It had been Kate’s undoing. The look that Aunt Abigail had sent her had touched her deeply. It had been the look of a desperate mother who had just lost her only son and wanted something from her. Something she could not give simply because she did not know the truth.
Feeling forlorn, she felt tears prick her eyes as she stepped back in an attempt to avoid the question being addressed to her. She stammered something unintelligible not knowing what to say. The plain truth was that she had no idea who the killer was and had only been bluffing.
Aidan and Ryce had known she had been faking it and they had protected her. Like they had always done. The killer could not be Ryce; it was simply not possible. Her heart would never believe that. Even if he had wanted revenge, he would have attempted to harm her in a different way. Ryce would never try to kill her; it was unthinkable.
All her instincts were telling her that it could be Nathalie since the hate she harbored for her was so intense that it was evident even from a distance. But was it enough for a scorned woman to try to kill her? Or kill her brother in the process? The words the latter had spat at her had been laced with hatred even if Kate knew Nathalie had only been trying to break her.
But the words that Nathalie had lashed at her had affected her anyway. No matter what her protectors said, she knew she was the one responsible for the death of Edward. Deeply wounded, she finally acknowledged that she had been living in a cocoon till now always being protected by her loved ones while she was not that innocent like she had believed herself to be.
It was a revelation to her and she had wanted some time alone to face herself. Kate knew she was not supposed to stay alone especially after Aidan had warned her that the killer could be anyone now. But her mind had been too full of remorse for any rational thinking and she backed off silently while everybody had been busy trying to convince Nathalie that she had nothing to do with the actual murder.
But they were wrong. She might not have stabbed that knife but she was as responsible as the killer. Had Edward not been at the wrong place at the wrong time, he would have still been alive. And she felt bad for having been able to escape while he was dead. All because of her. She should have at least protected him but the fact was that she had no time to react. It had happened so suddenly that her first instinct had been to save herself.
Not for one second had she stopped to think of poor Edward lying wounded on the floor. Was she selfish? It was human nature to love oneself more than others she knew but now she was feeling so bad. Except that if she had stayed back, she would not have been able to save Edward as she would have been dead by now.
But like Nathalie said, it was only her words that were going to testify her innocence. She had no other way to convince anyone that she had only been following her instinct. It was what anyone would have done in her place but had it been her brother who had landed dead, she would have reacted in the same way too.
Finally realizing that she was walking without destination, she stopped walking and focused on her whereabouts. Her famous headache was back after a long time and she sat on the side of a fountain staring blindly at the way the water was splashing. It was so depressing to have finally faced the two Bigfoots. She now understood why Aidan was so reluctant for her to get back.
As usual, he had only been trying to spare her the worst. But she had been running from the truth; the truth being that Edward was dead. And she had not even been given the chance to mourn him. Even if she had never loved Edward, he had still been a good friend and had not deserved to die at such a young age. If it was not for him, she was the one who would have died on the spot. It was her lucky day that Edward had been present to bar her ill fate.
Tears flew down her cheeks at the memory of him being stabbed in the back. Thrice. And she still could not forget the shock she had felt at that time. Regrets followed anyway despite her initial reasoning since she could have tried to help him but had instead panicked and had only run for her life.
Now she wished she could turn back time to undo the past. Where she could have at least helped her friend when he had needed her. It was no use mourning over what could have been now. Bygones were bygones and Edward Bigfoot was no longer alive. Memories of her past with Edward flooded her and she smiled nostalgically at some of the good moments they had together. Even if he had been snobbish and a big bore, Kate had grown quite close to him during her engagement with him.
Edward had been unique in his own way. Though he had loved her as deeply as Aidan or Ryce did, he had cared for her to a certain extent. She still remembered the day he had brought her a cashmere pullover when she was cold.
And it had not been so hard to break of their engagement. Had it been someone else, she would never have dared call off the wedding only two weeks before the actual date. But when she had realized that Aidan was falling in love with her too, she had full trust that Edward would take the news well. And he had.
He had been angry at first; it was all human. But finally they had made up and he had preferred her happiness. It had been the gesture of a true friend and ever since Kate had considered him dear. They had grown to become good friends and Edward had outgrown the crush he had on her. It had been wonderful to be able to connect with him in a way they never had when they had been engaged.
So engrossed was she in her thoughts that she missed the presence behind her and when somebody gagged her mouth, it was too late to even react; forget about freeing herself. Her first reflex was to shout but she could only manage muffled sound as her mouth was stuffed with a cloth. It was so tight that she felt her skin tear against the rough cloth.
This time she did not panic; it was as if she had been bracing herself to face such a situation. She was not even afraid because she knew that this time she would not be spared. The killer was so eager to assassinate her that she knew she would not be spared this time. The proof was that he had not waited for another second to attack again.
