Chapter 166 Secret exposed

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Nadine could feel Jeremy's piercing gaze on her as she cleaned the wound on his forehead. Jimmy flinched from the unexpected pain and then grinned. He never expected Nadine would be the one tending to his wounds; it felt strangely intimate. Jeremy let out a shallow breath. What was happening to him? He knew he was straight—he couldn't possibly develop feelings for his own gender. Obviously, he liked Rose, the hotter sister.

Jeremy was confused. Rose didn't even give him any attention, didn't care whether he lived or died. And yet, his bastard heart kept leaping whenever she came near. What a scandal.

Luna was leaning on a nearby wall, watching the scene unfold between Nadine and Jimmy. Was it more than friendship? She didn't understand. Maybe Jimmy liked her, but Nadine? She couldn't tell. Nadine's expressions changed at every little emotion, and it was tiring. Luna couldn't decipher whether Nadine liked Jeremy, but at least, despite Luna irritating behavior the other day, they still had each other's backs. That was something.

"Okay, good as new," Nadine announced, using her fingers to trace some invisible lines on Jimmy's forehead.

Jeremy, who wasn't expecting that, felt a sudden spark. How could a guy's hands be this arousing?

"Thanks, Nadine. I really owe you one," Jeremy stuttered, feeling awkward and shy.

Luna couldn't understand what was wrong with the two of them. Their open display of affection made her cringe.

"Enough already. Can we leave? I feel like I might barf if I stay here any longer," Luna said, taking the lead.

As they left the hall, Nadine began thinking. Things were becoming clearer to her now. Someone had to be spying on them. Sylvia's accident, even her sister's... someone was secretly following them. Realizing this, Nadine started to silently freak out. She had a stalker. Insane. Maybe she really had to be careful about whom she associated with. Could she truly trust Jeremy, Zeke, or Luna with her life?

Remembering her former school life was enough to make her clench her fists tightly. To hell with trust. She regretted fawning over Zeke—it was obvious the guy was too full of himself. This wasn't her. She wasn't the girl who cared about what people thought, who valued worthless affection. But something had changed. Things weren't going how she planned when she enrolled at Paradise. It seemed she needed to upgrade her game to protect herself. Apart from her sister, the rest of them could go to hell.

"Nadine... Nadine, are you there?" Jeremy's voice jolted her. Nadine jumped, startled, and seeing that, Jeremy burst out laughing.

"Sorry, Nadine. It's just that your jump was so funny—like a princess leaping into her prince's arms."

But Nadine wasn't in the mood to laugh, even though Jeremy was trying so hard to cheer her up. How could she laugh when she had just realized she had a stalker who might kill her? And worse, the school might cover up her murder with a bunch of cash.

"Jeremy, I appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, but if we don't come up with a strategy to survive here, we might end up getting killed and forgotten forever."

Jeremy froze. The idea of being forgotten was traumatizing. He turned to Luna, who seemed worse off—she was shaking harder than ever.

"No! Leave me alone. I said, leave me alone!"

Nadine approached her, reaching out to stroke her hair gently, but Luna screamed like a deranged person and lunged at Nadine.

Nadine watched in horror as Luna came at her with a small knife, attempting to plunge it into her face. Nadine ducked just in time, and Luna crashed into a nearby wall.

"Luna, please stop this," Jeremy begged. He didn't want to hurt her, but Luna wasn't herself. It was as if an invisible force was controlling her. She grabbed a nearby bottle—a detail Nadine hadn't noticed before—and smashed it, exposing a sharp, jagged edge.

"You can't find out who the culprit is. I'm so sorry, Nadine, but you can't. You just can't."

Before Nadine could react, Luna drove the bottle deep into her throat. Blood poured out as she gagged and collapsed.

Nadine screamed. "Luna, no! Please, Luna, don't do this. Tell me what's going on!"

But it was pointless. Luna had severed her breathing pipe. The last thing Nadine and Jeremy heard before she died was:

"Don't investigate. Please, just leave. Leave the school and never return. If not, all of you will die—all of your families will."

Jeremy's face turned pale, as white as a sheet. Nadine wasn't faring much better. Jeremy rushed to Luna, desperate to save her.

"Luna, don't die! No! Nadine, we have to leave. If we stay here, we'll be framed!"

Jeremy removed the bottle from Luna's hands and was about to throw it aside when Ava and Nina arrived.

All hell broke loose. The two girls let out deafening screams that probably reached every corner of Paradise High.

Nadine's face paled further. Students gathered around, gasping. Rowan and Simon arrived, taking in the scene with wide eyes.

"Oh my, who would have thought—you both killed your friend! Murderers! Killers!" Simon Denovan accused Nadine.

Remembering Rose's attitude toward him, Simon smiled maliciously. "I'll make your sister suffer for your misdeeds, you—"

Simon didn't finish. He charged at Jeremy, delivering a powerful kick that sent him stumbling into a glass panel. Jeremy's wound reopened, bleeding profusely. Rowan joined in, stomping on Jeremy's hands with a sickening crack.

Jeremy screamed in agony, but Simon wasn't done. He grabbed Nadine by the hair and began slapping her. Her wig fell off, and her gown tore, revealing the foam pads she used for her chest. Beneath them were a shirt and shorts.

Realizing Nadine was a guy, Simon's smile turned even more sinister. Nadine's eyes widened in panic.

Jeremy, too injured to move, watched helplessly as Rowan twisted Nadine's arms behind her back. Nadine let out a heart-wrenching scream.