Psycho villain I Raised Wants to Marry Me-Chapter274 – Disbanded

Clarissa looked at him for a long while, a faint smile softening her face.
“You’ve really grown up,” she said quietly.
She reached out, her cold, trembling fingers brushing against his cheek. Instinctively, Atticus caught her hand, pressing it against his skin, as if he could warm her through sheer will.
Clarissa let her fingers linger there for a while before taking a shaky breath.
“Atticus, promise me one more thing. Will you?”
“Anything,” he said immediately, voice thick with emotion. “Whatever you ask, I’ll do it—no matter what it is.”
She glanced toward Phoenix, who stood stiffly at her side, and spoke softly, “Phoenix is only doing her job. Don’t make things harder for her. I’ll ask her to give you another chance—just… make things right with her, okay?”
Atticus nodded over and over, tears running freely down his face.
“Okay. I understand. Don’t worry.”
Clarissa gave him a small, tired smile and muttered under her breath, half amused, half exasperated, Crybaby.
After that, a long, quiet sigh escaped her, as if she’d finally set down a burden she’d been carrying for years. Fatigue washed over her again.
Callum stepped forward, concern creasing his brow.
“The most important thing right now is your recovery. Rest, Clarissa. I’ll continue the acupuncture treatment tonight.”
“Alright,” she murmured, closing her eyes. Within moments, her breathing steadied, and her face relaxed into peaceful sleep.
Atticus watched her in silence, and for the first time, he felt certain—he had made the right choice.
“Enough,” Phoenix said coldly as she walked over to him. “Let her go.”
Atticus didn’t move. His hand was still wrapped tightly around Clarissa’s. His expression was calm but resolute, stripped of the arrogance and wicked charm he once wore like armor. There was only quiet determination now—something almost boyishly sincere.
Phoenix tried to pry his hand loose, her jaw tight with anger. “Atticus, you fucking—”
“Just ten minutes,” he interrupted softly. “Give me ten minutes. I want to look at her a little longer.”
His voice trembled, a strange mix of pleading and reverence. Phoenix froze for a second. She’d never seen him like this. The Atticus she knew was cruel, manipulative, infuriatingly composed. But now…
Her heart almost softened—almost—but then she saw Clarissa asleep and her anger flared again.
“You—”
“Ten minutes,” Callum said, cutting her off. “That’s all. And I hope you remember what you promised.”
Atticus nodded. “I will. When time’s up, I’ll be gone.”
“Good.” Callum’s tone softened a little. “That’s for the best.”
The room emptied, leaving only the two of them. The soup Clarissa had drunk earlier must’ve had a sedative mixed in; she was sound asleep.
Atticus gently pressed her hand to his cheek, whispering her name.
“Clarissa…”
He’d known what would happen the moment he brought her back here. But seeing her sleeping peacefully, the faintest trace of a smile on her lips—he knew he’d done the right thing.
“Callum really is as brilliant as they say,” he murmured. “Only he could save you. Turns out… I still have a long way to go.”
A sad smile tugged at his lips. “You wanted me to be a doctor, remember? But I wasted all my effort on tricks and shortcuts. I neglected real medicine. I failed you—and I failed the people who trusted me to be better.”
He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his voice breaking.
“Thank you for trusting me again, even after everything. This time, I won’t let you down. I’ll fix what I can… so you just—please—live well.”
He paused, breathing unevenly.
“Clarissa,” he whispered again, trembling. “I never realized my love would hurt you this much. If forgetting me means you’ll be happy again, then… forget me, you bastard. Just keep the things that make you smile.”
A knock sounded at the door. Callum’s calm voice followed:“Time’s almost up.”
Atticus inhaled deeply, leaned down, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Clarissa, I’m leaving.”
......
Outside, Callum and Phoenix waited, both uneasy. Phoenix’s hand hovered near her weapon—old habits, born from too many betrayals. But just before the ten minutes ended, the door creaked open, and Atticus stepped out.
For a brief moment, none of them spoke. Then, without warning, Atticus dropped to his knees before them. The motion startled them both.
Lowering his head, he kowtowed three times, voice low and steady.
“I knows my sins. Please… punish me, Master.”
Phoenix looked to Callum, uncertain, and saw him give a slow nod.
She stepped forward, her voice still sharp but not quite as venomous.
“If you knew it would end like this, why the hell did you do it in the first place?” She exhaled, long and heavy. “Fine. I’ll wait to see what you do.”
“I understand,” Atticus said quietly. He stood, walked past them both, and didn’t look back.
.....
The setting sun spilled gold over the path ahead. His shadow stretched long behind him. For a heartbeat, the light caught his face—then the faint glint of blood at the corner of his lips.
One drop. Then another. It dripped steadily to the ground, trailing behind him like a scar.
He walked until he couldn’t anymore. Then he stopped, leaned against a tree, and spat out a mouthful of blood, dark and heavy. It splattered the dirt at his feet.
Breathing raggedly, he tilted his head back toward the sky and let out a shaky laugh.
