You're protecting someone," he said.
Not a question.A statement.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
"I'm not—"
"Your mother."
Everything stopped,when he said that.
I froze.
Breathing.
Thinking.
Existing.
All of it.
Gone.
Slowly—
too slowly—
I looked at him.
And for the first time since this started—
I couldn't speak.
Because he already knew.
Cheng Mo's gaze hardened, the last trace of uncertainty gone.
"So that's it," he said quietly. "That's the truth you're so desperate to bury."
My silence confirmed everything.
A bitter, humorless smile touched his lips.
You let her die…" he murmured, almost to himself. "…and then you took the blame for it."
Each word stripped me bare.
"And all this time…" His eyes lifted back to mine, colder than ever. "I thought you were a monster."
A pause.
Then—
his voice turned razor-sharp.
"But you're worse."
My chest tightened painfully.
A coward… who hides behind sacrifice."
The words hit harder than any blow.
"Does she know?" he continued. "Your mother. Does she know what you've done for her?"
I clenched my fists.
"…No."
"Of course not."
Another step back.
Distance.
Cold.
"She lives peacefully," he said. "While you rot in guilt… in silence…
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…and in my hands."
My breath caught.
Because that tone—
it had changed again.
Not just anger.
Not just revenge.
Something far more dangerous.
"Tell me, Shu Lin," he said slowly, tilting his head just slightly. "How far are you willing to go… to keep protecting her?"
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
Because we both knew—
there was no limit.
And that…
was exactly what he was going to use against me.