Chapter 510

Earlier, while trapped in that suffocating room waiting for Claude's return, Hannah had discreetly sent her location and a desperate plea for help to Vincent,her instincts screaming danger. She'd been buying time,praying Vincent would come. And he'd arrived at the perfect moment.

The instant Vincent stepped through the doorway,Claude's expression twisted into something feral."Who authorized your entry? Marco Fuller!"

The butler, Marco Fuller, stumbled forward, his complexion ashen and voice quaking. "Mr. Hobbes,Mr. Jones brought multiple bodyguards and forced his way in. We were powerless to stop him..."

Claude's stare could have frozen hellfire, his words slicing through the air like ice shards. "Mr. Jones,what do you want? Trespassing?"

"Escorting Hannah to safety." Vincent's response was clipped and absolute.

Almost in the same breath, Hannah spoke with crystalline clarity. "I called him here."

Their synchronized declaration left Claude visibly shaken. Disbelief and anguish warred in his eyes as he stared at Hannah. "Why did you do that? You stil can't let him go? Have you forgotten how he had harmed you?"

Hannah held his gaze without wavering, her voice rock-steady. "I simply dislike being in a vulnerable position."

She delivered the truth without embellishment. When fear had cornered her and isolation threatened to suffocate her, she'd needed someone she could trust with her very existence. Vincent had been her first choice.

Drawing a fortifying breath, she wrestled control of the conversation back into her hands. "Claude,there's something I need to confirm with you. You claim to adore me, that you'd sacrifice everything for my sake. Is that genuine? Would you truly do anything l asked?"

Claude's response came without a heartbeat's hesitation, 'his eyes blazing with fervent conviction."Absolutely! For you, I'd mnove mountains! Even if you demanded my life, I'd surrender it gladly!"

"Enough with the pretty speeches!" Hannah cut through his declaration like a blade, her stare boring into his soul. "I want you to answer my question with complete honesty."

Her steely composure compelled Vincent to study Claude with equally grave intensity.

Hannah then voiced the terrifying suspicion that had been clawing at her consciousness, each word deliberate and cutting, "The car accident that killed my dad and harmed my mom... Did you have anything to do with it?"

Those disturbing photographs plastering the walls,the eerie surveillance footage, Claude's ruthless methods in pursuing his obsessions, and his undeniable ties to Erica... All these clues intertwined,making it impossible to dismiss her suspicions about his involvement in her parents' accident. With Vincent standing guard beside her, escape was guaranteed. She finally had the courage to confront the truth.

Claude stumbled backward, his face crumpling under the weight of being suspected by the woman he treasured above all else. Clutching his chest as if physically wounded, he whispered, "I thought you'd recognize my devotion. Even if you couldn't return it,I expected you would be shocked. Never did I imagine you'd respond with terror and mistrust."

His head shook in anguish, tears threatening to spill."Hannah, you're breaking my heart..."

"Answer me!" Hannah stood like granite, her stare unwavering and relentless in its demand for truth.

Claude suppressed the tumultuous emotions within him, meeting her eyes with raw honesty and speaking with absolute conviction. "No! Absolutely not! We shared a childhood; your parents welcomed me into their home and loved me as their own son.They were my family! Even if I were the vilest creature alive, I would never repay such kindness with betrayal and murder! I would never sink that low!"

Sensing his defense needed reinforcement, he pressed on desperately. "And have you forgotten?During that time, I was orchestrating a surprise celebration for their wedding anniversary. The venue,the timeline, the guest list-I'd nearly finalized every detail! How could I be planning their joy moment while orchestrating their death at the same time? It doesn't make any sense."

Suffocating silence descended upon the dining room, broken only by the ragged breathing of its occupants.

After an eternity, Hannah's rigid posture softened fractionally, and the tears she'd fiercely contained finally broke free, tracing silver paths down her cheek. She brushed them away hastily, her voice breaking. "You'd better be telling the truth. Otherwise, my father's soul will never know rest..."