The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 568

Garrison's handcuffs clinked against the chair with a faint, metallic tremble.

His fingers curled inward sharply, his nails scraping against the iron backrest with a barely audible scratch.

Silence fell over the room once more. The only sounds were the persistent hum of the fluorescent light and his own shaky breathing.

He kept his eyes lowered for a long moment before finally looking up at Vanessa. His voice was raspy and quiet, as if squeezed from the very depths of his chest.

"He really... wants to kill me?"

Vanessa chuckled.

The sound bounced off the windowless walls, sharp and eerie.

She stood up, leaned over, and suddenly reached out to tip his chin up. Her fingertips were ice-cold, gliding across his skin like a snake. She traced his gaunt cheek inch by inch, from his cheekbone to his jaw, then from his brow to his lips, caressing him as if he were a piece of porcelain she owned.

"Are you scared?"

Garrison didn't flinch, nor did he answer.

He kept his eyes down in silence for a very long time—so long that Vanessa's fingers had trailed down to the pulsing artery on his neck.

Then, the corner of his mouth twitched into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. It was the absolute release of a man ground down to nothing, a man who truly no longer cared.

"If that's the case—then do it."

Vanessa's fingers stopped.

She stared at the ghost of a smile on his lips. Something flashed in the depths of her eyes—something dark, deep, and suppressed for far too long.

Her hand slid back up his jaw, gripping it firmly. The pressure wasn't painful, but it carried an undeniable sense of absolute control.

"Beg me."

"Beg me right now, Garrison, and I'll spare your life."

Her voice was a low whisper, almost murmuring in his ear. The intoxicating mix of intimacy and absolute certainty formed an inescapable web. "After all, I've always liked you."