As she turned around to see who it was, she felt her head being forcibly held straight ahead and she was unable to veer it. More tears fell as she felt her mouth ache and she tried to shout again but the sound was not even audible to her. Then she felt a veil over her eyes as the world dim around her and all she could see was black.
Pain engulfed her as she felt the pressure against her eyes and she tried hard not to hyperventilate. She knew her time was near and she had to react quickly if she wanted to escape. But she could not move an inch since her body was pinned against a big body and by the force that was being applied on her, she knew it was a man.
And there were only four men who were present here. Her father. Aidan. Ryce. Bryan.
Aidan and her father were out of question. She could trust them with her life. Ryce was also out of question. And suddenly she knew who the killer was. Bryan Stafford.
Kate was at a complete loss why would Bryan want her dead. And that too on her own wedding day? Was he in love with her?! Was that why he was killing her when she was getting married to the love of her life. But it did not make any sense.
She had never picked any vibe from him. Negative or positive. Bryan had blended perfectly well in the Thornton family being the perfect husband to Caitlin and the perfect father to the twins. There was no way he could want to kill her.
Kate would be so sad if it was Bryan. What would happen to Caitlin and the kids? And it was not as if he had done something that he could repent. He was trying to kill her and had already killed someone. There was no going back for whoever it was now and she found herself praying it was not Bryan.
Or was it someone else? Someone who had joined them furtively while their attention had been on Nathalie?
She could be completely wrong; someone else might have followed them like Nathalie had done. It could be Nathalie but she was not strong enough to manhandle her like that. Maybe she had hired someone else to do her dirty job. Yes that made more sense. Because even in her disheveled state, she could not find any reason why her own brother in law would want her dead.
Even in her pain, she tried to focus on the possibilities as she was being forcefully led somewhere. It was not like she had any option than to follow but she was stalling for time by lagging her feet behind. In fact, she was waiting for the killer to make a false move to grab her chance. All the time praying it was not Bryan for the sake of her little innocent nephew and niece.
Then suddenly she realized one thing. What if it was Bryan and what if she did not manage to escape? What if the killer succeeded in his evil intentions where she would end up dead. Would her family live with a murderer like him all their life without knowing his real truth. If it was Bryan, her family would always live in danger; he would not hesitate to kill anyone else for his purpose. Whatever it was.
Feeling some semblance of strength at that thought, she waited until her kidnapper appeared to be close and she kicked around madly and blindly. Thinking of her family, she continuously kicked behind her until she was ruthlessly held against a male body. Damn! She was done for.
Excruciating pain seized her senses as she felt a pressure against her throat. All thoughts stopped as she tried to struggle out of the hold. Damn! She was fighting with all her strength but her attacker was stronger and she was quickly using up all her energy. Trying to keep her wits, she stilled her fight and gasped for air.
It had been a mistake for her to attack when her eyes were blinded. Tears pricked her eyes and she felt in urgent need for air. But there was only the pressure at her throat which was preventing her from breathing in.
When she started to see the black out, by pure reflex, she kicked out once more with not much force but she reached her target. It was square in the groin and her attacker howled in pain. It felt more like her good luck when she suddenly found herself free from any bondage.
For one second, she stood still not believing her good luck, then she got a grip on her senses trying to figure out what to do. Then she broke free from her daze and removed the cover from her eyes. It took her a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness again and when she focused again, she glanced at the form lying down on the ground.
And there he was.
Bryan Stafford. Her own brother-in-law. He was the one trying to kill her. Even if she had doubted that, she still felt shock enter her system as all kinds of thoughts filled her mind. What would happen to her sister? What would happen to the twins? Would they blame her? Was it because of her that everything had started?
But she still could not find any plausible reason why Bryan would want to kill her. Except if she had done something that she knew nothing about. Then she realized that she had to get away again. Without wasting time, she ran towards an arbitrary direction not really having a choice but finally realized that she was lost.
It would seem that when her eyes had been blindfolded, Bryan had dragged her to another place which she could not recognize. But she could not care less; all she wanted was to run. Not only run from the killer. But run from the sordid truth. Run from the truth that the father of her sweet nephews was a killer.
It was like everything was back to square one. She found herself running again on her wedding day except this time she was already married. But it hardly made any difference. Tears blinded her as she picked up speed looking behind her from time to time to see if he was following her.
Thankfully, she had a good advance on him and finally she came to a stop when she could no longer breathe. Hands on her hips, she tried to get back her normal breathing rhythm by taking in deep breath. What was she supposed to do now?
As she scanned around her surroundings, she glanced frantically around but could find only grass. Apparently, Bryan had brought her to a secluded place to finish her. Incensed, she walked on trying to look for civilization where she knew she would be safe. If she found anyone, she knew she could save her skin.
