7
540words
She was the one who pulled the last straw from the camel's back ,totally crushing my resolve.
Amelia, you have no idea. When you appeared after everyone else abandoned me,
I already saw you as my salvation.
But in the end, my salvation abandoned me too.
Amelia's hands began to tremble. Her fingertips lightly traced over the drawings incredulously.
"This... this... How could it be these?"
She muttered,
"This is impossible... Why were these in the safe?"
Connor stood nearby, his face growing increasingly grim.
Just then, a message came through the police officer's radio, breaking the ice, "We've found Vincent Lowe's body."
This was my final act, the true end.
That statue was going to crack one more time.
That final layer was called "Hell."
I am Hell.
When they entered the room containing the artwork,
The live stream cameras captured the statue's cracks now reaching deep inside, the fissures slowly widening.
With a loud CRACK,
The statue split open completely, stone fragments bursting away. A body was revealed at the very core of the statue—it was my body, long stiff, pale as carved stone.
I had embedded myself into this sculpture with my own hands, becoming the final artwork, the core of "Hell."
I died, but my artistic life was reborn!
The crowd erupted in gasps and shouts.
Connor's mind raced.
He understood—I had used my death to set him up.
He quickly started calculating his escape route.
For him, compared to murder, admitting to plagiarism might at least save his life.
He hurriedly shouted in panic.
"Officers, I truly don't know what's going on! I... I had no idea Vincent's body was here! I'm completely in the dark!"
His eyes darted around, then suddenly he pointed at Amelia.
"It's her! It's Amelia! She stole Vincent's work, and maybe... maybe she even killed Vincent!"
Amelia's face lost all color. Her voice trembled.
"It was you... you were the one who always said Vincent plagiarized! I was just helping you seek justice!"
Connor's eyes turned vicious. He suddenly slapped Amelia hard across the face, his voice cold enough to freeze blood.
"You pathetic clinger! If you hadn't promised you could make me famous, why would I ever look twice at you?"
Amelia held her cheek, tears streaming down her face.
All the previous insults thrown at me were now boomeranging back onto Connor and Amelia. People in the crowd began shouting angrily, holding nothing back.
"So these two have been acting all along! One a thief, the other an accomplice!"
"Totally misjudged them! Thought Connor was so talented, but it was all stolen!"
"Amelia too, helping him plagiarize! No wonder she was so eager, she's guilty as sin!"
Amelia opened her mouth to explain but found she had no defense.
She could only mutter to herself.
"It wasn't me... I didn't kill anyone... Really, it wasn't me..."
"I truly didn't know about the body! I didn't kill him!"
But the crowd wouldn't listen to her excuses.
Feeling fooled, they were furious, demanding answers passionately.
Soon, netizens online were throwing virtual rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables at Amelia. The stench was awful, her clothes stained with filth.
