Chapter 5: Finally, I Died

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Finally, I Died

The fourth night before the incident.

I was wearing a red dress, shivering in an alley.

"Act natural." It was Julian Fletcher’s voice in my earpiece.

I walked from one end of the alley to the other, back and forth a few times, but there was no one suspicious.

"Julian, what if the killer doesn’t even want her?"

"HAHAHA, even a killer wouldn’t want her."

The mocking laughter of Julian’s buddies filled my earpiece.

I squatted on the ground, my eyes welling with tears. For a moment, I wanted to burst out sobbing.

That night, I failed to draw out the murderer.

I thought they would let me off the hook. They didn’t.

The third night before the incident, they still had me walking back and forth in Hollow-tree Alley.

Still, I couldn’t draw out the person they were looking for.

The second day before the incident, Erin Whittaker came to find me.

"Cece, I’m so sorry. I remembered it wrong before. I think I was followed in the alley at the end of the street, not Hollow-tree Alley. Julian wants you to go there tonight after work. We’ll be staked out there ahead of time. Just shout if anything happens."

I believed her. After work, I went to the alley at the end of the street.

This time, someone really was following me.

"Hello? Is anyone there...? I think there’s someone behind me." I was terrified, shouting into the earpiece.

"Is anyone there...?"

Sounds of laughter and fooling around came from the earpiece, but no one was listening to me.

I sensed something was wrong and called Julian over and over again.

But when he finally answered, he shouted at me impatiently. "Cecilia Caldwell, will you ever quit? Why don’t you just go die?"

"Did you go to Erin yesterday? Did you tell her we have a marriage contract and that she should leave me? Let me tell you, if anything happens to Erin, I’ll have your life!"

I stopped in my tracks, terrified, wanting to explain.

But suddenly, a pair of hands reached out and covered my mouth and nose.

My phone slipped from my grasp. I struggled with all my might, but it was useless. Soon, I lost consciousness.

...

The day of the incident.

When I groggily came to, I found myself hidden inside a large wooden crate—the kind used for fragile porcelain. There were cracks, so I could see outside.

As I tried to struggle to my feet, I saw a tall man in a hoodie walk in.

I saw his face.

His skin was very pale, his hair long and disheveled. Even though strands of hair covered half his face, one word still came to mind: breathtaking.

’Although, it feels very wrong to use the word ’breathtaking’ to describe a murderer.’

But that man... his eyes were light blue.

He had deep-set features, jet-black hair, and deathly pale skin. He was clearly of mixed heritage and very recognizable.

He exuded an aura of death from head to toe.

I was scared and didn’t dare make a sound.

He seemed to be looking for something. He glanced around, picked up an axe from the corner, and dragged it out of the room.

Terrified, I clapped a hand over my mouth, cautiously climbed out of the crate, and tried to run.

But I didn’t get far before someone knocked me out from behind, and I collapsed to the ground.

Before I passed out, I saw the axe he had dragged out, and his hand.

"You are the most perfect work of art I have ever seen."

His voice was raspy, as if his vocal cords had been ruined.

"You’re different from the others. I’m going to preserve you forever... I won’t let anyone find you. You will be mine forever, and you will stay with me forever."

’The man was a lunatic, a pervert.’

My consciousness grew dimmer and dimmer, until my blood ran dry and my heart stopped.

’So, this is how calm it is... right before death comes...’

...

「Julian Fletcher’s Residence」

My soul followed Julian Fletcher back to his home. He rarely returned to the Fletcher family’s old mansion, preferring to live alone most of the time.

I had wanted to see his home so many times, thinking it would be our marital home after we got married.

I had been filled with longing for this place.

"Julian, have they found Cece yet?" As soon as he walked in, Erin Whittaker rushed up and hugged Julian Fletcher.

She was wearing pajamas, clearly having lived here for a long time.

Julian Fletcher held Erin Whittaker, comforting her gently. "Who knows what kind of trick she’s pulling this time."

I let out a sarcastic laugh, looking around at the room’s decor.

’So, this was his and Erin’s marital home.’

’He had been living with Erin all along, keeping her in their secret love nest.’