Chapter 0415
At this point, there was no need for Claude to keep up the charade. Suzy had already exposed him.
He slowly peeled off the human–skin mask, revealing his true face beneath. Looking directly at Suzy, he asked, “Why is it that, no matter how perfectly I mimicked Dylan–his appearance, even his voice–you still knew from the start that I wasn’t him?”
Suzy’s expression stayed cold and unreadable. “There’s a saying: ‘You can mimic someone’s appearance, but not their soul.‘ Your disguise was flawless, but you can’t replicate someone’s personality overnight.”
Her tone was flat, almost clinical. “Take Victor, for example. The moment he interacted with you, he noticed something was off. He grew up with Dylan and knows him better than anyone. Fooling him was never going to be easy.
“As for me, I didn’t think much of it at first. What truly made me suspicious were certain looks you gave me. Dylan has looked at me that way too, but there’s always a difference.
“When he faced rejection, he’d regret it, but you… you were filled with resentment.”
“…So that’s it,” Claude murmured, his voice tinged with bitterness. “I thought maybe someone had tipped you off, but it seems I gave myself away.
Despite his meticulous efforts to emulate Dylan, he had still fallen short. Just as Suzy said -it’s easy to copy the surface, but the core is something else entirely.
“Suzy…” Claude’s eyes fixed on her. “What are you planning to do with me now?”
“I’m not planning anything,” Suzy replied bluntly. “I just want to know where Dylan is. Is he dead or alive?”
))
Claude let out a sharp, mirthless laugh. “Haven’t I told you already? He’s dead. The story I gave you wasn’t a lie–just a slight adjustment. The one who died wasn’t me. It was him.‘ “Claude!” Suzy stepped closer, her voice calm but firm. “I’ll say this one more time–I don’t want to destroy the last shred of whatever remains between us.”
“Whatever we had?” Claude’s lips twisted into a mocking smirk. “Do you honestly think there’s anything left between us? Spare me the sympathy act–I know exactly what you’re trying to do.
“But everything I’ve told you is the truth. Dylan is dead. I made sure of it. You, more than anyone, should understand that in that situation, I couldn’t possibly let him live.”
Suzy searched his face for any trace of a lie, but there was nothing–his expression was calm, unwavering. The weight of his words began to settle in her chest.
Chapter 0415
So, Dylan really was…
The thought struck her like a sharp pain. No matter what had happened, Dylan’s predicament was her fault. If he truly was gone, the guilt she carried would haunt her forever.
Claude’s eyes darkened as he noticed her pale expression. “Are you grieving for Dylan?”
His tone grew colder, his expression tightening. “You keep insisting you don’t care about him anymore, but everything you’ve done screams otherwise. Tell me, Suzy, which part of your actions looks like you’ve moved on?”
“Even if I don’t care for him like that anymore,” Suzy countered, her voice steady but strained, “I can’t just stand by and watch you hurt him. The grudge between us has nothing to do with him. And don’t forget that he has a grandmother and a sister. I owe them an explanation.”
Claude laughed bitterly, the scorn in his expression cutting, “Suzy, stop lying to yourself. You still care about Dylan. You’re just too proud to admit it. That’s why you refuse to reconcile with him.”
To Claude, it was all about pride. If it weren’t for that, his desires and dreams would have been fulfilled long ago.
