Too Late for Regret (Annalise and Roger) novel Chapter 137

Tiffany’s POV

That did it. They all shut the hell up and watched me with fear washing over their faces. I moved from the bottom of the stairs and headed towards them. I knew someone was up there, and I wasn’t going to have them be able to get their hands on me. I stopped about five feet from them. I wasn’t foolish enough to climb those stairs, and apparently neither was Gretchen.

What could they do to me now? I was glad to see Seth sink down on the couch, as if his legs could no longer support him. Holden looked at me with clear disappointment in his eyes. Well, it’s not the first time he looked at me like that, but it will be the last. After today, I will no longer have a brother. He hasn’t acted like one for years, so it’s no big loss.

But the surprise was that Ana stood there. Even knowing that I could throw the contents of this bottle at her, she didn’t flinch. She just stared at me as if she were disappointed in me. I can still take both options. I could pry the keys out of their cold, dead hands. I didn’t know who drove, but we would search their pockets once I was done. Ana was still acting as if I was still beneath her. I can’t wait to douse her. Her screaming in pain will be music to my ears.

“I haven’t lost my mind, Holden. Ana clearly hasn’t been tormented enough. My gift to her is figuring out exactly what I can do to ensure she remembers me, remembers this moment, for the rest of her life. I had a lot of time in jail to really put some thought into what I could do, to make sure I never left her mind again. She lost weight, and now she thinks she’s better than before. Her husband just adores her. Well, I have a question for you, Ana. Do you think he will still love you when your face is ruined?” I mocked.

“Charlie will love me, no matter what, Tiffany. I know him. It isn’t just my appearance that he cares for, Tiffany. He fell for me because of my kindness. He could sense I was different from the day we met. So, I have full confidence in my husband. It doesn’t matter what you do, Tiffany. He will still stay with me because he loves me. The love we share will always be there, continuing to grow stronger with each year that passes,” Ana replied.

“Oh, I highly doubt that, Ana. When just looking at your face horrifies him, he won’t be able to stop himself from leaving you. How long do you think he will stay with you out of guilt? Because I plan on making sure your face will never be the same again. His love for you won’t survive you looking like a monster. It’s the perfect revenge. Your brand new, oh so wonderful love, will be destroyed by the very man who just swore to love you forever. You will have failed in love for a third time, Ana. You will eventually end up taking your own life. You won’t

be able to take the pain of no one in the world being able or willing to love you. Then my revenge will be complete,” I replied with a smile.

“Tiffany, if you hear nothing else, please put the lid back on the bottle. You know just how dangerous it is. Do you think you will get out of this unscathed? Seth was correct. If you hurt us, you won’t be able to escape the punishment that’s coming for you. Secure the bottle, and we will give you the keys. You can be on your way. Isn’t it better to be able to escape the country?” Ana advised me coldly.

Her lack of fear at my big reveal was really starting to piss me off. She should be shaking in her shoes. Better yet, she should be begging me not to do this to her, yet she did neither. She still wasn’t giving me what I wanted. She thinks she’s bulletproof now, but she’s not. I knew with absolute certainty Ana wasn’t going to bend, not until I forced her to.

I was fine with doing just that. I don’t think she believes me when I told her what it was. She probably thinks it’s water. I guess I have to show her. I dropped two drops onto the arm of the chair and watched with glee as the fabric dissolved quickly. I glanced up at her to see if she finally realized I wasn’t playing around here. Holden and Seth were shocked by my actions. They couldn’t believe I was going to go through with this. Ana knew I don’t bluff. She didn’t take her eyes off me to even look down at the chair.

She knew what I was going to do, and she planned to counter. I just didn’t know what she could possibly do to stop me. I had practiced doing this with the bottle before. I filled it with water, so I knew how I needed to toss it. The water and acid look the same. I didn’t have enough of the acid to use it for testing. Plus, I didn’t want to get burned. Even a small accident with the acid was going to be incredibly painful. I planned everything out, but Ana refuses to give me what I wanted. She is infuriating until the very end. I decided to up the ante.

I was going to have Gretchen film it for me, just like she always does. That way I could watch it later on. I knew Seth would be happy to say what I asked him to earlier, just from the look of terror on his face. It was obvious that he hated being helpless to stop this. I was glad that he had some self–awareness about himself. I knew that he was going to do what I requested. He won’t be arguing with me anymore, as he’s too afraid of the consequences if he refuses again.

“Show yourself. Come down here now, or I’ll douse Ana with the whole bottle,” I called upstairs.

I don’t know who it could possibly be. Her usual guards left with her husband. I saw all three of them leave with my own eyes. I wouldn’t put it past him to have hired someone to live here with them, but the P.I. told me that she has set bodyguards. There was no one else. I don’t know who I’m dealing with yet, but I have to believe that they care enough about her to show themselves.

I heard steady footsteps coming down the stairs and almost dropped my bottle on the floor. How? How is her husband standing there in front of me? He left. I saw him leave with my own eyes.

“How are you here? What the hell is going on?” I asked.

“Don’t act so surprised. We knew you were coming, Tiffany. You were followed here. You saw what we wanted you to see. You need to do as they requested and put the lid back on your bottle. I promise you that you won’t be leaving here and going to the airport. I hate to be the one to spoil it for you, but your parents won’t be making the flight either. They’ve already been detained by the police. If you want to remain unharmed, secure the acid. Otherwise, Ana was right. Don’t get mad at us that your plan fell apart. It’s over. The best thing you can do for yourself is what I asked. I won’t let you hurt Ana again. It’s up to you, but you need to make the right choice here, Tiffany. I’m not your parent, and I won’t be coddling you,” Charlie stated.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to stop me?” I asked as I held the bottle up. I was much less confident about this situation than before, but I’m not backing down. They might have surprised me, but I can still deal with Ana one last time.