Chapter 522: Confrontation

Hayley’s POV:

My wolf, Hera, was still in her dormant state. I lacked the energy to overpower Lisa. Brute force wasn’t an option with my hand injury far from healed. All I could do was dodge, weaving through her relentless attacks as the glint of her knife sliced through the air.

In the chaos, we somehow switched positions, each now standing where the other had been moments ago. Another tense confrontation ensued.

“If my wolf weren’t in hibernation, I’d have transformed by now and torn through your throat. I wouldn’t have to waste my time dancing around with a knife in hand,” I growled.

Lisa’s breaths came fast and heavy. Her hands tightened around the hilt of the knife, pointing it at me with desperate determination. Her eyes glinted with a wild edge as she spat, “Stop running, Hayley. You can’t escape this. This is your fate. You were supposed to pave the way for Irving and me. Accept it already.”

I met her glare, my voice cold, and said, “You’re the one who needs to face reality.”

I couldn’t believe someone could go to such extreme lengths to commit crimes on behalf of a man who showed no regard for her.

“Irving doesn’t love you. He never did. Even if I weren’t in the picture, he wouldn’t spare you a second glance. How much longer are you going to lie to yourself?”

“Shut up! That’s not true! Irving and I love each other! He just pays attention to you out of jealousy for Benjamin! I’m the only one who truly understands him! We’ve already mated!” She fiercely yelled at me, unwilling to accept the truth.

“No one’s more perfect for him than me. Once you’re gone, the three of us will be very happy!” She was entirely engrossed in her fantasy, abandoning her rationality.

The essential information she provided struck me. My gaze instinctively dropped to her stomach. It was flat. I tested the waters by asking, “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

Lisa froze, her silence conveying more than any response she could provide.

A spark of realization lit up in my mind. Changing my approach, I said calmly, “If you kill me, your child will have a murderer as a mother. How can you live a happy life then?”

Lisa’s POV:

The words “murderer” and “child” hit me like a slap to the face, snapping me out of the chaotic world I’d trapped myself in. My grip on the knife faltered as I stared down at it, then back up at Hayley. Fear and uneasiness crept into my chest.

I was overly impulsive. Just moments before, all I could think about was erasing Hayley’s existence, convinced it would solve everything. But I’d let rage cloud my judgment, completely ignoring the murder and legal consequences.

As a murderer’s child, his status in werewolf society in the future would be lower than ordinary humans.

I have to admit that Hayley was right. I couldn’t keep doing reckless and insane things for the sake of my child. But if Hayley lived, Irving might never love me. What should I do?

Hayley’s POV:

I saw Lisa slowly lower the knife after struggling for a long time. Sensing her hesitation, I seized the moment to reason with her sincerely.

“As long as you are willing to change, it’s not too late. In the same way, as long as you let me go and I go back safely, I promise I won’t pursue Irving again, and can even help you get out of here and live a good life in a place that no one knows. Think about it. Isn’t this what you want?”

“The life I want…” Lisa murmured.

She seemed completely lost in thought, her grip on reality loosening as her guard slipped away. I darted toward the door, my hand slamming down on the handle. However, instead of swinging open, the door wouldn’t budge. It was as if it had fused with the frame, immovable and solid.

The sound jolted Lisa back to her senses. Her earlier softness evaporated as she turned her wild, venomous gaze on me. “Are you trying to run?! No! Irving said if you escape, he’ll die! I won’t let you leave! I can’t!”

She lunged at me, her body colliding with mine as she grabbed hold of me, dragging me back into the room. The wound on my hand throbbed as I desperately resisted Lisa’s strength.

In the chaos, the knife she hadn’t put down pressed against my stomach. The harder I resisted, the deeper the blade dug into my abdomen, the tip dangerously close to piercing through my skin.

Desperation surged through me. I had to think fast. Suddenly, I stopped struggling, going limp as I let her pull me backward.

The abrupt shift in force caught her off guard. Lisa stumbled and fell. We both toppled to the ground. I landed hard, pinning her arm beneath me. The knife clattered out of her grasp, the metallic clang echoing through the room.

Adrenaline surged through me. I abruptly grabbed the knife and scrambled to my feet. In one swift motion, I pressed Lisa to the floor with one hand and held the knife to her neck with the other.

“Don’t move!” I ordered.