Jérôme turned my body and struggled out of the bog. I barely managed to twist my head and glower at him as he climbed free of the mire. I writhed to slip my arms free, but my shirt bound my wrists too tightly. First my hips sank, then my waist and thighs, and finally my shoulders slipped under. The cold mud swallowed me deeper and deeper.This can’t be happening! It can’t end like this!“Jérôme! Jérôme!”“Still here, Raymond.”I heard his smooth voice from somewhere beyond the edge.“Get me out of here right now!”There was no answer for a moment. Then, after a beat, he asked,“This far, Raymond? Are you giving up now?”Of course I wasn’t. I was burning with revenge more than ever—and yet I would endure any humiliation to survive. Once I lived, I would have my chance. I had to survive. I couldn’t die like this.“All right, I give up! Spare me, Jérôme! Jérôme!”By then the mud had risen to my chest and knees. I tried to move, but the more I struggled, the faster I sank. Outside the bog, Jérôme let out a short laugh. Then he said,“No.”His word rang true.Before I knew it, I was submerged entirely, the weight dragging me under in an instant. Desperately I kept my head above the surface, begging him.“Save me! Jérôme! Jérôme! It was my fault! I’m sorry! Please! Get me out—get me out, you son of a bitch!”“Raymond, that’s not how you make a request.”When Jérôme answered so calmly, I had no retort. I twisted my head as hard as I could, but the mud had reached my nose. I drew in one final breath, but panic clogged my lungs. I fought with all my might, but I could not stop my descent. My last sight was the moonlight glinting on the bog’s grim waters.I closed my eyes—and then the mud claimed me completely. My breath caught in my throat as the muck surged up, choking nose and mouth. I could not move an inch… no matter how I thrashed, my fingers did not budge…I was suffocating. Nothing… I…I coughed violently and gasped, but I didn’t immediately realize what had happened. My senses felt startlingly alive. My lungs filled with air, swelling. The rasping cough scorched my throat, and the taste and texture of mud mixed with saliva were vivid. As I hunched over, panting, my whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.That’s when memory returned, sharp and clear. I realized the mud I spat was from the bog. I understood why I was drenched, why I was breathing so frantically—and I remembered Jérôme.“You nearly killed me.”A low voice said. I had no strength to reply—my body shook and the coughing fit refused to end.“No. I could have left you there longer.”At that, I snapped fully awake. That voice was Jérôme’s—but there was someone else! I jerked my eyes open, only for mud to flood in again, so I squeezed them shut and scrabbled at the grass, wiping my face.I heard Jérôme chuckle softly. “Looks like you’re coming to.”“Here—use this to wipe your face. I think mud’s in your eyes.”“Ah, thanks. Here.”Suddenly a shoulder shoved me, and I fell face-first onto the grass. Strong hands gripped my head to steady it, and then cold water splashed over my face. As the stream poured, hands wiped away the mud, washing it clean.There was still mud in my nostrils and mouth, but I no longer cared. I opened my eyes, blinking away tears and water until my vision cleared.Sitting astride my hips was Jérôme. Thanks to the bright moon and stars, I could see his face. I gaped at him, breathing hard—then a surge of terrified questions burst into my mind.How did Jérôme know I’d be waiting by the stables?How did he know I came here to walk to Kelly Bog…?Could it be simply because he’s unbeatable?No. Jérôme had an accomplice. Someone I hadn’t suspected was watching me all along. George’s words earlier that evening flashed through my mind: if you make Jérôme your enemy, you make everyone your enemy.As I blinked in a daze, Jérôme gently stroked my cheek. I stared into his reptilian green eyes, horrified. A chill ran down my spine, and my body began to shake again. Perched on my hips, Jérôme sensed every quiver of emotion.“Sensible now, Raymond? Can you remember who I am?”I said nothing. Jérôme looked at me with concern.“You’re not out of your mind, are you? Not turned into a fool. If you were, I wouldn’t have bothered pulling you out.”Such words only ramped up my terror. I couldn’t risk falling into the bog again. With my tongue coated in mud, I rasped in a fractured voice,“You bastard! You… you really tried… to kill me!”Jérôme laughed with pleasure.“You’re tough, Raymond.”He glanced over his shoulder.“I was right, wasn’t I?”I followed his gaze. Standing a few paces behind him, half-shrouded in darkness, knelt Simon. At my stare, Jérôme smiled and stepped aside.“Ah, finally.”Jérôme said to the figure.“This is my favorite moment.”He beckoned. “Come forward and show him your face. Raymond’s curious.”The person behind him took a step into the moonlight—first the legs, then the torso—and at the third step, revealed a face that emptied my mind. How… why…? It was unbelievable. My breath caught as if I were sinking in the bog again.I stared at Simon, who knelt beside me, betrayal and pity in equal measure.