The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 125: [Volume 1] - 125 -i am fine

Chapter 125: [Volume 1] Chapter 125 -i am fine

As Kai’s hand held hers firmly, grounding her in the present, Esme felt a sudden chill creep up her spine. It wasn’t the warmth of his touch that startled her, but the sensation of something—or someone—hovering behind her. The cold, ghostly presence wrapped around her neck, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like familiar arms embracing her, but not with love or comfort. Her body froze, her heart pounding painfully in her chest as her vision blurred with tears she hadn’t meant to shed.

In front of her, like a haunting apparition from her past, stood Cain. His smile, once playful and teasing, stretched across his face. "Why are you scared, Esme? You fool," he whispered, the mockery in his tone cutting through her like icy wind. His expression was the same as it had always been—mischievous, light-hearted—but now it felt wrong. The playfulness she once adored twisted into something far darker.

Esme’s breath hitched, her mouth dry, her throat closing as her lips trembled. She wanted to speak, to answer, but no words came. Her voice was lost, trapped inside the hollow ache in her chest. She could only stare, wide-eyed, as Cain’s smile slowly faded, the softness in his features hardening into something almost sinister.

"You... are you crying?" Cain asked, his voice softer, his tone no longer teasing. His brows furrowed in concern, but Esme couldn’t tell if it was genuine or just another layer of the nightmare unfolding before her. He took a step closer, and as he did, his eyes—once bright and alive—shifted. They bled into a terrifying shade of red, like they had been filled with blood, glowing with an unnatural intensity that made Esme shudder.

Her breath came in sharp gasps as she stared at the crimson gaze, unable to look away. Then, she saw it—a gunshot wound blooming in the center of his chest. Blood, dark and thick, began to pour out of him, staining his shirt as he stood there, motionless. The wound seemed to throb, the blood pulsating like it was alive, mocking her with every heartbeat.

Cain’s face twisted with agony, his once handsome features distorted in pain. "How can you do this to me?" His voice was barely a whisper, but the weight of his words pressed down on her like the world was collapsing. "Why didn’t you save me? What right do you have to leave?"

Each word stabbed at her like a knife, guilt consuming her, suffocating her. Esme tried to reach out, tried to speak, to explain, but her hands were limp at her sides, her body unwilling to move. Tears streamed down her face, uncontrollable now, blurring the world around her. She could feel Kai’s grip tightening on her hand, his warmth fighting the cold grip of the past, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet.

Cain’s bloodshot eyes bore into her, his expression a grotesque mixture of anger and sorrow. "Why didn’t you save me?" he repeated, his voice growing harsher, more accusatory. "You left me, Esme. You left me to die."

The words echoed, reverberating in her mind, breaking her down with every syllable. She felt the weight of his accusation like a physical force, crushing her beneath the burden of a past she couldn’t change.

Suddenly, the world around her snapped back into focus. Kai’s voice cut through the haze, his concern evident as he gently shook her arm. "Esme! Hey, are you okay?"

Her chest heaved as she blinked rapidly, the tears still falling. Cain was gone, the apparition vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. But the weight of his words lingered, hanging in the air like an unspoken curse.

Esme exhaled shakily, her fingers curling tighter around Kai’s hand. "I’m... I’m fine," she whispered, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her. She wasn’t fine. Not yet.

Esme blinked rapidly, trying to gather herself as she wiped the tears that had streamed down her face. Her breath was still shaky, her mind still haunted by the image of Cain and his cruel words. She swallowed hard, forcing a smile onto her face as she looked up at the concerned expressions of her husbands.

They were all staring at her, confusion and worry etched on their faces.

Jay, always the first to speak up, broke the silence. "Esme... why are you crying like this?" His voice was gentle, but the concern behind it was palpable.

Esme hurriedly wiped the last of her tears away, trying to shake off the heavy emotion that still clung to her. She forced a small laugh, though it sounded hollow even to her own ears.

"Ah, no, nothing," she replied quickly, her voice a bit too bright, too forced. She gestured towards the towering ride in front of them, the one that had stopped her in her tracks, the one tied to memories she wasn’t ready to confront. "It looks like I was just... too scared of this ride."

Kai raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying her excuse. "Too scared of a ride?" he asked, his tone skeptical, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Esme, we’ve seen you do far crazier things than this. You weren’t scared when we went on the roller coasters earlier."

The others nodded in agreement, their concern still lingering, but none of them pressed her further. They seemed willing to let her have her excuse, for now.

Esme smiled, this time a little more genuinely, though the ache in her chest hadn’t fully dissipated. "I guess today is just one of those days," she said lightly, shrugging as if that explained everything.

But in her heart, she knew it wasn’t just the ride. It was the weight of memories, the ghost of Cain lingering just behind her, the unresolved grief that was bubbling to the surface in unexpected ways. She took a deep breath, trying to push it all back down, to lock it away where it wouldn’t hurt so much.

The brothers exchanged glances, clearly sensing there was more to it, but they respected her silence.