When They Beg I Rise (Lemira) novel Chapter 969

The suffocating silence stretched out, every passing second dripping with agonizing tension.

Slowly, deliberately, Lemira slid her hands free. "I'm sorry. I can't do that."

"Why not? What else do you need? I'll give you anything you want. I'll tear the Sinclair family apart myself!"

Lemira met her frantic gaze. "Aunt Amelia was your closest friend for decades. Do you honestly have it in you to destroy her?"

A flicker of raw, painful conflict crossed Amanda's eyes. "If you promise to stay with Orion, I will burn her to the ground."

"I don't need you to fight my battles. We have the paper trail. We have the witnesses. She'll face the music on her own."

Lemira looked at the trembling woman. "Focus on your treatment. Mr. Alfred is the best in the business. Even if you're convicted of obstruction, he'll ensure it's a suspended sentence given your medical history."

Amanda had been completely manipulated. With a powerhouse lawyer like Mr. Alfred handling her defense, she was practically guaranteed leniency.

"Lemira... I am so, so sorry."

Tears streamed freely down Amanda's pale face. "I know my motives were entirely selfish, but I've wanted to apologize to you properly for years."

Lemira gave her one last, emotionless look. "You owed me that much."

Pushing the door open, she stepped out into the freezing wind, the sharp chill instantly clearing the heavy fog in her mind.

Looking at the stark, barren branches of the winter trees, she felt a profound sense of desolation.

She had always vastly preferred the summer. The heat was oppressive, but at least it felt alive.

In her past life, winter had been an absolute nightmare. Locked away in that psychiatric ward, her abusers had deliberately cut the heating, leaving her shivering with agonizing frostbite that cracked and bled.

The sheer despair she felt in those moments was unimaginable.

Unconsciously, she rubbed the back of her hand—the exact spot where the worst of the frostbite had always blistered.

In this life, her skin remained perfectly smooth.

This time, she wasn't the one who was going to break.

She climbed into her massive Standard SUV and drove off. The sight of a young, stunning woman maneuvering such an aggressive vehicle was striking, yet it suited her perfectly.

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