Chapter 3
1245 Words
This time, Mason didn't come in to rest but to clean.
Kaden wasn't feeling as bad anymore and could now sit up against the pillow. He watched Mason sweep from one corner to the other, never once looking up as if Kaden wasn't even there. Compared to yesterday, when Mason had actively started a conversation with him, it was like he was a completely different person.
Kaden broke the silence first. "You left something behind—the card on the bed."
Without looking up, Mason replied, "That's the card I drew for you."
Kaden was slightly taken aback. "For me?"
Only then did Mason look up. "Yeah, the Death card. It means you've recently experienced separation from a loved one, a terrifying death."
The astonishment in Kaden's eyes disappeared instantly. 'So, he's just a fraud, a charlatan trying to act mysterious.' Kaden was in here for murder. Anyone with ears would've heard some rumors. What was the point of using tarot cards?
Noticing Kaden's disbelief, Mason's eyes flickered. He added, "But when I did three readings for you that day, the supporting cards all pointed to the Tower. That means the death around you is unresolved and unjust."
Kaden didn't understand the first part, but he caught the meaning of the latter. 'What does that mean? Did I get the wrong person?'
Sensing Kaden's renewed interest, Mason set the broom aside and pulled a deck of tarot cards from his pocket. "But yesterday, I did the reading myself. If you draw the cards, it'll be more accurate. Want to give it a try?"
Mason went so far as to sit directly on Kaden's hospital bed.
Kaden was speechless.
Before Kaden could say anything, Mason began laying the cards face down on the blanket, one by one. He instructed Kaden to think about the question he wanted to ask and draw three cards.
Kaden stared at the strange patterns on the cards, and his mind suddenly felt empty. It was the same feeling he'd had yesterday when he saw the Death card left on the bed.
It was as if an invisible hand was overturning everything he thought he knew. 'Could it be that Rachel's death wasn't caused by Noah?'
"No! It's impossible!" With this doubt lingering in his mind, Kaden, as if possessed, followed Mason's instructions.
Mason focused on one of the cards and said, "See? It's the Tower again. Looks like there's a high chance you got the wrong person."
Mason's casual remark struck a nerve in Kaden, causing his eyes to narrow sharply. "What did you just say?"
Their eyes met. Mason's gaze, both sly and unfathomable, was like that of a judge from hell, pushing Kaden's rationality to the brink.
Kaden grabbed Mason by the collar. "Say that again!"
Mason wasn't afraid of Kaden's outburst. He simply held Kaden's wrist and said, "I'm just interpreting the cards. Besides, I know a little about the person you killed."
He continued, "Noah Bennett, the behind-the-scenes owner of several nightclubs in Pechlon City. He's notorious for messing around with women, but he's been doing it for years. Even if he went too far, he'd just pay them off. He wouldn't kill anyone."
Pain shot through Kaden's wound, and he laughed angrily. "Oh, I get it now. You're one of that b*stard's lackeys, aren't you? You're here to avenge him! You..."
"Did Noah admit to you that he did it?" Mason interrupted softly. Kaden's mind flashed back to Noah's face as he begged for his life, and the words Noah had said before he died: "I've got so much money, so many women. Why would I need to kill someone just to get a woman?"
Kaden's sharp gaze began to waver. Then he suddenly remembered what the police had said: "Noah Bennett is a major suspect, but we don't have solid evidence yet. It might not be him..."
"No, that's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Kaden didn't know why these thoughts surfaced in his mind or why he was so easily swayed by Mason's nonsense.
After a moment of hesitation, Kaden became even more convinced that Mason was up to something. Ignoring his wound and the IV needle in his hand, he gritted his teeth and lunged, pinning Mason down on the bed. "Stop making excuses for him! He has a history of messing with women. My girlfriend must have refused him and angered him! It had to be him! He's the one who killed Rachel!"
"Then why hasn't anyone come after you for revenge?" Compared to Kaden's agitation, Mason remained calm from beginning to end. Even with Kaden gripping his neck tightly, making it hard for him to speak, Mason neither struggled nor resisted. Instead, he focused on catching his breath through the stranglehold of Kaden's anger.
"Don't you think that since you've been here, aside from getting beaten up by Fatty on the first day, things have been way too smooth for you?" Mason's sudden remark left Kaden speechless. It was only after killing Noah that Kaden learned the man was one of the gang leaders in Pechlon City. To stab someone like him to death in a private room in front of so many witnesses, getting retaliated against in prison should've been the norm.
Kaden wasn't stupid. He wouldn't naively believe that the infirmary was some kind of impenetrable fortress capable of protecting him from revenge.
Could it be that he had acted impulsively and avenged the wrong person? If that were the truth, it would be too terrifying to accept... Kaden couldn't handle the thought.
Feeling the grip on his neck loosen, Mason greedily took a deep breath. "Cough, cough... Everyone in this prison knows how accurate my divination is." As he said this, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, making anyone who saw it feel uneasy.
Kaden glared at Mason, unsure of his intentions in saying all this. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Mason pushed Kaden away and glanced toward the door, confirming that they hadn't alerted the guards outside. Covering his neck, now marked with finger-shaped bruises, Mason didn't answer Kaden but instead asked him a question in return: "If what I said is true, and you've avenged the wrong person, what are you going to do about it?"
Kaden lowered his gaze. "I... I don't know."
If he really had avenged the wrong person, what could he do now that he was already in here? He would have failed Rachel in this life, and after death, he would be too guilty to meet her in heaven.
"Don't be so pessimistic." Mason patted Kaden on the shoulder and revealed the third card he had drawn, holding it up in front of Kaden. "Even though you got the Tower card, you also drew the Star card. That means there's still a chance for things to turn around. Hmm, an interesting card, and an interesting person too."
Kaden looked up, and Mason continued, "As long as you can survive Fatty and his men, I am sure you'll have a chance to uncover the truth about your girlfriend's death!" His expression was half-smiling, like a devil who just wanted to play a game.
Two voices were battling inside Kaden's head.
One voice warned: "Don't trust this guy!"
The other voice reminded him: "What if he's right? You have to find the real person responsible for Rachel's death!"
Kaden focused on recovering from his injuries and returned to his cell a week later.
- Writer