“Ha…”
Atticus, you fucking fool. So this is what it feels like to have your heart torn apart.
“It hurts so damn much…” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Clarissa… it hurts so much…”
......
The sky had deepened into ink. There was no moon tonight, only a few scattered stars clinging faintly to the dark horizon.
Beneath a tree, Atticus sat motionless, swallowed by the shadows. His body was still, like a statue abandoned in the night. Anyone passing by might have mistaken him for part of the scenery.
Soft footsteps approached.
Eleven froze when she saw him, disbelief flashing across her face.
Atticus noticed her too. He didn’t lift his head, just said quietly, “Eleven.”
She knelt in front of him, watching his pale, bloodless face. For a moment, she hesitated before signing to him: If it hurts that much, why let go?
She wanted him and Clarissa to stay together. She knew Clarissa loved him too.
“Why?” Atticus repeated softly, his voice hollow. He gazed at the starless sky for a long time before finally answering. “I thought I’d be happy. I believed that if she was mine, nothing else mattered. But when she said she’d stay, I didn’t feel joy—only pain.”
He gave a low, bitter laugh. “Watching her fade away a little more each day… feeling her loneliness eat at her… I realized I couldn’t bear it. Maybe… I love her more than I love myself.”
Eleven’s eyes trembled. She looked down, a single tear sliding silently down her cheek. Then she raised her hands again and signed slowly: Liking someone is about wanting to possess them. Loving someone is about letting them go. She’ll understand that one day.
Atticus gave her a faint, broken smile.
“She won’t have the chance to understand.”
Maybe Clarissa already did understand—but she didn’t want to face it. She wasn’t ready to accept a love so different from the one she’d hoped for.
Eleven didn’t know what else to say. Instead, she reached out, helping him rise from the ground.
He exhaled, the sound heavy and weary. “Go back,” he said softly. “I have something important to announce.”
......
In the great hall, Atticus sat at the head of the long table, surrounded by the organization’s core members. The air was tense.
His recent behavior had thrown everyone off. Endless private meetings, cryptic instructions… No one knew what he was planning.
The moment he spoke, the room fell silent.
“From today onward,” he said calmly, “the organization is officially disbanded. As for the remaining assets—aside from the new pharmaceutical division—you can divide them among yourselves. Take whatever you can handle. What you get will depend on your own abilities.”
For a heartbeat, the room stayed frozen. Then chaos broke out.
“What the hell did you just say?” A shot to his feet, face twisted with disbelief. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Disband the organization? What is this—some kind of joke? You told us we’d rule this world, and now you’re walking away? For a woman? No way in hell!”
Others stood up too, muttering curses and half-formed protests. The noise filled the hall like a storm. They’d followed Atticus for years—through chaos, through blood—and now he was throwing it all away.
But Atticus remained calm. Resting his chin in his hand, he looked down at them with quiet detachment.
“A,” he said evenly, “you don’t need me anymore. To you, I’ve always just been a kid. So tell me—do you really want to keep playing house with me forever?”
He’d created this organization as a joke once—an experiment born of boredom and genius. But now, there were more important things to do. These people didn’t need him anymore. They were powerful, capable. They’d be fine without him.
He just hadn’t expected them to react like this.
Among the commotion, only one person stayed composed. S—elegant, unreadable—sat fanning herself slowly, the faintest smile curling her lips. She rose gracefully, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor as she approached him.
“X,” she said, her voice like silk, “why make such a grand gesture? You want to give the Wraith family an explanation? You don’t need to dissolve everything for that. I might have a better idea—one you should probably hear.”
Atticus’s expression darkened. He opened his mouth to refuse, but Eleven gently tugged his sleeve, signing for him to listen.
S leaned close, her breath brushing his ear as she whispered her plan.
.......
Meanwhile, under Callum’s careful care, Clarissa’s color had begun to return. Her face was still pale, but the hollow look in her eyes was slowly fading. Callum didn’t allow her to go out often, so she spent most of her days wandering the small courtyard, taking short walks under the sun.
Three days passed. Clarissa still couldn’t eat much—only the herbal soups Callum prepared—so her body remained frail, delicate as glass.
That afternoon, Phoenix returned after being gone for several days. As soon as she stepped into the yard, she spotted Clarissa sitting quietly in the sunlight, a thin shawl draped over her shoulders.
“What are you doing out here dressed like that?” Phoenix frowned, pulling off her own jacket and wrapping it around Clarissa’s shoulders. “You’ll catch cold.”
Clarissa smiled faintly. “It’s sunny today. The warmth feels nice. Long sleeves are just right. What brings you back so soon?”
“I’ve finished everything that needed doing,” Phoenix replied softly. She took Clarissa’s hand, her voice gentler than usual. “I’ll stay with you for a while. Okay?”
Clarissa’s smile deepened. “Of course.”
Phoenix exhaled in relief. She’d been worried Clarissa would mention Atticus—but she didn’t.
That was what Phoenix had been dealing with these past few days.