“You were wrong. It’s our favorite moment, not just his.”His words cut into me like a blade of despair. My senses withdrew, the triumph of survival evaporating. The pain in my throat and the sting in my eyes from the mud faded from memory.I glared at Simon. The warm hand that once tenderly dressed my wounds now brushed the mud from my hair. The gesture recalled a rainy day at the stables, when I’d staggered back, defeated by Jérôme, and Simon stood with me in the washroom. He’d swept the mud from my hair and offered to help—vivid as if it were yesterday. From that moment I had trusted Simon completely. I had believed he was on my side. Simon… to Simon…Simon spoke. “Exactly the look I hoped for, Raymond.”I could find no voice. I only stared at him in horrified silence.Jérôme laid a hand on Simon’s shoulder.“I guess you really believed him, poor Raymond. Poor, dear Raymond.”Simon rose, and the two boys stood over me, speaking as one.“I’ll take him back to wash him up,” Simon said.“Right. He stinks like the bog,” Jérôme agreed.“My room won’t do. George’s there,” Simon said.“George thinks you’re out,” Jérôme asked.Simon answered, “He won’t see me until Sunday.”“Then let’s go to my room,” Jérôme said.Both looked down at me. I was still in shock, my gaze fixed on Simon.Simon’s demeanor was unchanged—stony face, clipped tone, straight posture. The only difference was mud on his forearms, his trousers splattered. He must have helped pull me from the bog.How long have they been watching me? Since the very start. Since the freezing day I first arrived at Bluebell.My bound wrists still pinioned me in the same position, like luggage on the saddle. They did not follow Simon’s route # Nоvеlight # but took a rough shortcut through the woods. Simon led with a flashlight; Jérôme followed, reins in hand.They said nothing as they walked. Simon moved silently; Jérôme hummed to himself or murmured to the horse. I had no will left to resist. Falling from the saddle meant either being trampled or suffering more at their hands. I was powerless now. If I wanted revenge, I had to accept my current situation.I had lost.Once.Oh, Simon. How could I not have seen through him? In his devotion there had been no hint of deceit. He was neither overly theatrical nor too reserved to inspire trust. I believed him absolutely—as the first person I could trust since my father’s death. I believed someone I shouldn’t have.Simon’s betrayal was shattering. Yet the events of the evening were shock enough: Jérôme had tried without hesitation to kill me. Though it was merely intimidation to force my submission, he had driven me to the brink of death.Because of this, I now knew Jérôme could kill me anytime he chose. And thanks to the extraordinary horror he inflicted, I recovered from Simon’s betrayal sooner.Everything had gone mad. If I lingered on right and wrong or who I could trust, they would tear me apart. I had to forget Simon—his betrayal. One thing alone needed answers.I finally understood the parts of Jérôme I could not fathom: how he knew me so well, how he planned so meticulously. He had Simon as his accomplice. No, “accomplice” was too feeble a word—they had been a twistedly perfect pair from the start.I was utterly defeated. All I could do now was endure until my bonds loosened or they chose a next move. Revenge would require patience. I had spent five years under Julia’s control for this very reason: to endure for revenge. I could wait. I could bear this shame. I could bear Simon’s betrayal. Simon was now, like Jérôme, just another despicable enemy.But one question remained: Why me? Of all people, why choose me? Simon’s role made clear they had targeted me from the day I arrived. I needed that answer.Using only our flashlights and the moon, we emerged behind the stables. Jérôme unhooked me from the saddle and flung me face-down onto the grass. Simon approached, knelt on my back, and pressed my neck into the ground. My breath caught. In that moment, Jérôme led the horse away.I couldn’t speak as Simon’s weight pinned me down. After a moment, Jérôme returned alone, crouched before me, and Simon loosened his grip.Jérôme spoke gently, “We’re about to go back to the dormitory, and you’d better not make a sound or struggle.”I glared up at him through narrowed eyes.“So? You planning to gag me?”“I can’t take that risk. I’m sorry we’ve put you through so much today…”Jérôme took the flashlight from Simon. I frowned, glaring at him, unsure what he intended.Then Simon thrust a handkerchief into my mouth. Jérôme gripped the head of the flashlight instead of its handle to explain.“It’s to stop you from biting your tongue.”At that I realized what he’d planned. He swung the flashlight’s head into the back of my skull. Darkness washed over me—and I lost consciousness.When I next opened my eyes, I was beneath a sumptuous marble ceiling. My skull throbbed, but not unbearably so; my back from the whipping ached far worse. I blinked, cleared my vision, and gingerly sat up. My body was freshly washed and clad in unfamiliar clothes.This was a bedroom—and whose bedroom it was needed no telling. As George had said, it was vast and opulent—though not hidden away like a secret chamber. No one else was present. The reason Jérôme and Simon felt free to leave me here became clear at once: my wrists were shackled, and chains bound my ankles.I could only gape in disbelief—and, beneath it, a faint surge of fear. I reminded myself not to underestimate them again.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.