It Should Have Been Like This (The Revised Version)

Chapter 113: Checkmate (2)

Lilith.

She stepped inside, unbothered, her face hidden behind the sleek black filter of a gas mask. Giovanna’s stomach twisted. Something was wrong.

Lilith’s voice was smooth, almost bored. “I’m done handling the morons.”

She tossed a gas mask toward Lavender. With an easy, practiced motion, Lavender caught it with her free hand and slipped it on, her gun never wavering from its target.

Giovanna began to shake, a cold sweat breaking out across her skin. How? How had they done this? Her men had followed Lavender here, had confirmed that she had come alone.

So that meant—

They knew.

They had known her location before she even made her move. She had been exposed from the start.

Lilith strode forward, coming to a stop beside Lavender, her posture radiating casual confidence. Lavender’s voice was light, almost amused. “It’s a new product Lilith’s been working on,” she said conversationally. “Something to make assassinations easier. I have to say, I’m grateful for the test subjects.”

Lilith chuckled, placing a hand on her hip. “It works better than I thought. Doesn’t spread as quickly as I’d like, but that’s something I’ll improve next time.”

Giovanna’s breath shuddered as she inhaled—then immediately regretted it.

A slow, creeping burn ignited in her lungs, tendrils of fire licking up her throat. Her knees trembled, a wave of dizziness threatening to knock her over.

Poison.

Invisible, scentless, consuming her from the inside.

Through gritted teeth, she forced out a bitter scoff. “What now? Are you going to throw me in jail?” She sneered, despite the growing weakness in her body. “Still too afraid of blood and murder, Lavender?”

The response wasn’t words but laughter.

Lilith and Lavender both broke into delighted, mocking laughter, their amusement echoing through the suffocating room.

Giovanna’s heart hammered wildly, fear flooding her veins.

Lavender’s voice turned cold. “The paralysis should kick in right about…”

Giovanna barely had time to process the words before her legs gave out beneath her.

She collapsed.

“…Now,” Lavender finished smoothly.

A strangled gasp left Giovanna’s lips as she struggled, her muscles refusing to obey. Her arms, her legs—nothing moved.

Lilith crouched beside her, tilting her head as she studied the damage. “You’re going to die a painful death,” she murmured. “Slow. Suffocating. And once we’re done with you…” Her voice hardened, her smirk fading into something colder. “We’ll take care of your sister too.”

Giovanna’s pulse pounded in her ears. She tried to speak, to curse, to scream—but her throat seized, her lungs tightening as the poison worked its way deeper.

Lavender looked down at her, calm and detached. “I really want to shoot you,” she admitted, tilting her head. “But I’ll hold back. Let’s keep this clean.” She smirked. “Good luck in hell, Giovanna. I hope we never meet again.”

And with that, she turned and walked out, Lilith following close behind.

Giovanna’s strangled cries echoed behind them, but neither woman looked back.

The night air greeted Lavender as she stepped outside, crisp and cool against her skin. The sky above was deep and endless, stars flickering faintly like distant ghosts. She exhaled slowly, tugging off her mask as she reached her car. The door clicked open with ease, her fingers curling around the handle—

But she paused.

Lilith hadn’t moved.

Lavender glanced over her shoulder, frowning slightly. Lilith, now also maskless, stood still, her gaze fixed on the farmhouse, lips pressed into a thin line.

Something in her stance shifted, unreadable yet decisive.

Lavender watched her for a moment before finally asking, “What’s wrong?”

Lilith didn’t turn. Her voice was quieter now, more thoughtful. “I’m just making sure the cat locked inside doesn’t have an extra life.”

It took Lavender only a second to understand.

She was going back in.

To make sure Peyton was dead.

Lavender exhaled through her nose, nodding once. “Be careful.”

Lilith said nothing, but the tension in her shoulders relaxed slightly. A silent acknowledgment.

Lavender slipped into the driver’s seat and started the car. The hum of the engine filled the empty space around her, but the weight in her chest lingered.

She didn’t feel the relief she expected.

Maybe because it still felt unreal, like a dream she hadn’t quite woken from.

Or maybe… it was something else. Something deeper. Something she couldn’t quite name.

Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel as she pulled onto the road.

This time, she told herself, let it be over.

Let the past finally stay buried.