All she wanted to do was contact Aidan and just be with him. If she managed to escape, there was no way she would tell Caitlin that her husband was the one trying to kill her. Her sister would be heart-broken to know the truth.
Tired she finally caught sight of an isolated cottage uphill looking like it was abandoned. Encouraged, she urged her foot to move in that direction when she felt someone pull her from behind and she stumbled down. Afraid, she turned round still in her fallen position to stare at her brother-in-law. And that time she felt another emotion; anger at him and she welcomed it since it gave her some strength.
“Bryan!!” she screamed. “Let me go. Please.”
He seemed surprised at her plea and seemed to hesitate for one minute. Then to her utter traumatism, he shook his head and grabbed her by the hair. She winced at the atrocious pain but determined not to give in to him; she tried to maintain a semblance of normality.
“Let me go!” she cried with more force this time than her previous plea.
He shook his head again. “It’s too late now. You’ve seen me. I can’t let you go. I’m sorry.”
The bastard! He was apologizing before he was forced to kill her? What kind of sadistic logic was that? Kate wanted to slap his face at that moment but she knew she had to calm herself down. Because if she succeeded in rising his wrath, she would be the one bearing the consequences. It was a mistake she had already done. Not again.
“I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”
He hesitated for some time. Then he shook his head again. She felt her heart sink. Damn! She had to think of something quick.
“I don’t understand. Why would you want me dead?” she asked thinking fast. If she got to know of his motive, she would be able to mollify him a bit more. Or buy some time. Aidan and the rest must not be far from where they were since they had walked for only a few minutes. She was sure the others were already looking for her.
But it was her fatal mistake. It looked like she had aroused his anger and she flinched when he tightened his grasp on her hair jerking her head backwards. It was hurting like hell but she played along knowing that the moment of truth was near. Her head was pounding like mad and she was close to a mental breakdown but she knew she had to keep her strength.
Her tenacity was the only thing which would keep her alive eventually.
“You’re asking me why?” he hissed. “Nathalie was right. You’ve been living in a cocoon all your life my darling! Don’t tell me you don’t know that you have inherited the lion share? Leaving your sisters with only peanuts. And you dare ask me why I’m doing all this?”
Kate was stunned. He was doing all this for money?? The money she had inherited from her father because she had worked hard all her life to deserve? The money she had not even wanted in the end but had believed that nobody wanted it?!! It was crazy.
“Bryan! Are you out of your mind? You are doing this only for money?” she asked unable to mask the emotion in her voice.
“Only for money? Yeah you would say that! You are the spoilt little princess here, aren’t you? Have you ever given a thought how we people have to strive for our living? Have you ever realized how unfair it was for you to cash thousands of dollars per month while your sister is being allocated only half of it?”
“But Bryan I work for that money. And I work harder than anyone else. And if Caitlin needed more, all she had to do was ask. I have never refused her anything. And neither had Dad. And besides you’re loaded too, aren’t you?”
Was that what greed did to a person? Did it blind him to such an extent that it left him with wanting more and more?
“Loaded?” he spat making an evil smile and grabbing her throat with his free hand. Kate screamed at the double pain she was experiencing. Her headache was already making her feel like she would fall apart anytime. It was difficult for her to maintain her stance now.
“I am bankrupt. I lost all my money on my last business deal. But you’re so busy with yourself to notice anything. To notice that your sister has been living like a pauper for the past two years? To notice that my kids are not so privileged anymore?”
Two years? And Kate had never noticed anything. Not even her father had talked to her about that and she had a feeling that nobody knew about her sister’s financial crisis. It was a pity and if she had known about it she would have helped Caitlin. Kate was feeling bad for her sister but not or the bastard in front of her.
He had the audacity to explain killing someone like that? If his last business deal had gone wrong, it had been all his own damned fault. And he could have asked for help. Or taken a loan. But killing her or taking up her inheritance was devilish.
“All you had to do was ask for help. Dad would have helped you. I would have helped you. We’ve never refused you anything. I simply can’t believe that you…”
She coughed when she felt a pressure on her throat and she knew she would not be spared. Bryan had already made up his mind; he would kill her. No matter what. But she would never forgive him for what he had done if she was spared. Not even for her sister’s sake. Edward was dead because of his crooked mind.
“I don’t need your charity dear sister-in-law. Caitlin is your sister and she deserves her share of money as much as you did. Except she’s not the favourite daughter and you are not as innocent as you seem. You’re going to die; and Caitlin would inherit everything. It’s the only way. I will be the owner of Thornton enterprise.”
Tears filled her eyes as she felt darkness engulf her senses as she struggled to let in oxygen in her body. There was no going back this time. But just before oblivion took over, she smiled with the knowledge that she was dying as Mrs. Aidan Waldorf. It would seem that her life was not completely wasted after all.