man with all her might, sending him stumbling backward.


    “Back off, all of you! I won’t let you keep trashing Aaron and Nic’s stuff!”


    Willow went wild, pushing against the men who were desecrating Aaron and Nic’s belongings. But her petite frame stood no chance against the hulking, brutish men.


    In no time, she found herself roughly shoved back to the ground, her body aching and bruised. The agony churning in her gut paled inparison to the knives twisting in her heart.


    Every inch of Willow’s skin trembled with pain. She clenched her teeth, fighting <b>to </b><ie </i>back up. But before she could muster the strength, Skyler moved in, mming her foot down hard on Willow’s hand.


    “How’s it feeling, Willow? Enjoying the show?” Skyler’s lips curled into a malicious grin.


    When she saw Matthew approaching, she reluctantly lifted her foot off Willow’s hand.


    Skyler jabbed an usatory finger at Willow. “Willow, Wi grew up with us. How could you be so


    heartless to hurt our best friend like that?


    “Wi lost her baby, and she’ll never be a mother again! You’ve destroyed her life. Is that what you wanted,


    Willow? How could I have a sister as monstrous as you?”


    “Cut the act, Skyler! Don’t pretend you don’t know what Wilhelmina did!” Willow’s eyes zed with fury.


    “Skyler, I’ll never forgive you! You’ve hurt me and everyone I care about over and over. If I’m going to hell,


    I’m taking you with me!”


    e


    “Willow, you’re truly unrepentant!” Matthew’s face, usually gentle, was now chillingly cold as he watched


    Willow stand up to Skyler.


    “Unrepentant? Heh!” Willowughed bitterly. “You all say I’m unrepentant, but what did I do wrong? What should I regret?


    “Alright, I do regret something! I regret loving the wrong person, and I regret trusting the wrong friends!


    “Matthew, you’re not the friend I once knew. You’ve be a heartless monster!”


    “Willow, what the heck did you just say?” Matthew’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his cold stare piercing


    through her. “Spit <b>it </b>out, Willow. Say it again!”


    “Matthew, I don’t even recognize you anymore,” Willow retorted, her voice wavering with a mix of anger


    and sadness.


    She fought <b>to </b>hold back her tears, refusing to show any weakness in front of the very people who had tormented her relentlessly / But as memories of their time in the dungeon flooded back, Willow felt her


    resolve weaken.


    The days of clinging to hope with Matthew and Aaron seemed like a distant dream<b>, </b>shattered by the


    2/2


    harsh <b>reality </b>of their current situation. She tried to recall the warmth of Matthew’s smile, <b>the </b>way <b>it </b><b>used </b>to light up their darkest moments.


    But now, all she saw was a stranger staring back at her with cold indifference. At that moment, Willow realized that the Matthew she once knew was gone, reced by someone unrecognizable.


    Matthew’s men continued to vandalize Aaron and Nic’s graves. They ripped Aaron’s clothes to shreds, setting them aze with their lighters, and Nic’s bloodstained boots suffered the same fate.


    No matter how much rage and defiance filled Willow’s heart, she couldn’t reim Aaron and Nic’s possessions. As relics turned to ashes, time stubbornly refused to turn back. How could she possibly preserve their memory?


    Through tear–blurred eyes, Willow glimpsed the Matthew she once knew from their days in the dungeon. It was when Aaron was just a newborn<b>, </b>crying nonstop. Willow was in agony, feeling overwhelmed by Aaron’s persistent cries.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    She had no desire to console Aaron, but Matthew stepped in, cradling him in his arms with a tenderness that contrasted sharply with their grim reality.