Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 233: Risky Move
Yeah, I could clearly see where Camilla learned her dramatic threats from. The apple really didn’t fall far from the tree. Suicide threats, emotional blackmail, creating chaos just to control the room Camilla had done it countless times. Now Vicky was performing the same routine. I found myself comparing them automatically.
Force of habit.
Adam, however, wasn’t calm about it. His face was tight with panic as he stared at Vicky standing on the balcony railing. "Vicky, get down from there. What are you doing?"
"Why should I?" she cried. "You don’t trust me. If you think I’m guilty, maybe I should just die!"
I didn’t hesitate. My voice stayed even. "Fine. Jump then. Don’t let me stop you. Do a barrel roll while you’re at it."
The room went completely silent.
Everyone stared at me as if I had lost my mind, but I didn’t change my expression. "It’s only the second floor. You won’t die. Worst case? Maybe you end up paralyzed. Honestly, that might make things easier. At least you won’t be running around."
Vicky and Adam both looked at me in shock.
"What did you just say?" Vicky snapped.
Adam frowned deeply. "That’s cruel, Riley."
"The truth usually is," I replied calmly. "All I said was that I didn’t want Vicky taking care of Ms. Morrigan. Suddenly she’s threatening to jump. Anyone watching might think I pushed her into this. Since she’s so determined, maybe we should let her prove it."
"Riley, what are you saying?" Vicky’s voice trembled.
I folded my arms and met her eyes. "Don’t worry. There’s a doctor in the house. If you break something, he’ll fix you."
"Don’t you dare "
"Go on," I cut in smoothly. "You talk about suicide so often. If you really mean it, jump. Otherwise, stop using it as a weapon."
Part of me almost wanted her to fall.
Let her feel even a fraction of what Lewis endured.
"Riley, stop," Adam warned. "Are you trying to push her?"
He stepped toward Vicky carefully. She screamed, "Don’t come closer! I’ll jump!"
"Okay, okay. I won’t move," he said quickly.
While he tried to calm her down, I walked past them slowly, making sure my words reached her clearly. "Jump. I dare you. Don’t just talk."
She had no intention of jumping. She was trying to scare Adam, nothing more. Men fall for that performance every time.
The balcony wasn’t high maybe ten feet at most but the ground below was icy. It wouldn’t kill her, but it would hurt badly.
I walked right up to the railing and looked up at her. "So? Are you jumping or not?"
"Riley, you’ve gone too far," she hissed.
She shifted her weight dramatically, trying to make it look convincing. Adam lunged forward and grabbed her legs. "Please, don’t do this."
Still acting, Vicky bent down and slapped him hard. "This is your fault! You doubted me! Let me go!"
"I’m taking you back inside," Adam insisted.
She shrieked, struggling harder.
And then it happened.
The surface was slick with ice. She was too close to the edge. As she twisted and overacted her panic, her foot slipped. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Adam thought she was still pretending.
She wasn’t.
She tilted backward.
"Vicky!"
Adam reached, but his grip missed.
The sound of her body hitting the ground below was sickening.
For a second, I just stood there.
Was this really happening?
Only moments ago, I had thought it might serve her right if she fell. Now reality had arrived, sharp and undeniable.
Adam rushed downstairs without looking at me. I stepped forward and glanced over the railing. Vicky was lying flat on her back, unmoving for a moment before she started groaning.
I didn’t say anything.
And if I’m being honest... a cold sense of satisfaction settled inside me.
If she had a hand in everything in the crash, in my death, in the endless manipulation then she was my enemy. Silas may have stabbed me directly, but there were others hiding behind the curtain.
I owed them nothing.
Down below, Adam lifted her carefully into his arms while she cried out in pain. He shot me a furious look. "Are you satisfied now?"
I didn’t answer.
Life has a way of balancing the scales.
With Vicky temporarily out of the picture, I turned back toward Camilla. She was watching me now, fear clear in her eyes.
"What do you want from me?" she whispered.
"Camilla," I said calmly, stepping closer to her bed, "do you really want Silas and your child to die for nothing?"
Her breathing grew uneven at the mention of Silas. Her fingers tightened around the bedsheets.
"If you keep hiding the truth, you’ll be next," I said softly. "Maybe your life doesn’t matter to the organization anymore. But does Silas’s death mean nothing to you?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"The Hales were Silas’s real family," I continued, lowering my voice. "If he had lived, they would have taken care of him. Adam spoke to doctors about repairing his face. Jeffrey insisted on the best treatment. He was supposed to live. He was supposed to have a future."
I watched her carefully as my words sank in.
"Tell the truth," I urged quietly. "Avenge him."
"No... please," she cried, clutching her head. "I don’t know anything. I swear I don’t."
Her distress brought the doctor rushing in. "Ms. Morrigan needs rest," he said gently.
Camilla curled into herself, trembling.
I knew pushing further now would only break her completely.
"You should rest," I said quietly. "If you remember anything, you know where to find me."
Downstairs, Vicky was being examined. Adam hovered beside her, pale and shaken. "How is my wife?" he asked urgently.
The doctor spoke carefully. "We need a CT scan to be certain. She landed on her back. There may be damage to her spine and tailbone. Possibly her legs."
Adam’s face drained of color. "Worst case?"
The doctor hesitated. "Loss of bladder control. Or... paralysis."
Paralyzed.
The word echoed in my mind.
Lewis had suffered through a car crash. He healed, but I knew he endured more than he ever admitted. If Vicky had been involved in that accident, then this felt like justice finally circling back.
I glanced briefly at the sky.
Maybe somewhere, someone was keeping score.
Those who hurt others don’t always escape forever.
