Matthew and I almost ran into her, and in our shock, Ivy's gaze fell on my hand holding Matthew's. Her eyes glowed red, growing more intense with anger and jealousy.
Suddenly, she grabbed my neck and lifted me off the ground.
I struggled, my feet dangling, and it became harder and harder to breathe. I felt like I was about to pass out.
Matthew was terrified. He watched in horror, and a blurry image suddenly flashed through his mind.
On campus, his once gentle girlfriend suddenly erupted, her eyes blood-red, surrounded by a dark aura...
A look of astonishment flashed in his eyes, and he stared at Ivy in disbelief.
"I remember now..." Matthew's voice trembled.
At this moment, everything that had happened between him and Ivy came flooding back.
Those forgotten memories, the fragments of past experiences, now became incredibly clear.
Last night, he had mustered the courage to break up with Ivy, but she wouldn't accept it. She lost control, and her true self came out. He was shocked to discover that the person he had liked all along was not even human.
"Ivy, let Karena go. This has nothing to do with her," he pleaded anxiously, trying to calm Ivy down.
Ivy was filled with hatred and couldn't be persuaded. Her grip on my neck tightened, as if she wanted to snap it. "It's all her fault. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have dumped me, and you wouldn't want to break up with me."
Her voice was full of anger and resentment. "You clearly liked me. Why did you change your mind? Only if she dies will you see me again."
She murmured, as if trapped in a nightmare. I felt it becoming harder to breathe, teetering on the edge of death.
Seeing me nearly strangled to death, Matthew rushed forward to try to stop her. He shouted, "This is between us. Don't involve innocent people."
However, Matthew, an ordinary guy, couldn't even touch the hem of her dress.
Ivy was completely consumed by her hatred, her words filled with malice and resentment. "Innocent? This is all her fault! If it weren't for her interference, we would have been together long ago. How could you possibly like her? You should love me. We are the perfect match, the most compatible."
Her eyes gleamed with madness, as if she had completely lost her sanity.
She couldn't accept being dumped. In her mind, only by killing her imagined rival could she and her beloved return to their original path and continue the happy life they were supposed to have.
Just when I thought she would strangle me to death, a cold light suddenly struck. Ivy screamed, and I felt the pressure on my neck release. I fell into a warm embrace.
I coughed uncontrollably, looking up slightly at Howard, who was holding me. My voice trembling with fear, "If you hadn't come, I really thought she was going to kill me."
A flash of anger crossed Howard's eyes. He gently placed me against a pillar and then turned to Matthew, his voice cold and commanding, "Take care of her and get her to the car. I'll handle Ivy."
His voice was deep and authoritative, each word squeezed out from his chest, filled with undeniable command.
Matthew sensed the cold killing intent in Howard's words and hesitated, seemingly weighing something, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
Seeing his hesitation, Howard shot him a look of dissatisfaction and spoke coldly, "Hurry up and take her away. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be involved in this."
Matthew finally made up his mind. He picked me up from the ground and carried me outside.
The air outside seemed fresher, in stark contrast to the tense atmosphere inside.
Matthew carried me to the car with steady steps. He gently set me down and then squatted in front of me, his eyes filled with concern and apology.
"Karena, are you okay?"
I couldn't speak right away, taking a deep breath, feeling like I had just woken up from a nightmare. The feeling of surviving made me tremble. I leaned back in the seat, closed my eyes, and tried to calm down.
Seeing this, Matthew's voice was filled with apology. "I'm sorry, Karena, for getting you involved in such a dangerous situation."
His tone revealed an unmistakable guilt, deeply remorseful.
I looked up at his remorseful expression, feeling a warmth in my heart. I shook my head and said softly, "It's not your fault, Matthew. If anything, it's because I got you involved."
I had agreed to help Ivy find someone.
At that time, I didn't realize that this small request would drag us into such a dangerous situation.
"But I don't understand what she meant by that earlier," I said, filled with confusion.
Why did she suddenly hate me so much, wanting to kill me?
I tried to recall every detail, trying to find an answer, but I couldn't figure out her motive.
Seeing me asking, Matthew smiled bitterly and lowered his head. "This is on me. When I met her at the bookstore, I don't know why, I asked for her WhatsApp."
I immediately realized that perhaps Matthew had been controlled at that time, which is why he acted out of character.
His behavior was very different from the Matthew I knew. I knew his personality well; he was always reserved and steady. It wasn't like him to ask a beautiful woman for her WhatsApp. That wasn't who he was.
Matthew was serious about relationships and always kept a certain distance from people, not easily getting close to anyone. This made me more certain that his actions at the bookstore were not his true intentions.
"Maybe she had you under some kind of spell at that time. This is partly on me too. I inadvertently provoked her before. She asked me to help her find someone, but I didn't expect that the person she was looking for was you."
If I had known that Ivy was looking for Matthew, I would never have helped her.
Because of my momentary oversight, she zeroed in on Matthew, almost causing a disaster.
"Matthew, what did you do to anger her?" I tried to get more information from Matthew.
It seemed that Ivy's madness wasn't just because I forced her to leave Matthew, but because there was something wrong in their relationship.