Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A wave of icy calm washed over me as I looked at the heartless monster standing before me.

I must have been completely blind to have ever loved a woman like her.

In my past life, I had been foolish enough to believe her lies and share the blame, even though I was entirely blameless.

I wiped the blood off my cheek and held out my crimson-stained palm toward her face.

"Look at this. This is the flesh and blood of a twenty-five-year-old kid who just got accepted into the Ph.D. program with a bright future ahead of him."

"And you dare call this a minor accident?"

"Who the fuck are you to call this minor?"

I swung my arm and delivered a resounding slap across her face.

She shrieked as the blow sent her crashing to the floor, her cheek swelling instantly into a bright red welt.

Seeing my furious reaction, Garrett choked on his breath and pointed an accusing finger at me.

"Clara is your wife! How could you hit her over an outsider? I never should have let her marry you!"

I lunged forward and planted a vicious kick right into his ribs, my eyes bloodshot with raw hatred.

"Garrett, stop acting like you're some noble saint! You falsified your calculations and caused a student's death, and now you want to dump your shit on me? In your fucking dreams!"

"If I hadn't stepped in upstairs, there would be eight corpses on this floor right now, not just one!"

Both of them lay sprawled on the ground, clutching their bruises, while I stood over them with clenched fists.

"Mom! Dad! Please come get me, someone just died at school!"

Down the hall, one of the surviving students was sobbing hysterically into his phone.

He stared wide-eyed at the scattered remains of his classmate Austin.

Garrett scrambled to his feet, rushed over, and snatched the phone from the boy's hand, forcefully turning it off.

He glared down at the trembling kid with a twisted grin. "Henry, you're my favorite student. This accident was caused entirely by Nolan Price; it has nothing to do with us. Back me up, and I will guarantee your spot in the doctoral program."

"I am your advisor. I am the only one who has the power to sign off on your future."

Henry's eyes flickered with hesitation, and he slowly lifted his gaze.

My chest tightened.

"Are you… are you serious?" the boy whispered.

"I swear on my life!"

Garrett's chest heaved with frantic excitement as he pressed further. "I'll even cover your entire tuition and living stipend for your doctoral degree!"

Faced with such alluring promises, Henry slowly nodded his head.

A bitter lump formed in my throat, and a sarcastic smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Looking at Henry, a deep sense of disillusionment settled over me.

"Nolan, since you refuse to share the blame, don't complain when we pin the whole thing on you!"

Clara hissed through gritted teeth, clutching her swollen cheek.

"Henry! Henry, baby, where are you? Who died?"

A middle-aged couple rushed down the hallway, screaming their son's name in sheer panic.

They lived right near campus and had sped over the moment they received Henry's distressed call.

The moment Henry's mother saw the severed limbs on the floor, she shrieked and fainted into her husband's arms.

The father's face went grim. "Why hasn't anyone called the police yet?"

"Mr. Barnes, it was him―Nolan Price! He forced the students to use faulty chemical formulas, which triggered the explosion!"

Garrett pointed directly at me, rushing to control the narrative.

"That is a complete lie," I retorted sharply. "This was Garrett Vance's research team, not mine."

I refused to let them frame me again; I would never carry their sins a second time.

Just as Garrett was busy shifting the blame, a sudden camera shutter sound caught everyone's attention.

A female student was standing near the doorway, holding up her smartphone and recording the scene.

When she noticed all eyes turning toward her, she bit her lip in visible fright.

A glimmer of triumph flashed in Garrett's eyes.

Just then, the campus security team finally arrived on the scene.

They froze in horror at the sight of the bloodbath before snapping into defensive mode.

"Officers, this explosion occurred during an experiment run by Instructor Garrett Vance's team," I announced loudly before Garrett could spin his tale.

Garrett, however, put on a calm and deeply aggrieved expression.

"Officers, he is framing me. My students can testify that Professor Price forced them to run his flawed formula; I tried to stop him, but he threatened to have me fired."

He turned an innocent gaze toward Henry and the girl with the phone.

"Isn't that right, Henry? Sadie?"

Right before my eyes, both students slowly nodded in agreement.