Chapter 45

Nathaniel looked at Ariel, confused.

“What do you mean? What are you saying, Ariel?”

He stepped closer.

She backed away. “Don’t come any closer!”

“Ariel, it’s me.” He pointed to himself, then turned briefly toward James, still tied up, before looking back at her. “It’s me, Nat.”

Ariel circled around the dining table and snatched up a knife.

“Don’t you even think of coming closer.” Her breathing turned ragged, her hands trembling as she gripped the blade.

“Put that down, Ariel. It’s dangerous,” he said, taking a cautious step forward.

“I said stay the fuck away!” she screamed, her hair falling wildly across her face, breath sharp and uneven.

“Alright.” Nathaniel raised his hands slightly, keeping his voice calm. “Tell me what was sent to you. Let’s talk about it, huh? We’ve been in this together. How can you accuse me of murder? It’s obvious it was James—I had nothing to do with it.” He shook his head, pointing to himself, his tone pleading.

Ariel clenched her jaw, fury flickering in her eyes. “Don’t say a word, Nat.” She shut her eyes briefly, swallowing hard.

“Ariel—”

“I said don’t!” she snapped, the knife now aimed directly at his chest.

Then she tossed her phone toward him. A video played on the screen.

Nathaniel let out a short, humorless laugh. “You believe this?”

Ariel said nothing, glaring at him.

“I protected you from SK, Ariel. I saved your life!” He jabbed a finger at his chest. “And this is what you think of me? Of all people, you should be the one to trust me!” He took a step forward, voice rising, but froze when Ariel moved quickly toward James.

“What are you doing?” Nathaniel demanded, his voice low and wary.

Ariel ignored him. She cut through the rope binding James and grabbed the gun lying on the couch, pressing it into his hand.

“The finger—” Ariel began.

“I figured out who it belonged to,” Her voice shook. “It was your girlfriend’s.”

“What are you talking about?” Nat gave a dry chuckle.

“Just shut up, Nat. When her body was found, she’d been stabbed multiple times. It was so brutal that no one noticed her missing finger. But when I saw that necklace, I realized you were still obsessed with her.” Ariel’s voice cracked, but she steadied herself.

Nat scoffed, shaking his head.

“It’s true, Nathaniel. You killed her—and the police were close to finding out. You tried to frame James instead. He’s reckless, sure, but he’s not a murderer.”

Nathaniel’s nostrils flared. “Why would I kill my girlfriend? And then pretend to seek justice for her? James killed her! The killer’s right there beside you!” He jabbed a finger at James. “I should’ve killed him long ago.”

“I don’t know why you killed her,” Ariel shot back. “But it’s no coincidence. That night you came home late, saying Mrs. Jones called you to the office—you lied.”

“Alright, I did,” Nat admitted quickly. “But I did it because of you. I was protecting you.”

“I never asked for your protection,” she retorted coldly.

“You kept framing James,” she continued. “You’re the hooded man. You lied about not knowing how to fight or use a gun.”

“Ariel…” Nathaniel took another step forward, but James moved in front of her, cocking the gun.

“Enough with the act,” James said, voice steady and cold. “You’ve done enough.”

Nathaniel scoffed, eyes burning. “Says the guy who can’t keep his dick in his pants.”

“It’s over, Nat. The cops will be here any minute,” Ariel said.

Nathaniel’s eyes widened. His jaw tightened. “You called the cops?”

Ariel said nothing, glaring back at him.

“Fuck, Ariel,” he growled, slamming his fist into the wall. Then he turned toward them again, eyes cold as ice.

“I’ve had enough.”

He lunged forward, reaching for James’s gun. James fired, but missed. Bullets tore through the air as Nathaniel ducked behind the table, rolled to the side, and kicked the gun from James’s hand. In a flash, he had James pinned beneath him, arms locked around his throat.

James gasped, struggling beneath the weight, his hands clawing at Nathaniel’s grip. But Nathaniel’s focus was on Ariel, who still held the knife with shaking hands.

“Yes, I did it,” he hissed suddenly. “I killed her.” His teeth clenched. “She ran away with my money. I searched for her for years—and when I finally found her in this town…” His eyes darkened, his voice colder. “She apologized. I took her back. Then she betrayed me again. I found her in my bed—with another man.” His face twisted in rage. “I couldn’t take it anymore. I chased her down and stabbed her—over and over. Her finger got cut off in the struggle. I didn’t even notice until days later.”

James struggled beneath him, gasping for air. Ariel’s stomach turned as Nathaniel continued, his tone detached, almost proud.

“Then I thought we could blame SK. But you, Ariel—you just had to start digging again. I wanted to get rid of you, but I couldn’t. You weren’t the problem—James was. So I made him the scapegoat.” He laughed, tightening his grip around James’s throat.

“Nathaniel, stop!” Ariel cried.

He sneered. “You’ve called the cops already. If I’m going down—then we all are.”

Ariel’s eyes darted to the gun lying a few feet away. She edged toward it, her steps slow and measured, keeping her gaze locked on him.

Nathaniel was too absorbed in his fury to notice.

The sound of a motorcycle screeched outside, making him flinch and turn his head toward the window.

In that split second, Ariel grabbed the gun and fired— a single, deafening shot.

Nathaniel’s body jerked backward, his expression frozen in shock.