Chapter 150: Truth Starts In Lies

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Truth Starts In Lies

Her eyes darted from the glowing liquid back to Derrick’s face, searching his expression for any sign of a joke. But she found only absolute, unshakeable sincerity.

"You... you actually made this?" Beth choked out, her vision instantly blurring with hot, sudden tears as the full weight of what this meant hit her chest.

All the complex tension, the racing jealousy, and the intoxicating thrill of moments ago completely dissolved, replaced by an overwhelming, tidal wave of gratitude and fierce, consuming love.

Her mother wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

Her mother could live a long, healthy life.

’He... he did this for us?’ Beth thought, her heart swelling to a breaking point.

Before Derrick could say another word, Beth dropped the potion bottle safely onto the workbench, wrapped her arms fiercely around his neck, and threw herself entirely at him.

She slammed her lips straight against his, kissing him with a desperate, passionate intensity that completely overwhelmed any lingering hesitation.

Her tears mixed with the heat of the kiss, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt as she poured every ounce of her soul into the embrace.

Derrick grunted softly in surprise before his arms wrapped securely around her waist, lifting her slightly as he returned the kiss with equal fervor.

Beth smacked her soft lips against his over and over, showering his mouth and jaw with rapid, breathless kisses before finally pulling back just an inch, her hands still tightly cradling his cheeks.

"Thank you... thank you so much, Derrick," Beth sobbed softly, her warm breath fanning across his skin as hot tears overflowed down her flushed face. "I don’t doubt you for a single second. I know you’d never lie to me about something like this... You have no idea what this means to me... to us."

Derrick offered her a gentle, reassuring smile, his thumbs wiping away the damp tear tracks on her cheeks.

"I know," Derrick murmured softly, his voice deep and comforting. "That’s why you should take it down and give it to Aunt Ruth as soon as possible."

He paused, glancing out the window toward the afternoon sun.

"Besides, I should head back to my own place now," Derrick continued smoothly, his hands resting on her waist. "You two need some quiet time alone to handle this. And honestly, I’m already quite late."

Beth bit her lip, a flicker of reluctance in her golden eyes, but she knew he was right. "Will I see you soon?"

"Of course," Derrick whispered.

He leaned down and pressed one last lingering, passionate kiss straight onto her lips, making her head spin before he slowly stepped back.

Without disturbing Ruth in her flustered state, Derrick made a quiet, discreet exit down the hallway, leaving the house without saying another word.

Once she heard the front door click shut, Beth picked up the glowing potion bottle from the workbench, her heart hammering with a mixture of excitement and raw emotion.

She took a deep breath, composed her expression, and made her way downstairs toward her mother’s bedroom.

As she reached the door, Beth raised her hand to knock.

"Mmm..."

"Aahnn..."

"Derrick..."

Beth froze dead in her tracks.

A faint, muffled panting sound floated through the wooden door, accompanied by a soft, breathy groan.

She did not need to look inside to know what her mother was doing. But when she heard Derrick’s name...

Gulp!

Beth’s blood ran hot, her eyes widening in absolute shock as the realization hit her like a physical blow.

’Mom... right now?!’ Beth thought frantically, a fierce, intoxicating shock surging through her veins. ’She’s in there, doing... that, thinking about MY Derrick?!’

Without hesitating for another second, Beth twisted the door handle firmly and pushed the door wide open.

Meanwhile, several meters away, Derricks car stopped once more.

Before even getting out of the car, he could hear Cassie’s growls hearing from the distance.

"Nigh!"

"Haaa!"

BOOM!

Derrick walked out of the car and saw Cassie was kicking and punching the tree he used to practice against every day.

Clink!

He walked over and opened the door without enough noise that she should have heard it but Cassie did not react and acted as if she had not heard a thing.

’Looks like she is really angry.’ Derrick sighed in his head and let the car drive itself inside and park it.

While, he himself walked up to her and said, "Hey."

Derrick could see that the protective rubber foam covering the thick trunk of the tree was completely gone, ripped away and scattered across the grass in shredded pieces.

She was directly punching and kicking the bare, raw bark, striking hard enough to chip huge chunks of dense wood away with every single hit.

Hearing his voice, Cassie’s body tensed instantly.

Her jaw set tight, her breathing coming in harsh, ragged hitches as a sharp surge of frustration flared through her veins.

Instead of turning around, she channeled all of it into her next strike, pulling her arm back and throwing a devastating punch right at the splintered wood with even more raw power than before.

’Why are you here now? Go back to the whore you went to spend the night with. I don’t need you!’ Cassie thought frantically, her eyes burning as her knuckles hurtled toward the tree.

Before her fist could make contact, Derrick disappeared in a blur of movement.

In less than a heartbeat, he stepped right into the narrow space between her and the trunk, taking the full brunt of her heavy blow straight to his sternum.

Derrick did not even bother using a single drop of his energy to cushion the impact.

BANG!

A heavy, dull thud echoed through the yard.

The sheer force of the blow hit Derrick like a speeding truck, knocking the air cleanly out of his lungs.

’Ah, she sure packs a punch.’ He stumbled back half a step, his chest aching as he let out a sharp, ragged cough, blood coursing through his veins as he forced himself to stand straight.

"Cough! Cough..." Derrick winced slightly, placing a palm over his chest as he took a shallow breath to steady his footing.

Cassie’s eyes dilated in absolute terror.

The anger that had been burning inside her vanished in a split second, replaced by a wave of pure, overwhelming panic.

Her heart dropped straight to her stomach as she stared at her bruised knuckles, then at Derrick, who was clutching his chest.

"D-Derrick?!" Cassie shrieked, her voice cracking as she rushed forward and grabbed his arms, her hands trembling violently. "Are you out of your mind?! Why didn’t you dodge?!"

"Why didn’t you use your energy?!"

She held onto him tightly, her eyes wildly scanning his face for any sign of severe injury, tears of panic brimming at the corners of her eyes.

"What if you broke something?! You idiot!" Cassie scolded him frantically, her grip on his clothes tightening as her voice shook with raw fear. "Why would you just stand there and take it?!"

Derrick looked down at her flustered, teary face, a small, gentle smirk tugging at the corner of his lips despite the dull ache in his chest.

"Well," Derrick murmured softly, his voice smooth and calm as he looked her in the eyes, "if you’re this angry with me... why take it out on the poor tree?"