Chapter 4

I had planned to get passersby to help Leonard realize that there was a smell coming from him. That way, he'd agree to go to the hospital with me and find out what was causing it.

Yet now, he was convinced I'd gone mad and was determined to go home. He wouldn't come with me anymore.

I had no idea why random people couldn't smell it, but one thing was for sure—his roommates were dead set against me hiring cleaners because they were definitely hiding something.

Plus, whatever it was had to be causing the odor coming from Leonard.

In my past life, I called in a cleaning service when Leonard's roommates were away. They rushed in to stop me whenever they heard about it from Leonard.

In this life, I would decide to hire a cleaner without telling Leonard. I would find the truth and save him, even if it cost me my life again.

"It's all my fault. If you don't feel like going out, just have this glass of milk and rest at home."

Leonard soon passed out after drinking the milk that had been mixed with sleeping pills.

I rushed to open the door and let the cleaning lady in, telling her to scrub every single room and corner from top to bottom. If she found anything, she would be my witness. Leonard's roommates wouldn't escape justice, even if they beat me to death.

But the cleaning lady's first words after stepping inside hit me like a thunderbolt.

"Why bother cleaning a place that is already this clean?"

Upon seeing the cleaning lady's unbothered expression, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Do you not smell that terrible odor?"

The cleaning lady cast me a brief glance. "What's wrong with your nose? What odor are you talking about?"

In that instant, every suspicion I'd had crumbled. The people on the street couldn't smell the odor coming from Leonard, and the cleaning lady couldn't smell anything in the house either. It was as if no one could smell that overpowering odor.

Could the problem really lie with me? It wasn't possible. If I had a problem, the hospital would have discovered it.

"Get cleaning quickly! I'll help alongside you! Check every inch of this place, including the cabinets and under the bed. Don't miss a single spot! If you find something out of place, let me know immediately! I'll pay you ten times your normal rate!"

I couldn't think about anything else anymore. I had to uncover the strange secret hidden in the apartment.

I rushed into Leonard's roommates' rooms as if I'd gone crazy. I didn't care about their privacy or that I was breaking the law. I opened every drawer and bottle, determined to find the source of the foul odor.

Yet, even after an hour of searching, the cleaning lady and I hadn't found anything strange in any of the places we'd checked.

I looked at the mess scattered around us and collapsed onto the floor, too exhausted to stand.

Did it mean that they did nothing wrong? Did it mean that I was the one who'd gone mad? Had the foul odor I'd been noticing all along been nothing but my imagination?

Just as I began to wonder if I was the problem, Leonard's four roommates stormed back, looking ready for a fight.

"Who told you that you could enter our rooms and mess with our belongings without our permission? I've put up with you long enough! Just because you're Leonard's father doesn't mean you can violate our privacy! Get out of here! You're not welcome here!"

They rushed toward me, roughly grabbing me and trying to shove me outside.

In my past life, I'd been accidentally pushed over during the struggle and died a miserable death. I couldn't let history repeat itself.

I fought to get away from them, moving toward the couch as I explained, "I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't mean to violate your privacy. I smelled a strange odor and wanted to find out where it was coming from—"

I hadn't finished explaining when the cleaning lady, who had been watching the whole commotion, interrupted me. "What nonsense are you talking about? Your place is clean! There's nothing wrong here. Where's this supposed smell coming from?"

Upon hearing the cleaning lady's words, Leonard's roommates seized me by the collar and dragged me outside.

"Did you hear what she said? There's nothing dirty about this place. There's no room here for a filthy person like you! Get out right now! Otherwise, we'll report you to the police and let the whole world know that Leonard has a madman for a father!"

They didn't even bother hiding how much they despised and hated me.

But rather than getting angry, I simply laughed coldly. I'd finally figured out where the foul odor on Leonard was coming from.

"There really is something dirty in this house, but it isn't me…"