Chapter 5
At the restaurant, Nathan was busy having colleagues help decorate.
Rose petals covered the floor.
Looking at his phone with no reply from me, unease rose in his chest.
Just as he was about to call, a colleague in uniform rushed in, deathly pale.
“Sir, trouble! You need to get back to the precinct now! Someone reported the Blake case. The captain is looking everywhere for you! And something’s happened to Mrs. Thompson!”
Those words drained all color from Nathan’s face. Looking at his arriving colleague, it took him a moment to find his voice. His first question wasn’t about the case but about my whereabouts.
Grabbing his colleague’s shoulders, shaking him, his voice trembled:
“What happened to Sophie? What’s wrong with her?”
The other man sighed deeply, hesitantly speaking:
“Mrs. Thompson sent the captain an anonymous tip with evidence. The states authorities already know. The captain’s looking for you. I wanted Mrs. Thompson to help smooth things over, but she’s not answering her phone. We traced her through surveillance footage and found she checked out of the hospital this morning and went to the airport, but that flight… it just crashed.”
The words “plane crash” froze in his ears, Nathan felt his blood turn to ice.
“How could this happen… how could this happen? Why was Sophie in the hospital? She promised she’d wait for me at home! Right, I lost control and kicked her that night. I’ve trained for years–it must have been too hard. She was injured… Why didn’t I realize until now! Why didn’t she tell me anything…”
His colleague hadn’t expected him to have hurt me and immediately hardened his expression.
“You attacked Mrs. Thompson? For Erin again? Nathan, you’ve lost your mind! Mrs. Thompson already knew the truth about the Blake case. She knew you took the files to protect Erin. You hurt her at this moment–weren’t you trying to destroy your marriage completely? No wonder she looked so off when I saw the hospital surveillance… Did you even know she miscarried? What kind of husband are you? Now her plane’s crashed. She’s probably gone. Is this what you wanted? Erin is just a murderer, cruel to the extreme. Why sacrifice your career for such scum? Sacrifice your marriage?”
His colleague’s words hit like hammer blows, like an invisible boulder, crushing the air from his lungs.
That night, he’d only wanted to put on a show for his parents. He didn’t want them to keep giving me a hard time.
He never imagined one impulsive action would cause me to miscarry. The belated guilt and regret nearly destroyed
his reason.
China
40.6%
Chapter 5
Nathan clutched his head in pain.
Leaning against the wall, he slowly slid down.
“No… Erin isn’t the killer. I just haven’t found the real murderer yet. I promised to give Sophie closure. I haven’t broken my word. I’ve been investigating all along! How could she suddenly find the case files? I locked them away! She couldn’t have known!”
His colleague, aware of his actions, sighed helplessly.
“Paper can’t wrap fire forever. Nathan, we joined the force together. Everyone knows your investigative skills. With the motive and evidence pointing to her, why lie to yourself? After five years, who else could be a suspect besides Erin? Was it worth destroying your relationship with Mrs. Thompson for someone like her? It’s too late for regrets. You need to return to the precinct immediately, hand over the hidden files, and let Erin face justice! Otherwise, not even God can save you!”
His colleague spoke earnestly, but Nathan couldn’t hear a word.
He kept mumbling: “Sophie’s gone… the baby too. I killed them both… I did it… Erin isn’t the killer. I am.”
Tears streaming down his face, Nathan shakily stood up.
“No, I can’t go back. Sophie’s in trouble. I need to find her.”
“Have you lost your mind? The entire precinct is looking for you. If you don’t return now, they’ll say you’re fleeing. Taking the files was already against regulations. Don’t compound your mistakes!”
“Mrs. Thompson’s flight has crashed. Even if you rush there, what can you change? She’s dead, gone forever! But your mistakes can still be fixed! If Mrs. Thompson’s spirit is watching, seeing you send Erin to prison might earn her forgiveness.”
Nathan knew his only chance at redemption was to bring Erin to justice. But the news of my accident weighed on his heart like a boulder.
He hadn’t fulfilled his promise to me. He couldn’t accept that I would leave just like that. He couldn’t accept it. He wouldn’t allow it.
After a moment’s hesitation, he turned toward the exit, leaving only:
“Keep this quiet for me. I’ll apologize to the captain after I find Sophie!”
