The stone bridge near White Tea Restaurant trembled under the howling wind.
"Chloe, step back from there."
Liam Winston caught up to Chloe Evans as she balanced precariously on the bridge railing. Her white dress billowed like a tattered sail against the stormy sky.
The river below churned with deadly currents.
"You've changed since the perfumery competition." Chloe's voice cracked like thin ice. Her delicate frame swayed with each gust, fingers bone-white against the railing.
"The warmth is gone. Even when I said my stomach hurt, you barely glanced my way." A tear traced the sharp angle of her jaw. "I never claimed to be Crimson Serpent. That championship was mine by right. I just... didn't want to disappoint you."
The wind stole her next words, but Liam caught the anguish in them.
"If only I were Crimson Serpent. Then I could've helped you." Her whisper carried the weight of finality. "All these years chasing her perfume formulas - living in a fantasy. I cost you the Radiant Beauty deal."
A broken smile flickered across her face.
"Had I known Sophia was Crimson Serpent, I'd never have..." She released one hand from the railing to brush away tears. "Everything I said in the restaurant was true. If you love her, I'll step aside."
Her body leaned dangerously forward.
"Don't!" Liam's heart hammered against his ribs. The sight of her fragile form teetering above the abyss tore through him.
"I don't love Sophia. The Radiant Beauty deal was only to prove myself worthy to your parents." He inched closer, voice raw. "Everything I do is for you!"
Chloe's ashen face turned toward him.
"Five years ago," she whispered, "I gave you my blood when you were dying. My perfect skin - scarred forever." Her grip tightened. "Rather than endure your distrust, I'd choose death."
The bridge seemed to sway beneath them.
Liam's throat constricted. Memories surfaced of slender shoulders carrying him through dark alleys, of feverish whispers promising salvation. This woman had literally borne his weight when death came calling.
"I doubted, yes. But leaving you? Never." His voice broke. "Your memory kept me alive through countless sleepless nights."
Chloe saw the shift in his eyes. The gambit was working. After the competition scandal, only extreme measures could restore his faith.
Fresh tears glistened as she gazed at the raging waters.
"Liam, I love you." Her voice carried the quiet resolve of a woman stepping off a cliff. "My death will absolve you. Sophia won't blame you anymore."
She released the railing.
The splash echoed like a gunshot.
Liam's world narrowed to that vanishing white silhouette. Coat flying, he plunged after her into the icy darkness.
As consciousness faded, Chloe felt strong arms encircle her. She smiled against his chest.
The gamble had paid off.
Liam would never doubt her again. And when she became Mrs. Winston, that bitch Sophia would rue the day she crossed Chloe Evans.