Chapter 1 The Girl in the Photographs

Instantly, an uproar erupted throughout the courtroom.

Tristan Hodges went deathly pale. His knees buckled, and he nearly slid off his seat and collapsed onto the floor.

The presiding judge hurriedly brought down the gavel. "Court is adjourned! This case is being referred to the police for further investigation!"

Bailiffs rushed forward and restrained me.

As they escorted me away, camera flashes erupted from every direction. The victims' families broke down in hysterics, their anguished cries filling the air. Rotten eggs and chunks of stone flew over the security barrier, striking me in the head and body.

A shard of stone split the skin at my temple, and blood trickled down my face. Yet my eyes remained fixed on Tristan. Watching the despair on his face, as though his very soul had been ripped from his body, I finally let out a laugh of pure satisfaction.

…

I was taken back into custody and returned to the detention center.

In the interrogation room, Justin Creed, the captain of the criminal investigation team, sat opposite me. His imposing presence filled the room.

"Where is Edith Rayburne?"

I leaned back in my chair. "Bring Tristan Hodges here. I want to tell him myself."

"Not going to happen." Justin rejected my request outright. "He's the victim's fiance. He has to recuse himself from this case. From what I've gathered, Judge Hodges was once your husband, and the victim was your close friend of many years. Did their relationship make you jealous and drive you to murder out of romantic resentment?"

I did not answer. I simply looked at him.

Justin seemed to think he would find a way to break through my defenses. He tossed a stack of photographs onto the table. They were pictures of Edith and me as teenagers, back when we were still in school.

In the top photograph, I wore a radiant smile, while Edith stood timidly behind me, her gaze hesitant.

"This was taken when you first started middle school, wasn't it? According to our interviews, you and Edith met in elementary school and were as close as sisters. You went on to attend the same boarding school. You'd been spoiled since childhood and couldn't manage anything without Edith, who had always been independent and self-reliant.

"She washed your clothes and bought your meals. She even gave up the opportunity to attend a top university. Your SAT scores were only good enough to get you into an average university, so she voluntarily changed her college preferences just to stay by your side and continue taking care of you."

I let out a cold laugh but did not bother to refute him.

Justin continued, "While you were in college, Edith and Judge Hodges were in the same major. She was his junior, which was how you came to know him. Three years after graduation, you married him. After the wedding, you grew jealous whenever Edith had any contact with your husband, and you repeatedly fought with both of them over it.

"The last incident happened six years ago. Edith wanted to reconcile with you, but during your conversation, you took advantage of her drunken state and set a fire. Fortunately, Judge Hodges discovered it in time, or Edith might have died.

"You fled to avoid prosecution and remained on the run for six whole years. And you didn't change your ways. Instead, you used a variety of cruel methods to take the lives of five innocent people!"

Justin slammed his palm against the table, his eyes bloodshot with fury. The impact sent the photographs scattering to the floor, where they landed at my feet.

"Sabrina Westbrook! After going on the run, you changed your name to Hope Westbrook. You thought you were drowning in a sea of suffering, and this was how you intended to save yourself? By murdering people? Do you even realize that Edith never pressed charges against you for trying to kill her back then?

"She and Judge Hodges have been searching for you all these years. Even his decision to file for divorce was an attempt to draw you out of hiding. And after years of searching without finding you, he finally considered marrying Edith because he wanted to make amends for the wrongs you'd committed. He wanted to atone for your sins!"

I finally could not hold back my laughter. "Didn't press charges, you say? Wanted to atone for my sins?"

I raised a hand and wiped away the tears of laughter gathering at the corners of my eyes. "I honestly never imagined someone could cheat on their wife and still come up with a story like that. This is a whole new level of shamelessness."

Justin clearly was not pleased with my reaction. He leaned closer to me. "If things between them were really as you suspected, why did they wait six years after you disappeared to get married?

"Even these photographs were carefully preserved by Edith herself. The sincere affection she held onto from her girlhood has now become evidence used to accuse the very woman suspected of murdering her! Sabrina Westbrook, do you have any conscience at all? Doesn't it hurt?"

As I stared at the two smiling faces on the floor, my eyes reddened.

Realizing that his words had struck a nerve, Justin softened his tone. "Sabrina, tell me where Edith is. At least let her rest in peace."

"Rest in peace?" I lifted my gaze and looked at the one-way mirror opposite me, my lips curling into an ambiguous smile. "Tell me something, Tristan. Does a woman who lies through her teeth deserve to rest in peace?"