Chapter 263
“Since it’s come to this, we’re all going down together! Once it’s revealed that Macy was the proxy painter, life as I know it won’t be worth living. Why should I endure this humiliation from someone like you?”
Varmon grabbed Yannick’s hand and scanned the studio. There was a wooden box of art supplies on a simple chair.
With all his strength, Varmon slammed the chair with his arm, sending the art tools inside the box crashing down over Yannick’s head.
“Damn it! What ridiculous nonsense!”
“Ugh, crazy bastard!”
Varmon was so shocked he lost strength in his legs and crawled toward the door. Suddenly, his ankle was grabbed.
“Argh!”
He collapsed with a cold sensation spreading across his waist.
“I’m no good at painting, but I can sharpen pencils like a pro. The sound of the sharpener scraping is music to my ears.”
Hot blood slowly soaked Varmon’s shirt as a chilling voice echoed near his ear.
“Do you even understand how it feels to be someone who can never reach their dreams? Do you know what it’s like to be stuck sharpening pencils in a corner?”
“Argh!”
A sharp blade stabbed in and out again and again. Yannick was mercilessly stabbing Varmon’s waist with an art knife.
“I didn’t mean to go this far, Varmon. Why provoke someone so full of inferiority complex?”
“You’re gonna fall into the pit of hell… Ugh!”
“You don’t look like you’ll get into heaven either. See you in hell later. I’ll stab you in the back of the head then.”
Finally, Varmon collapsed onto the floor. Yannick stared at his bloodstained hands, the red color vivid and terrifying.
It all felt like a nightmare. He wasn’t someone who would commit such a horrific act.
He wasn’t the kind of person who could kill so casually…
“Dear? What’s wrong? Aah—”
Catherine entered the studio, about to scream, but Yannick quickly covered her mouth and warned quietly,
“Shut up. It’s not over yet.”
“…”
“Did you find what I asked for?”
That morning, Yannick had a strong intuition. He wouldn’t even be able to copy Macy’s paintings properly.
He’d be mocked by countless people in court for his terrible skills.
So he had Catherine search for Macy’s weakness. Not knowing her current location, she was ordered to check the cabin Macy had stayed in.
Although the ruined ashes wouldn’t likely yield anything useful…
“Ugh, uh!”
She held a sketchbook, half-charred and burned pieces of paper.
“What’s this?”
Yannick released Catherine’s mouth and asked.
“It was inside an iron storage box!”
“That’s all? You really searched properly?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Ha…”
Yannick sighed and flipped through the sketchbook. Inside were rough sketches that looked more like doodles—Macy’s drawings of animals, flowers, food, and scenery outside the window.
This was Macy’s way of drawing when she couldn’t decide what to paint.
Just when he thought this was all she had found, a particular croquis caught his eye.
As he turned the pages, the sketches became more detailed and numerous. Gradually, a smirk formed on Yannick’s lips.
“Found it.”
Proof to bring Macy down.
The only way to fall together.
There was no turning back now.
“You’re the one who made me a monster, Macy.”
A man pushed to the edge has nothing left to fear.
* * *
The date for the second trial approached. The square was more crowded than before.
“Start already!”
“When will it even begin!”
The guards controlled the crowd, but the heated atmosphere didn’t cool. Trial officials prepared two easels and art supplies in the center.
“Macy, you okay?”
“Yes, a little nervous… but I’ll get through it.”
Anna squeezed Macy’s trembling hand.
“It’ll be fine. The misfortune you fear won’t happen anymore. I’m here with you.”
“Thanks, Anna.”
Anna comforted Macy with reassuring words, and her trembling gradually subsided.
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