Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 335: It’s just a shame… you haven’t changed at all

Ryan felt a shiver run through his body as the soft sensation against his chest brought back memories from four years ago. The scene replayed in his mind, bit by bit. The girl in front of him was different from the others—she was someone he had genuinely liked, someone he had actually been involved with.

Even though they hadn’t gone all the way, their relationship had come dangerously close. Now, with her fingers lightly brushing against him, there was no way Ryan could pretend he wasn’t affected.

His face burned as if it were on fire. He took several steps back, retreating until his back hit the wall, leaving him with nowhere else to go.

“Bella, don’t do this. We’re not who we were four years ago.”

He forcefully knocked Bella’s hand away from his chest. Her expression froze for a moment, the softness in her eyes instantly replaced by a chilling coldness. Even though Ryan had grown used to Alice’s icy demeanor, Bella’s sudden shift still startled him.

Bella didn’t seem particularly bothered by her hand being slapped away. She gently rubbed her wrist, which had turned slightly red from Ryan’s action.

She had imagined this reunion countless times—wondering what would happen when they met again. Would he hold her? Would he say something sweet like, “I’ve missed you so much”?

Her eyes darkened. Even when she had seen Ryan and Alice embracing under the streetlight, it hadn’t hurt this much.

She let out a bitter laugh. If Ryan hadn’t brought up what happened four years ago, maybe Bella wouldn’t have felt so hurt. She could’ve stayed in her comfortable little bubble, telling herself comforting lies.

Compared to the harsh truth, she preferred to believe that four years ago, she had just been upset. That locking Ryan up had been her mistake. She should’ve given him food. She should’ve pulled him out of the basement when he said he was afraid of the dark.

But all of that had been out of love. Why couldn’t Ryan understand that?

“I came to talk to you about something. Alice isn’t someone you should mess with. There’s no real bad blood between you two.”

“You’ve just returned to the country. I don’t know how the Langston family has treated you, but I don’t want you to get hurt because of this.”

Ryan took advantage of Bella’s momentary pause to put some distance between them. He spoke seriously. Coming to Bella’s room today had been a risky move, but he had thought it through. It wasn’t just about Alice’s safety—he also didn’t want Bella to do something reckless.

Even though Bella had done what she did in the past, as she had written in her note, she would always be Ryan’s little sister.

Bella had spent four years studying business in France, not learning how to kill people. Otherwise, Ryan wouldn’t have been able to so easily figure out the food poisoning attempt today. The only way Bella could possibly kill Alice, as far as Ryan could see, was if she took them both down together.

“Brother… I understand…”

Bella’s head hung low as she listened to Ryan, her face hidden from view. Her voice trembled with emotion, and her shoulders—no longer as small as they had been four years ago—shook uncontrollably.

Ryan was at a loss for words. If Bella had stubbornly refused to listen, he had other things to say, but her sudden compliance caught him off guard. He nodded blankly, feeling a bit confused but deciding not to press further.

The girl in front of him overlapped with the image of the little girl who used to tug at his sleeve and cry. Ryan’s heart softened a little, and he started to wonder if he had been too harsh.

“Bella, I…”

Ryan reached out to touch her shoulders, worried about her current state. But the words had already been said. He couldn’t choose Bella over Alice, no matter what. The most he could offer was a small piece of the warmth they once shared.

“Don’t worry, brother. I’m fine.”

Bella let Ryan’s hand rest on her shoulder and looked up with a bright smile. He remembered how, in the beginning, it was her sunny smile that had drawn him to her. But after what had happened between them, she had stopped smiling like that.

Ryan was momentarily stunned, then let out a long sigh of relief. Things had gone much smoother than he had expected. He could leave now.

If he stayed in the basement too long, Alice might get suspicious. Even if his intentions were good, there would be no way to explain it later.

Satisfied that Bella wasn’t going to cause any trouble, Ryan prepared to say goodbye and leave. Although Bella had seemed a little off these past few days, he was sure she was just lonely, like she always had been. She was a good kid, and she had really changed.

At least, that’s what Ryan thought—until everything suddenly took a turn.

A knife plunged into Ryan’s abdomen, the cold steel sending a shock through his body. Before he could even process what was happening, a wave of searing pain erupted in his stomach.

Without warning, Bella’s hands gripped the knife and drove it into his abdomen again, the blade striking like lightning.

Ryan felt his stomach tear apart in agony. He wanted to ask why, but the words that came out were nothing more than broken syllables. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and if he hadn’t grabbed Bella’s hands, he would’ve collapsed to the ground right then.

“You…”

“What’s wrong, brother? Are you trying to ask why I’m doing this?”

Bella’s beautiful face twisted into a chilling smile. She let go of the knife, and without her support, Ryan crumpled to the floor. His stomach throbbed violently, and blood poured from his mouth.

Bella crouched down beside him, hugging her knees, which were now stained with his blood. She stared at Ryan thoughtfully, her smile fading, and the light in her eyes seemed to vanish in that moment.

Her hands reached toward Ryan’s abdomen, her expression almost one of pity. Her fingers gently touched the wound, continuing the motion she had started earlier, the one Ryan had stopped. She traced circles with her fingertips, but this time, there was no tenderness.

If her earlier touch on his chest had been like a lover’s whisper, now her fingers were like a blade pressed against the throat of an enemy.

Her gaze flickered, and she let out a soft laugh, though it was more like a whisper, a murmur only the two of them could hear.

“Brother, your stomach problems still haven’t gotten better, huh? Has Alice not even noticed something like that?”

Ryan clenched his teeth as his stomach convulsed in pain. Bella’s fingers pressed against the burning wound, and he had no strength left to resist.

What did this have to do with Alice? Bella knew his body inside and out. If it weren’t for her knowing exactly where to press, he wouldn’t be in this state right now.

Bella watched his reaction, and though she was the one inflicting pain, she didn’t seem to be faring much better. Every word Ryan had said earlier, every bit of resistance, had felt like needles stabbing into her heart.

She was in too much pain. She didn’t want to hear Ryan speak anymore. Now, it was her turn to talk.

Her fingers greedily traced the contours of Ryan’s face, her eyes filled with the weight of the four years they had been apart. Just looking at her, it was clear she was drowning in those memories.

She bent down, her face close to his, her eyes locked onto his. She stared at him, at everything about him. This was the person she had longed for day and night, the person she both loved and hated.

After four long years, she had finally closed the distance between them. And then, she pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss.

“Brother, you’ve really broken my heart. You know, you weren’t wrong about one thing—I’m not the same person I was four years ago.”

“It’s just a shame… you haven’t changed at all.”

[Ding! Main Quest Completed 1/5: Be Killed by Bella (Progress 100%)]

Ryan closed his eyes…