Chapter 5
After returning from the hospital, Nathan practically burst through the front door.
Seeing him come back, Maria, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately put on that innocent expression of hers.
“Nathan, how come you’re back? Did you find Caroline?” she asked.
Nathan completely ignored her, walking straight over and tossing his coat onto the coffee table.
“Maria, what the hell happened with Liliana?” he demanded.
Maria’s hand froze as she held her coffee cup, her brow furrowing.
“Liliana? Isn’t she doing fine? I’ve been transferring money to her every month on time.”
“Doing fine?” Nathan let out a cold laugh, pulling out his phone and opening the photo of the death certificate the nurse had sent him. “She died three days before Christmas! You switched her medication and unlinked the bank card. Are you going to tell me you didn’t know?”
The date on the photo was crystal clear. Maria’s face instantly went pale.
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Liliana’s medical expenses temporarily and pay it back once the project made progress.”
“Just borrow temporarily? You make it sound so easy!” Nathan stepped closer, his eyes red–rimmed. “Liliana was Caroline’s only sister! When Caroline agreed to take the fall for you that Christmas, her only condition was that we take good care of Liliana. How could you do this?”
Realizing Nathan was truly angry, Maria suddenly pleaded, “I was wrong, Nathan. Please forgive me. By the time I wanted to pay the money back, I couldn’t find Liliana anymore. I was confused for a moment and made a mistake.”
Watching her act pitiful made me feel sick.
When she used the money from my taking the fall for her to buy imported equipment that Christmas, Maria hadn’t shown an ounce of guilt.
The two of them remained locked in this standoff, neither giving ground.
Finally, Nathan sighed first, his voice full of exhaustion.
“Forget it. Get up. I’m partly to blame for this too. I shouldn’t have given you all the money back then without keeping track of Liliana’s treatment.”
Maria was thrilled, thinking Nathan had forgiven her. 2/4
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But just as she was about to speak, Nathan cut her off.
When he looked up again, I could see clear disappointment in Nathan’s eyes.
“Maria, I’ll help you resolve the medical malpractice issue. But once this is over, we’re breaking up. I already owe Caroline too much. I can’t wrong her any further.”
“Nathan!” Maria’s head snapped up, her face full of panic.
But Nathan didn’t look at her again, turning toward the door.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped.
He remembered his coat was still on the coffee table.
With a sigh, Nathan turned back.
But just as he reached the entryway, he heard Maria’s lowered voice coming from the bedroom, her tone frighteningly vicious.
“You have to find Caroline quickly and get rid of her. Nathan’s been getting colder and colder toward me. With that bitch around, he’ll definitely break up with me and go find her. I don’t care what methods you use–you have three days to handle this! Only when she’s dead will I have peace of mind.”
Nathan stood frozen in the doorway, having overheard everything.
I could see his lips trembling, but no sound came out. 3/4
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Just then, his phone suddenly lit up, a new message appearing
the screen.
It was from private investigator Jackson, just a few simple words: [Caroline is dead.]
