Chapter 144 The Loser's Final Terror

Chapter 144 The Loser's Final Terror
The night that should have been the height of peace for Alice and Evan turned into a suffocating nightmare in an instant.

Evan stood rigid on the balcony, his sharp gaze locked on the main gate, now crushed by the impact of a white box truck. The security guards’ strobe lights flickered wildly, illuminating the large red letters smeared across the side of the vehicle: “THE FINAL GIFT FROM EDWIN SMITH BEFORE HIS DEATH.”

“Evan? What is that?” Alice stepped closer, but Evan immediately stretched out his arm, blocking her from seeing any further below.

“Alice, go inside now. Lily, take Madam to the central bedroom!” Evan barked, his voice thunderous.

“No! I want to see it! That’s my uncle’s name!” Alice struggled free. She slipped under Evan’s arm and looked down into the courtyard. Her face drained of all color as she saw the message written in red paint that looked disturbingly like blood.

Rico and the fully armed security team had already surrounded the box truck. One of the guards used a metal cutter to force open the tightly sealed rear door.

“Young Master! There’s a large package inside!” Rico shouted through the radio.

Evan could not restrain himself. He ran down the stairs, followed by Alice, who ignored every shouted warning from her husband. In the courtyard, the air felt icy and reeked of metal. The back of the truck opened, revealing a small wooden crate placed in the center of the empty cargo space.

Rico carried the crate out and set it on the asphalt, directly beneath the glare of the garden lights. A brown envelope was taped to the top of the box.

“Don’t open it yet! Let the bomb squad check it first!” Zavian ordered sharply as he arrived, his face extremely tense.

“It’s not a bomb, Sir. Our sensors detected no explosives or hazardous chemicals,” the security team reported.

Evan stepped forward. He tore open the brown envelope and read the letter inside, his eyes widening.

“Nathaniel, did you really think prison could stop me? You took everything from me, so I will give a part of myself to haunt you forever. Alice, never feel at peace, because this hatred will be born together with your child.”

“What does it say, Evan? Read it out loud!” Alice demanded, already standing behind Rico.

Evan did not answer. Instead, he watched as Rico slowly lifted the lid of the wooden crate. The moment it opened, a nauseating stench burst into the air. Inside the box, atop a pile of white cloth now soaked red, lay a small object wrapped in transparent plastic.

It was a freshly severed human finger, with the Smith family signet ring still encircling it.

“My God,” Rico gasped, stumbling backward.

Alice, standing right beside him, saw it clearly. Her eyes went wide, her entire body shaking violently. She recognized the ring instantly. It was the ring Edwin had always boasted about as a symbol of his power over Elino.

“That… that’s Uncle Edwin’s finger…” Alice whispered, her voice breaking.

“Alice, don’t look!” Evan tried to cover her eyes, but it was too late.

“AAAAAGGGHHHH!” Alice screamed hysterically, her shrill cry tearing through the night. She clutched her head, her breathing ragged and uneven, her chest heaving wildly. “He’s insane! He’s completely insane! Evan, he’s going to kill us!”

“Alice, calm down. Look at me!” Evan grabbed her shoulders, trying to steady her.

But Alice’s scream stopped abruptly. Her eyes rolled back, her face turned paper white, and her body went limp. She collapsed into Evan’s arms before she could even hit the ground.

“ALICE! WAKE UP!” Evan shouted in panic as he scooped her up and ran into the house. “Call Doctor Sarah! Now!”

The house descended into medical chaos. Lavina sobbed uncontrollably at the sight of Alice unconscious on the bed, while Doctor Sarah conducted an emergency examination to ensure the baby had not been harmed by the severe psychological shock.

Zavian stood in the living room, his face dark with fury. He held his phone with a trembling hand. Suddenly, it rang. It was a call from the warden of the prison where Edwin had been held.

Zavian stepped away from the others and answered.

“Yes, this is Nathaniel. Speak,” he snapped.

“Sir… we just found Edwin Smith in his isolation cell. He… he is dead.”

Zavian fell silent, his jaw tightening. “How? He was under maximum security.”

“He committed suicide, Sir. He used a sharp fragment from his food tray to cut off his own finger and sent it out through a courier he had arranged in advance. After that, he ended his life by slashing his own throat. He left a message on the cell wall, written in his own blood.”

Zavian ended the call without another word. He walked toward Alice’s bedroom, where Evan sat on the edge of the bed, gripping Alice’s hand, his face filled with grief and rage.

“How is she?” Zavian asked quietly.

“She’s still unconscious. The doctor says it’s neurogenic shock. Thankfully, there’s no bleeding, but Alice needs constant monitoring,” Evan replied without looking up. “What did the police say about the truck?”

Zavian exhaled heavily. “Edwin is dead, Evan. He killed himself in prison.”

Evan stiffened and looked up. “Dead? After sending his finger?”

“Yes. He wanted his final attack to be eternal. He wanted us to remember his death every time we look at Alice or her child,” Zavian said grimly. “He truly was a monster who lost his sanity.”

Evan looked back at Alice’s sedated face. Their victory over Elino tasted unbearably bitter tonight. Edwin Smith was gone, but he had left behind a wound that might never heal in Alice’s mind.

“He thinks he won like this,” Evan hissed. “He thinks he can haunt us.”

“Don’t let him win, Evan. We must destroy everything related to this and make sure Alice never sees proof of his death again,” Zavian advised.

Evan said nothing. He only tightened his grip on Alice’s hand, silently vowing to destroy every shadow of Edwin that dared approach their home.

Suddenly, Alice whimpered in her sleep. Her body shifted restlessly, and she began to mumble incoherently.

“Don’t… Uncle… don’t take the baby…” Alice murmured in delirium, cold sweat soaking her forehead.

Evan leaned close to her ear. “Shh… I’m here, sweetheart. No one is taking anything.”

Alice slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling blankly for a few seconds before her gaze locked onto Evan. She suddenly forced herself upright, despite Doctor Sarah trying to restrain her.

“Evan! Where is that letter?! I want to read it again!” Alice screamed, her voice wild and demanding.

“No, Alice. The letter is gone. I burned it. Forget about it,” Evan said firmly.

Alice grabbed Evan’s collar, her face twisted with terror. “You don’t understand! Edwin said this hatred would be born with my baby! He performed a ritual in that cell! I saw it in his eyes back in prison!”

“Alice, that was just the ranting of a madman! There was no ritual, no curse!” Evan shouted, trying to bring her back to reality.

Alice shook her head hysterically. She pointed at her own belly with trembling hands.

“You’re wrong, Evan! You can’t feel it, but I can! Ever since that truck crashed through the gate, the baby… he hasn’t moved. He stopped kicking, Evan!” Alice screamed, breaking down in tears.