Chapter 84: TOO KIND FOR REVENGE

Xender's POV

I stood frozen on the pavement, watching the paramedics wheel a completely unconscious, pale Anna into the back of the ambulance. I ran a shaking hand through my hair, my mind spinning, utterly unable to comprehend any of what had just happened.

It made no sense. She had only just left Seth’s office after I arrived. It wasn’t long after that when a terrified, blood-curdling scream echoed from the concrete stairwell—which happens to be right next to Seth’s office door. I had bolted out into the hallway in a blind panic, while Seth just carelessly dismissed it. He claimed it was probably just another worker having a rough day, calling the stairwell their usual "safe zone" to let out their anger.

But finding Alda standing directly over the horrific scene was something I couldn't wrap my head around. After our tense, agonizing conversation this morning, she had walked out without a single word to me. I never expected to see her here, at the company, let alone standing in front of her bleeding friend.

“Did you see her trip, or did you just hear it?”

The voice of a male paramedic broke through my shock. He was writing on a clipboard while the rest of his team frantically attended to Anna inside the vehicle.

“No,” I replied, my voice rough. “The elevator was temporarily out of use, so the stairs were pretty busy when I arrived. But she had just walked out of the office and headed down before I heard the scream that led me to follow her.”

The paramedic gave a grim nod, scribbling something else down on his paper. “Do you personally know her, or any relatives we could call?”

I stared at him blankly and shook my head. “No.”

“Alright, thank you for your cooperation.” With that, he turned and stepped into the back of the ambulance.

I was left standing there as two police officers, who had just arrived on the scene, approached. Through the open ambulance doors, I heard a nurse urgently giving Anna's vitals to the doctor over the radio. “We are losing the baby,” she said, her voice laced with heavy medical panic. “We need to rush her to the hospital for a proper checkup right now.” Then, the heavy doors were pulled shut, cutting off the sound.

“Mr. Armstrong.”

I turned slowly to face the female officer who had stepped up to me, extending her hand for an introduction.

“I'm Officer Alice. You reported Miss Anna's incident, and we just need to ask you one or two questions as the witness,” she spoke, her tone professional yet firm.

“I never witnessed her fall,” I replied, my voice dropping to a small, hollow whisper. “I just happened to find her.”

“And you're sure there are no more witnesses? Like, if she was with someone... anything that made you suspect this wasn't an accident?” she asked.

I paused. My throat went completely dry.

If I said no, I was choosing to believe the terrifying, roaring voice inside my head—the one screaming that Nancy must have been the one to push Anna. But if I said yes, I would silence that other, desperate little voice inside me that believed Nancy was innocent.

Maybe she was angry... maybe she said one or two hateful things about her, or raised a knife to hurt her once...

A frustrating, agonizing scream tore through my own mind. I ran both hands through my hair, feeling like I was losing my grip on reality.

“Mr. Armstrong?” Officer Alice called out again, her gaze narrowing with deep suspicion.

I opened my mouth to say something, but my jaw just locked. I couldn't make out a single word.

“Tell her the truth, Xender.”

I spun around violently at the sound of the whisper behind me. My eyes scanned the empty air until my gaze locked onto the small, shadowy figure I had been seeing around Alda since this morning. She stood not too far away from me, shrouded in the dim light, her glowing green eyes being the only part of her face I could clearly see.

“Tell her there was a witness, and Alda didn't push her,” the spirit repeated in a hard, commanding voice that vibrated straight into my mind. “She only panicked out of her own guilty conscience and ran after she saw Alda walking up the stairs. That was how she tripped. Alda never pushed her. I will convince Alda to meet up with the officers and give her statement.”

“Mr. Armstrong?” Officer Alice called out, much harder this time.

I snapped my head back toward her, meeting her deeply confused and questioning gaze.

“Sir, are you okay?” she asked.

I shook my head, my chest heaving as I desperately suffocated for a breath of fresh air. “Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. It's just been a really hectic day for me. And about your question... if there was someone there with her... well, yes. My fiancée witnessed her fall.” I forced the words out of my throat, every syllable feeling like lead.

“Okay. Was she already with her when you arrived?” Alice asked, pulling out a small notepad.

“Yes, she was. I only sent her up to the office after I dialed emergency,” I lied, trying to protect her.

“Can we speak with her?”

I simply nodded, numbness taking over my body as she followed me into the building to meet her colleague, who had been busy inspecting the concrete stairwell.

“The elevator seems to be in maintenance,” the male officer reported to Alice as we walked up. “From the look of it, I think she fell from the third staircase down to the second landing. I think she managed to make it back to her feet—there are blood droplets on the floor indicating that—before tripping a second time down the next flight, where she passed out.”

“Any CCTV footage found?” Officer Alice asked.

Her partner nodded quickly. “I have spoken to security. The footage should be ready by now. I should go down and have a look.” His gaze traveled over to me, giving me a short, tight nod before walking away.

“Thank God the stairs had a camera,” Officer Alice said, turning to me with a reassuring, friendly smile. “I can just speak to your fiancée, and this can be over.”

