My Love Burns for Anyone Worth It novel Chapter 13

**Vows Became Blame by Mark Twain 13**

**Chapter 13**

In a bid for comfort and independence, Sebastian and Ronald had opted to bypass the confines of the school dormitories. Their fathers, the influential Lawrence Gale and the astute Jude Lowe, had arranged for them to reside in off-campus apartments, even going so far as to acquire the unit adjacent to theirs for Tessa. It was a gesture that spoke volumes of their families’ status, yet little did they know of the darkness that loomed within their circle.

With a sense of urgency, the two friends decided to pay Tessa a visit, hoping to subtly gauge whether she had any inkling about Bella’s unsettling disappearance. They felt an unspoken tension in the air, a weight that seemed to press down on their hearts as they approached her door.

As they stood before Tessa’s apartment, the glow of light spilling from within was a stark contrast to the unease gnawing at them. They knocked, their knuckles rapping against the wood, but silence greeted them. Concerned and unable to shake the feeling that something was amiss, they retrieved the spare key from their pocket and let themselves in.

The door to Tessa’s bedroom was slightly ajar, and through the narrow opening, her voice sliced through the air with a sharpness that sent chills down their spines.

“I hired you to handle Bella, and yet you’ve failed me. And here you are, incessantly demanding more money. Do you ever tire of it? You heard that call—you know how much Sebastian and Ronald adore me, don’t you?”

Her words dripped with a venomous confidence, and with each syllable, the boys felt their stomachs churn.

“They come from Utopia’s most powerful families, yet around me, they’re nothing but obedient little dogs. They come and go at my beck and call. We dictate who they pursue, and they follow without question. Even if you spilled all the secrets, what would that change?”

“Do you honestly believe they would take your word over mine? Their childhood friend, the one they’ve known for fifteen years, couldn’t possibly compare to me. I knocked that girl out and tossed her into the sea, and still, they rushed to rescue me.”

The cruelty in her voice was a revelation that shattered their perceptions.

“Believe it or not, I wouldn’t even need to utter a word. The moment you attempt to drag me down, they will make sure you’re finished.”

With every word that escaped her lips, Sebastian and Ronald felt their horror deepen. The façade of innocence that Tessa had so carefully constructed was crumbling before their eyes, revealing a heart steeped in malice. They had been blissfully ignorant of her role in the near-assault on Bella, of the authenticity of the audio recording they had dismissed, and of the dark truth behind Bella’s fall into the sea—Tessa was the puppeteer, and they were her unwitting marionettes.

As memories of their own actions flooded back, they were struck with a brutal realization of the betrayal they had inflicted upon Bella. Tessa had never shown them this twisted side of her personality. The woman they had once cared for had been a master of deception, even labeling them as her obedient dogs, and they had followed her lead, harming the very friend they had cherished since childhood. They had come perilously close to the edge before finally confronting the truth—they had become exactly what she had called them.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify