Chapter 1

Milo Lumley's eyes swept across the apprehended criminal, Roxanne Thorne. His pupils dilated sharply. In the next second, his eyes went red as he lunged forward like a madman.

He screamed, "It was you! Give me my parents' lives back!"

Jordyn Croft reacted instantly. She grabbed his arm and yanked him back, holding him firmly at her side.

"Calm down!" she urged.

Milo struggled desperately beside her, his chest heaving violently.

His voice was hoarse and thick with hatred. "Let me go, Jordyn! I'm going to kill her! I'm going to make her pay with her life!"

Jordyn didn't loosen her grip. Instead, she tightened it. She then fixed an icy stare on Roxanne, who was across from them.

"Do you see this? His parents died in the massacre you people caused. When he saw you, he wanted nothing more than to tear you apart. He even dreams of making you all pay for what you'd done when he sleeps at night. And you tell me he was working with you to frame Christopher?"

Jordyn scoffed and added, "That's a pathetic attempt at turning us against each other."

Milo froze beside her. His breathing caught for a moment as he turned toward her in disbelief.

He said, "She said that? That's ridiculous! How could I possibly have betrayed Chris? He was the one who saved my life…"

Several officers nearby immediately stepped forward to calm him down.

"Milo, we all know what kind of person you are. There's no way you'd ever do something like that."

"Christopher was the best in the police academy when it came to criminal psychology. He knew exactly how to manipulate people. Otherwise, how could he have fooled Captain Croft and all of us so thoroughly back then? We're not falling for it this time!"

I stood in the corner, unable to put into words what I was feeling. If I'd really been that good at reading people, would I have failed to see through Milo's hidden agenda back then?

After calming Milo down, Jordyn turned back to look at Roxanne coldly. "Stop wasting your time trying to turn us against each other. Christopher taught you to say this, didn't he? I've watched the surveillance footage from that day countless times. He went with you willingly."

Every word she spoke was firm and absolute. She would rather believe that I was a traitor than believe that I had truly died at the border. Her hands slowly clenched until her knuckles turned white.

Jordyn asked, "Do you love him that much? You're practically done for, yet you still refuse to tell us where he's hiding. Why would you even go through all this trouble just to clear his name?"

Roxanne froze for a moment, then suddenly threw her head back and laughed out loud. Her handcuffs and shackles clattered loudly.

Jordyn frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

Roxanne stopped laughing and replied, "I'm a drug lord, not some hopeless romantic. I just can't believe that even with the truth staring you in the face, you can still make up a story that somewhat makes sense to you."

She gave Milo a pointed glance. "I've never met the person who passed along the information, but it looks like whoever it was did a damn good job brainwashing you over the past three years!"

Jordyn's expression became ambivalent.

Suddenly, Milo tugged at her sleeve, his face pale. "Jordyn, I don't feel well. I don't want to look at this monster for another second…"

Jordyn immediately softened. She put away her intimidating presence and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay. I'll take you outside."

She supported Milo and turned around to exit the room. They had barely reached the doorway when the phone in Jordyn's pocket suddenly vibrated.

She pulled it out casually, and the screen lit up.

A name flashed on the phone screen—"Christopher".