Page 25 of Corruption
“When has that ever stopped you before?” I countered, and she reached out to quickly wipe away a single tear.
“I just...” she began.
“Yes?”
“I hurt you,” she admitted.
“I don’t think that’s a shocking and new revelation you just came to,” I retorted.
“I wasn’t talking about my pranks. I was talking about the one... the one that went too far.”
“Too far…” I murmured, suddenly realizing which incident she was referring to. It was the one where I had used a particular secret, intending to hurt her, making her believe that I thought she was the mastermind behind everything. I had wanted her to drown in guilt, even though I wasn’t sure if she was even capable of feeling it. To my surprise, my plan had worked better than I thought, perhaps too well. Alison was genuinely feeling guilty, a realization that made me chuckle. She drew back, taken aback by my unexpected reaction.
“W-Why is that funny?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I just thought you weren’t capable of remorse,” I replied.
“I can feel remorse!” she defended herself.
“You’ve never proven that to me,” I countered, noticing her guilty gaze as she looked away. With a finger under her chin, I gently tilted her head back, forcing her to focus on me. Her eyes appeared larger due to the tears that still welled up in them. She was fighting hard not to cry, and I savored the sight. I had no intention of letting the guard touch her, but for a moment, it seemed like she might allow it. A stubborn will could achieve many things, but fortunately, she had finally relented.
“So, what are you hoping to achieve? To feel less guilty?” I asked.
“To help you even the score,” she admitted. “Don’t I deserve everything that’s coming my way?”
“Oh, you do. Every bit of it,” I agreed, and she sighed, slumping a little.
“But this, thatthingisn’t a part of it,” I continued.
She looked up at me, confusion in her eyes. “What?”
“Alison, I know you,” I pointed out.
“Unfortunately,” she retorted, eliciting a smile from me.
“Yes, but I can differentiate between your pranks and what isn’t. The moment that player came back to end the whole situation in such a grotesque way, I knew you weren’t involved.”
“You... knew?” she asked, sounding surprised.
“I knew. You always oversee your pranks, and for you, it’s not about inflicting physical pain. It’s all about breaking and toying with people. You ended the game, and you never revisit old ones,” I reminded her.
Her eyes widened as I delved into the essence of her schemes. She hadn’t grasped how profoundly I understood her, but slowly, the realization dawned that I had never suspected her of orchestrating the entire ordeal. Her fiery spirit burst forth, and she pushed away from me, even slapping my hand aside.
“You knew!” she shouted.
“Finally,” I sighed as she sprang to her feet.
I reached out, but she forcefully slapped both my hands away.
“You never believed I was behind the whole thing?” she accused me.
“No, of course not.”
“But you made me believe you blamed me!” she yelled.
“I know. That was the plan,” I admitted, attempting to grab her again, drawn by her fiery resolve.
“No!” she angrily pushed me back once more, but it only made me laugh.
