The warmth in my eyes disappeared.
"Lilian was the reason Nana collapsed."
My voice turned cold.
"And you’re still bringing her up?"
Aunt Angela fell silent.
For the first ti, she looked uncertain.
But only briefly.
"If not Lilian, then soone else."
She straightened.
"There are countless won from respectable families."
"Won with proper backgrounds."
"Won who actually belong in this family."
Sothing inside snapped.
I slowly rose to my feet.
The conversation was over.
"I need so air."
I turned toward the door.
"Alexander."
Her voice sharpened.
"Are you really walking away because of that woman?"
I stopped.
Then slowly turned my head.
For a brief mont, our eyes t.
"This is the last ti you will speak about my wife that way."
Even I was surprised by how cold my voice sounded.
Aunt Angela froze.
I continued calmly.
"My marriage, my family, my child."
"They are my responsibility."
"And my decisions."
I paused.
"No one else gets a say."
My gaze sharpened.
"Not even you."
Without waiting for a response, I walked out of the living room.
This ti, I didn’t look back.
---
Outside, I stepped into the garden and pulled out the cigarette pack from my pocket.
I lit one and took a slow drag.
The smoke disappeared into the afternoon air.
I had genuinely hoped I could convince Aunt Angela.
That once she understood how much Alicia ant to , things would improve.
Now I realized how naive that hope had been.
So people simply refused to change.
I remained there for several minutes.
Then footsteps echoed from the entrance.
I looked up.
Alicia was walking toward the car.
A wooden box rested in her hands.
Sothing about her felt different.
Her face was calm.
Too calm.
I imdiately extinguished the cigarette.
"Alicia."
She didn’t respond.
She simply opened the car door and got inside.
A strange unease settled in my chest.
I quickly followed.
Once inside, I turned toward her.
"Alicia, are you alright?"
She kept her gaze lowered.
Her fingers rested lightly on the box in her lap.
For a mont, she didn’t answer.
I found myself growing increasingly worried.
Had Aunt Angela said sothing?
Had they argued?
Just as I was about to ask again, she finally spoke.
"I’m alright."
Her voice was quiet.
"Just a little tired."
I studied her carefully.
"You sure?"
She nodded.
"Mm."
Sothing about it felt wrong.
But I couldn’t explain why.
So I didn’t push further.
The ride back continued in silence.
Several tis I glanced in her direction.
Each ti, she was staring at the box.
Lost in thought.
I rembered the keys Uncle Steve had handed her at the hospital.
The box was probably connected to that.
But whatever it contained, Alicia clearly wasn’t ready to talk about it.
So I remained silent.
Third Person POV
Ever since Daniel Caldwell was detained, all of his assets had been frozen, and the police had begun investigating every one of his properties in search of additional evidence.
Today, they had tracked down one of his private apartnts.
According to their sources, Daniel rarely stayed there. However, over the past few weeks, his assistant had been seen regularly delivering groceries and other daily necessities to the residence.
Naturally, it drew suspicion.
The apartnt was located inside one of the city’s most luxurious residential towers. The building itself radiated wealth and exclusivity.
After being inford of the investigation, the building manager personally accompanied the officers upstairs.
"Mr. Caldwell rarely stays here," the manager explained nervously. "Even when he does, it’s usually only for a night or two."
"That’s fine," one of the officers replied. "We just need to take a look around."
The manager nodded and unlocked the door.
The mont it opened, the officers stepped inside while the manager remained outside the apartnt.
At first glance, everything appeared normal.
The living room was spotless.
The furniture was neatly arranged.
Nothing seed out of place.
Then they entered the kitchen.
Both officers imdiately froze.
A pot sat on the stove.
Although the burner was off, steam was still rising from the food inside.
Soone had been here recently.
The two officers exchanged a glance.
Their expressions instantly beca serious.
Without wasting another second, they split up and began searching the apartnt.
The first two bedrooms were empty.
No sign of anyone.
Then,
A faint sound ca from the last room.
Both officers imdiately headed toward it.
One reached for the doorknob.
The other rested a hand near his holstered weapon.
The door swung open.
A woman sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
Her back faced them.
Long hair cascaded over her shoulders.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
Didn’t even turn around.
The officers slowly stepped inside.
"Ma’am?"
No response.
The room felt strangely silent.
"Ma’am, please turn around."
Still nothing.
The officers exchanged another look before cautiously moving closer.
Just as one of them was about to reach her shoulder.
Then a loud burst of laughter suddenly echoed through the room.
The woman began laughing hysterically.
The officers instantly tensed.
Slowly, she turned around.
"So you finally found ?" she asked with a strange smile. "What are you going to do with now?"
Her face was partially hidden behind tangled, unkempt hair. A visible mark stretched across one side of her face.
She suddenly stood up.
"Did Daniel send you?" she demanded.
Her eyes darted around the room.
"Has he decided to betray again? Just like before?"
The officers exchanged glances.
"Ma’am"
"Where’s Alexander?" she interrupted sharply.
"Or was he the one who sent you here?"
The confusion on the officers’ faces seed to irritate her.
"What?" she snapped.
"You don’t recognize anymore?"
With an impatient movent, she brushed her hair away from her face.
Both officers froze.
They imdiately recognized her.
Lilian Sumr.
The model who had disappeared days ago after becoming involved in the controversy surrounding the late Rosalind Blackwood’s death.
One of the officers quickly recovered.
"Ma’am, you’ll need to co with us."
Lilian frowned.
"What do you an, co with you?"
Her expression darkened.
"Where’s Daniel?"
"Mr. Caldwell has been detained."
For the first ti, genuine surprise appeared on her face.
"Detained?"
Then, unexpectedly, she laughed again.
"So that bastard was finally exposed."
The officers remained silent.
"Ma’am, you need to co with us."
One of them stepped forward cautiously and reached for her arm.
To his surprise, she didn’t resist.
She simply stood there motionless.
As though she had already expected this day to co.
Lilian already knew there was nowhere else to run to.
The officers placed handcuffs around her wrists and slowly escorted her out of the apartnt.
Outside, the building manager stared in shock.
He had recognized her imdiately.
What was Lilian Sumr doing here?
And why had she been living alone in Daniel Caldwell’s apartnt?
As they walked through the building lobby, more and more people began staring.
So recognized her.
Others didn’t.
"Who is that?"
"That’s Lilian Sumr."
"What happened to her?"
"She looks completely different..."
Whispers followed her everywhere.
Normally, Lilian would have exploded in anger.
Normally, she would have demanded people stop looking at her.
But today, she simply lowered her head and kept walking.
Her expression hardened each ti another whisper reached her ears.
Yet she said nothing.
Not a single word.
Silently, she allowed the officers to lead her toward the waiting police vehicle.
User Comments
0 comments from readers