Chapter 188: End Up Just Like Chloe

Anna handed over the necklace reluctantly, her displeasure evident on her face. Normally, I wouldn't snatch things from others—especially not something as easily replaceable as a necklace. But after last night's sleepless worry over her past actions, I couldn't resist a smug smile. "Thanks for this."

"You're welcome!" Anna replied through gritted teeth. Her frustration, however, had nothing to do with me. The angrier she became, the more satisfied I felt.

After pocketing the necklace, Carter and I turned to leave. He glanced at the faint smile playing on my lips. "Feeling better now?"

"Much better, all of a sudden."

"Then let's keep shopping. Who knows? You might feel even better."

I looked at him curiously. "Aren't you going to work today? It's year-end—you must have a lot to do."

"Nothing's more important than spending time with my wife."

His words sent my heart racing, so I quickly ducked into a nearby women's clothing store to compose myself. Picking out a few dresses, I held them up to Carter. "Which one looks better?"

"With your figure, you'd look great in any of them," he said with a grin. "But since we're here, we should find the perfect one. Why don't you try them on?"

He was brushing me off, and I savored this rare, ordinary moment. It was a welcome change from rushing through busy streets in heels, too swamped even to pick out a dress. I chose a few casual dresses—nothing as extravagant as evening gowns.

One dress had an annoyingly small and tricky zipper. I couldn't pull it up, so I called out to the sales associate outside the fitting room, "Can someone help me with the zipper?"

The curtain opened, and with my bare back to the person, I muttered softly, "Thanks." The hand that touched my skin was cold, sending a shiver down my spine. The zipper glided smoothly to the top before the person spoke. "No need to thank me."

The voice belonged to Anna. It wasn't her usual polished, public tone, but a chilling, low whisper, like a demon crawling out of the depths of hell.

Just as I turned to face her, she grabbed my arm, twisted it behind my back, and shoved me hard against the wall.

With no one else around, she dropped the pretense entirely.

"Zoey," she hissed. "I thought you were trying to steal the title of Mrs. Bolton from me. I'm already out of the Boltons—why won't you leave me alone?"

She finally got the chance to ask her burning question.

"Anna," I said coolly, "if you don't want your dirty secret exposed, don't do despicable things in the first place."

"Despicable? What are you talking about?"

I caught the hint of guilt in her voice and wrested myself free from her grip, pinning her throat with my hand. "You know exactly what happened to Chloe!"

At the mention of Chloe, fear flickered in her eyes. "E-Even the police didn't find anything," she stammered. "Stop accusing me. It was just bad luck."

I let out a cold laugh. "Was it bad luck? Or part of someone's carefully laid plan?"

"Zoey," she snapped, "Chloe had nothing to do with you. Her death doesn't concern you. Take my advice and drop this before you bring unnecessary trouble on yourself!"

"Is that a threat?" I narrowed my eyes.

Before I could react, she pulled out a knife and twisted my arm. Pain shot through me as the blade pressed against the artery in my neck.

Her voice dropped, deadly calm. "Zoey, there are some things you shouldn't meddle in. I came here today to warn you: stay in your lane, and we'll leave each other alone. But if you keep standing in my way…"

"What are you going to do?" I asked coldly.

She glared into my eyes, her tone venomous. "You'll end up just like Chloe."