Chapter 2

Jordyn's breath caught. It was the first time I had called her in the three years since I disappeared.

She hesitated for three seconds, her thumb hovering over the answer button, before she finally pressed it.

Jordyn went on a tirade. "It's been three years. So you've finally decided to show yourself. I never thought you'd go this far just to clear your name. You even faked your own death and framed Milo. Do you have any idea how worried he was about you all these years?"

"While you were out there, living a carefree life, did you ever think about our fellow officers who died because of you? Did you ever think about William…"

She didn't finish, because a shrill burst of laughter suddenly came through the phone.

Jordyn froze with the phone still in her hand. Then, she slowly turned around.

"Officer Croft, make a guess why I have this phone."

Roxanne shook the phone in her hand with a mocking smile. It was the same phone I had been carrying when I disappeared.

"Because the voice messages you've been sending to this phone every day are so damn cheesy. They made the perfect background music while we tortured that young cop."

Roxanne licked her lips, as if savoring the memory. She vividly described how they'd beaten me. She recounted how they'd smashed my legs, mended them, and then broken them again. She described how they'd made me experience unimaginable agony before finally disposing of my body.

The details were so vivid that every officer in the interrogation room felt their scalps tingle and their stomachs churn.

I hovered in the corner, trembling uncontrollably. A familiar, dull pain radiated through every bone in my body.

However, Jordyn smiled and said, "That's quite a detailed story. Nice work."

Then, she put an arm around Milo again and strode out of the interrogation room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Milo let out a soft sigh. "Chris must have found out that we're together. He must resent us…"

Jordyn raised a hand and gently patted his shoulder. "None of this is your fault. He's the one who betrayed the uniform he wore and let William down. You had nothing to do with it. You've been through enough. I'll have someone take you home to rest."

After sending Milo away, she immediately wiped the smile from her face. She pulled out her phone and called her colleagues in the Criminal Investigation Division.

In a stern and commanding voice, she ordered, "Tell the entire field team to assemble immediately. Bring your gear. We're heading to the remote mountain area along the border. Based on the details in the suspect's statement, there's a good chance Christopher is hiding somewhere in that area."

Watching her, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Even after hearing such an extremely brutal account, she had remained absolutely calm. Ignoring the horror, she extracted only the clues she considered useful.

No wonder she was my father's star pupil. Her deduction was correct. That was exactly where my body had been dumped.

I couldn't help but wonder if she'd remain just as calm and composed when she really found my corpse.

…

After more than three hours of searching, they finally discovered an abandoned warehouse deep in the mountains. It looked like someone had been using it recently.

As they prepared to storm the building with their guns drawn, the deputy captain moved closer to Jordyn.

"Captain Croft, to avoid any potential conflict of interest, why don't you stay outside and coordinate while we go in and search?"

Jordyn understood the deeper meaning of his words.

She raised her service weapon, her gaze unwavering. "I swore at William's grave that I would bring Christopher to justice. If he resists arrest, I won't hesitate to shoot him if necessary."

Back when we got together, my father, William Savile, had been so happy that he'd gotten drunk after finding out.

He'd grabbed my hand and said, "Hey, brat. I'm entrusting my star pupil to you. If you ever hurt her, I'll be the first one to come after you!"

I had stood at attention and saluted. "Don't worry, Dad! I swear on my life that won't ever happen!"

The person I'd once sworn to protect was now swearing to arrest me. The whole situation was highly absurd.

The moment they kicked down the door and stormed inside, every officer froze in place with terrified looks on their faces.