CHAPTER 49

　　Carson’s warm hand offered me his solace, although I wasn’t sure whether to accept it.

　　“If you knew it would end up like this, why bother stepping into it in the beginning?”

　　I fathomed he referred to my now-fragile relationship with Kaiser. “I…”

　　“You don’t have to say anything, Piper. The moment I dropped you off at the apartment for the first time… I knew.”

　　“And you didn’t think of hurting me?”

　　He shook his head. “I couldn’t bear to. You were different from the rest.”

　　I pulled up my hair into a high ponytail, squeezing out the remaining water inside it. “What did you do to the others?” I asked in a meek voice.

　　“I fooled them. Pulled them into a trap. But with you, I knew I couldn’t. You were just a weak victim of his.”

　　“Why do you think so, Carson?”