Chapter 6

I quietly apologized to the police officers and forensic investigators, even though they couldn't hear me.

"I'm sorry, everyone. Sorry you have to deal with this during the New Year holiday. I didn't mean to cause you trouble. I really couldn't hold on anymore."

Then, I floated over to the couple who had called the police and bowed deeply to them. "I'm sorry you had to see something so horrible on New Year's Eve."

The moment I finished speaking, my vision suddenly blurred. The world spun around me, and when I finally steadied myself, I found myself back at home.

The living room lights were still on. Their warm glow filled the entire room. Yet, it was eerily quiet at home. There wasn't a trace of festiveness in the atmosphere.

Mom sat on the couch, her body tense as she repeatedly glanced at the clock on the wall.

She kept muttering, "Why hasn't Eva come home? Where did she go? Why isn't she back yet?"

Ethan sat at the dining table with his back to me, his head lowered so I couldn't see his expression. His shoulders were trembling slightly, and his fingers repeatedly dragged across the screen of his phone, where my contact information was displayed.

Dad sat by the entryway, leaning against the doorframe. His face was stiff, his brows tightly furrowed.

He said irritably, "She's been at that boot camp for two weeks. How is she still so clueless about how to behave? She went out alone in the middle of the night without even telling us. A girl shouldn't be running around like that. Clearly, they didn't teach her well enough."

Mom was silent for a while.

When she spoke up, her voice trembled slightly, and it was tinged with disbelief. "Do you think... Eva heard what we said? Maybe she found out that we used her to make an example of Ethan, and she couldn't handle it, so she..."

She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, but the words she left unspoken hung in the air and weighed heavily on everyone.

Dad immediately cut her off. His tone was stern, with a hint of panic beneath his forced calm.

"No. Absolutely not! She's so timid and obedient. Even if she found out, what could she possibly do? Maybe she just couldn't accept it for a moment and went out to clear her head. She'll be back soon. Stop imagining things."

He insisted that nothing bad could have happened, but the panic in his eyes betrayed him. He stood up and began pacing around the living room, his footsteps quick and restless. Clearly, he was starting to worry too.

Ethan lowered his head even further, his shoulders trembling harder. I could see tears slipping from the corners of his eyes and landing on the dining table, spreading into small wet patches.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

The sharp chime shattered the silence in the living room.

Dad immediately rushed to open the door. Mom and Ethan sprang to their feet as well, their eyes filled with anticipation as they believed I had come home.

But when the door opened, it wasn't me standing outside.

It was two police officers in uniform.

"Are you Eva Norton's family? At 10:43 pm, we found someone who had fallen from the unfinished building behind your neighborhood. After confirming her identity, we've determined that she was your daughter, Eva."