Chapter 4

Early the next morning, the cars for the journey home were lined up neatly outside the estate.

My father held a bouquet of tulips in his arms, knowing they were my mother’s favorite flowers.

Before they set off, he made a point of reminding everyone, “Once we get back and reveal the truth, every one of us must apologize. We made them worry all night, so if they’re angry with us, we’ll have to be understanding.”

Richard gazed fondly at the gifts he had prepared for his wife and daughter, a ring he had made by hand, engraved with Jenny’s name, and the stuffed bunny Mia had been begging him for.

He smiled. “Once they see these, they won’t be angry anymore.”

Meanwhile, Lucas carefully folded the coat he had brought for me, smoothing out every wrinkle before putting it away.

Hailey teased him, “The heating at home is more than enough. Why would Fiona need such a thick coat?”

“You don’t understand,” Lucas explained, his attention still fixed on the coat. “She gets cold easily.”

Seeing how much he cared for me, Hailey was clearly displeased.

Her fists clenched involuntarily, though she did her best to keep her expression composed.

With a deliberately playful smile, she remarked, “You two are so devoted to each other. I bet you won’t have the heart to divorce her next year.”

Lucas raised his eyes to meet hers and replied with unwavering seriousness, “I keep my word. If I promise to do something, I follow through.”

Hearing him say that shattered the last remnants of my love for him.

Though I was nothing more than a spirit drifting through the air, I felt as if I were submerged underwater, struggling desperately to breathe.

He had always been like this, giving me happiness only to turn around and hurt me just as deeply.

I gazed silently at him.

Lucas, will you regret saying that when you see me?

When they finally arrived home, the subordinate left in charge of guarding the house immediately stepped forward to report, “Don, I followed your orders exactly. No matter what noises we heard, we never opened the front door.”

Everyone froze. Lucas shot him a furious glare, gritting his teeth as he demanded, “When the hell did I ever give such an order?”

The subordinate was so terrified that he couldn’t utter another word, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

Richard dropped the gifts he had been holding so carefully moments earlier and rushed forward, grabbing the man by the collar. “What did you mean when you said you heard noises?”

Sweat beaded on the subordinate’s forehead as he struggled to answer. “At first, it sounded like a chair had been knocked over, and then…”

His sudden hesitation only made Richard angrier. “Then what? Spit it out!”

The subordinate had no choice but to continue. “After that, I think I heard someone calling for help, but the voice was very faint, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying.”

All color drained from Lucas’s face.

He snatched the keys and rushed toward the front door, only to discover that it had been locked from the inside as well, meaning the keys alone wouldn’t be enough to get it open.

He pounded desperately on the door, shouting, “Fiona, open the door!”

There was no response from inside.

Losing control, he began throwing himself against the door with all his strength, while my father and Richard rushed over without hesitation to help him break it down.

Hailey hadn’t expected them to react so violently and hurriedly tried to explain away the situation. “Could they have figured out our prank and decided to play a trick on us in return?”

Had she said that before they left the estate, perhaps they might have believed her.

But now, none of them dared take that chance.

At last, the door gave way.

They froze.

Bodies lay sprawled across the floor inside.