I led her up the stairs to the fifth floor. But the moment we reached the hallway outside Seth’s office, my breath caught. Alda was already there. She was sitting quietly on one of the waiting chairs, completely still, looking as if she had just been waiting for my arrival with the police.

“Is she the one?” Officer Alice asked.

Alda just sat there, staring blankly into the empty space in front of her. When she finally raised her head, her gaze traveled straight to me. My heart completely broke into pieces. The sheer, hollow emptiness inside her eyes was devastating.

Slowly, she stood to her feet and walked over to us.

“Yes, I am the one,” she said.

Officer Alice nodded, extending her hand in a polite greeting. Alda didn't even look at it. She just ignored her outstretched hand completely.

“I'm Officer Alice, and I'm here to ask you a few questions regarding Miss Anna’s incident.”

“Well, get on with it,” Alda replied, her voice dropping into a freezing, clinical coldness. “I already feel sick and I need some air.”

“Right,” Alice said, her smile turning a bit stiff as she slowly pulled her hand back. “May I know your name?”

“It's Kate,” Alda replied flatly.

“No last name?” Alice asked, the friendliness completely draining from her tone. A sharp, intolerant look flashed in her eyes, but Alda didn't look like she cared in the slightest.

“Not that I remember,” Alda whispered.

Alice paused, giving her a long, hard look before letting out a sharp scoff. “May I ask what exactly happened with Miss Anna?”

“I was coming up the stairs when she suddenly started panicking, like she had seen a ghost,” Alda explained, her tone entirely devoid of life or interest. “I mean, I was practically minding my own business, but she made a run for it and fell. Before I could even register what happened to her and reach out to help, she just kept screaming... and then there goes the second fall, before she passed out.”

“What did you do after she fell for the second time?” Alice pushed, her eyes locked onto Alda's face, searching for a crack.

“Nothing,” Alda replied, a chilling indifference in her voice that left the officer visibly stunned. “What was I supposed to do when she was running away from me like I was a monster?”

“Do you know Miss Anna in person?”

“Not that I remember. If that is all, can I go now?” Alda threw the question back, completely checked out.

“Well... that's all for now,” Alice replied. She turned back to me, forcing her friendly smile to return. “I will just go see the CCTV footage for myself.” She cast one last suspicious, lingering look at Alda before walking away. It was glaringly obvious—she thought Alda had pushed her.

The moment the officer’s footsteps faded, I turned to face Alda. But she wouldn't even look at me. She didn't give me a single glance as she turned and walked right back toward the stairs.

I stood there, feeling utterly devastated.

I couldn't even bring myself to run after her, knowing that forcing myself into her space would only make things worse. A heavy weight of regret settled into my chest. Maybe I should have believed her this morning. Maybe I wasn't losing my mind after all. Looking at the sheer chaos unraveling around us, this elf princess spirit story was starting to feel terrifyingly true—even if admitting it meant I needed to check my own mental health.

I waited until the sound of her footsteps completely vanished from the stairwell before I turned and made my way down to the security room. I needed to see that footage. I needed to know the truth.

Alda's POV

I sat on a cold waiting bench a short distance away from the hospital, quickly wiping away a stray tear that had formed at the corner of my eye.

It made no sense. I had spent so long believing that seeing Anna get hurt would make me happy. I thought that knowing she was currently battling for her life—and the life of her unborn baby—would bring me some twisted sense of peace. But it didn't. It only made me feel worse.

I thought this was just karma finally catching up to her for what she did to me, but there was no joy in it. I just felt incredibly sad. Deeply, entirely empty.

“Don't beat yourself up,” a soft voice whispered beside me.

I looked up to see Siofra sitting right next to me on the bench. “And don't be angry at Xender, Alda. You really can't blame the poor guy. He once witnessed you drawing a knife at her, so having him instantly assume you pushed her down those stairs isn't really surprising.”

“I know,” I choked out, a raw, painful laugh escaping my throat. “I'm not even angry at him. I mean... all I have ever wanted was to hurt them as much as they hurt me. I wanted to make them feel the exact same agonizing pain that I felt. But after watching Anna tumble down those stairs... I don't even know what I want anymore.”

I shook my head, staring down at my trembling hands. “I guess Anna was right about me after all. I'm too kind, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to change it.”

“Then you let that kindness fight for you, Alda,” Siofra said softly, leaning closer. “And that can begin with you letting go of the anger and the pain you're holding onto so tightly. Karma will surely catch up with them... and I think Anna is already facing hers.”

I stared at Siofra for a long time, absorbing her words, before finally looking away into the distance.

“I'm just so tired,” I whispered, the fight completely draining from my body. “I'm just going to focus on helping clear Albert's name. He doesn't deserve to be framed for a crime he didn't commit. Let's just go home, Siofra. I just want to rest.”

I leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes as the tears threatened to spill over again.

“I guess all I need right now is to see Albert set free, and to see Seth pay for his crimes... and then, maybe... I might be willing to let go of this life. This life that isn't even mine anyway.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, my voice cracking with the sheer weight of my grief. “I don't want to fight this battle anymore, Siofra. I just want to go find my parents. I just want my mum to hug me again. I just want to hear my dad’s nagging voice one more time.”

I let out a broken sob into the quiet afternoon air. “I just want the pain to be over.”