After the family conflict erupted, Mom Victoria temporarily moved out with Belle.
But when it came to divorce, she was absolutely refusing to compromise.
Dad sat at home looking at brother Kai’s portrait, tears of regret flickering in his eyes.
He turned to look at me and said:
“Nina, Dad was wrong to you before. I admit I misunderstood you and neglected you.”
“But from now on, I’ll definitely take good care of you.”
I nodded expressionlessly, but inside I was already numb.
This belated family affection was nothing but fake to me.
I knew very clearly this was just temporary peace.
There was no way Mom would just let this go. She’d definitely find a way to turn things around.
Sure enough, when I came back from school that day, what awaited me was an angry slap from Dad.
‘You vicious creature, you actually watched your brother collapse and didn’t go help him!”
Dad’s eyes were bloodshot, his finger trembling as he pointed at me.
[ touched my burning cheek and looked up at the sofa.
Mom and Belle were sitting there coldly, their eyes full of contempt and hatred.
A developed surveillance photo lay on the coffee table.
In the photo, my brother lay in a pool of blood, while I stood not far away, my back clearly visible as I turned to leave.
Mom grabbed the photo and threw it hard at me:
“If Belle hadn’t suggested checking the surveillance to find out how Kai died, I never would’ve known how vicious you really are!”
I stared directly into Mom’s cold eyes, suddenly feeling an uncontrollable surge of anger.
“Am I really your biological daughter?”
Mom’s face changed instantly, a flash of panic in her eyes.
“What… what are you talking about?”
I laughed.
“If I really was your daughter, how could you bear to treat me like this?”
“Since I was little, you’ve only had eyes for Belle. Now you’re even pinning my brother’s death on me?”
“What, did I shoot him or something!”
Mom stared at me hard, lips pressed tightly together. After a few seconds she spoke:
“Yeah, I gave birth to you.”
“But how the hell did I end up with something like you?”
She pointed at me, screaming hysterically,
“Jealous of your sister since you were little, now you won’t even save your own brother’s life!”
“You’re bad luck! A disaster! Why wasn’t it you who died!”
Her words stabbed mercilessly into my heart.
The physical pain was nothing compared to the hurt her words caused.
I thought the mother–daughter bond between us should end here and now.
Without any attachment, I turned and left.
Behind me came Belle’s fake comforting voice and Mom’s shrill cursing.
I walked aimlessly along the street, the hot afternoon summer sun making me dizzy.
Without realizing it, I’d walked near the library, and my feet stopped as if possessed.
I stood at the library entrance and heard two security guards talking in low voices.
“That killer’s aim was really accurate, not like someone shooting randomly at all.”
“No kidding, I’ve watched the surveillance footage several times. It’s like he was specifically targeting that student.”
My heart jumped.
My brother’s death wasn’t accidental–it was premeditated.
I walked into the lobby and asked the front desk to see the surveillance footage.
The receptionist looked troubled: “That requires police approval.”
I’d expected this. Taking a deep breath, I tried to appear calm:
“I know, but I already cleared it with Detective Miller who’s handling this case.”
“He told me to take a look first and let him know if I find any clues.”
I gave a name–the officer who’d handled this case in my previous life.
The receptionist hesitated, but finally agreed.
“Alright, I’ll take you to the monitoring room.”
I stared intently at the screen, my heart racing.
The killer’s face was completely covered by a hat and mask, impossible to identify.
But I noticed the pendant he wore looked familiar.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
I’d seen this necklace in the photo of Mom and Belle’s father!
It was around Belle’s father’s neck!
This was absolutely absurd! Was Belle’s biological father not dead?
Limmediately asked security to copy the footage, planning to take it to the nearby police station.
As soon as I left the library, I felt like someone was following me.
I quickened my pace, trying to lose them.
But they seemed to speed up too, staying right behind me.
I turned into an alley, trying to shake them off.
But they quickly caught up and cornered me in the alley.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
I tried to stay calm, but my voice was trembling.
“Listen here, brat, mind your own damn business!”
Chapter 6
“Who told you to watch that surveillance footage? You got a death wish!”
With that, he lunged to grab me.
I struggled desperately, but was no match for them.
He dragged me toward a van, cursing the whole time:
“Wasn’t gonna touch you, but you just had to be unlucky!”
“Let me go! Get off me!”
I used all my strength to kick and fight, digging my nails into his hands.
“You won’t take the easy way, huh! I’ll show you what’s what today!”
He pulled me even harder.
Just as I was about to be dragged into the van, a familiar figure suddenly rushed out.
“Stop! What are you doing?”
It was Dad!
He threw himself at the masked man, wrestling with him.
‘Dad!”
I cried out, ignoring my pain as I scrambled up to help.
Though Dad had a wooden stick, the other guy was clearly more agile.
In the struggle, I saw the masked man pull a knife from his coat!
‘Watch out!”
The blade flashed as the masked man stabbed viciously at Dad!
Dad couldn’t dodge in time and let out a muffled grunt, his body swaying.
In that instant, Dad endured the severe pain.
He grabbed the masked man’s collar and used all his strength to rip the mask from his face!
That face was exposed to the air, and both Dad and I saw clearly.
It really was him! Belle’s father!
He looked at Dad, then at me, panic and fear flashing across his face.
Not caring about Dad’s grip on his collar, he broke free forcefully and stumbled toward the van behind him.
I collapsed weakly beside Dad. He was clutching his abdomen, blood gushing through his fingers, instantly staining the ground beneath him red.
“Dad! Dad! How are you?!”
Looking at his pale face, my tears burst like a dam.
I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking so badly I had to dial 911 several times.
Dad looked at me, his gaze carrying unprecedented tenderness and remorse.
“I’m sorry… Nina…”
“Dad… didn’t mean to hit you…”
I grabbed his ice–cold hand, crying:
“Dad! Don’t talk! Hang in there! The ambulance is coming!”
