Chapter 88: Erin Whittaker Frames Me Again

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Erin Whittaker Frames Me Again

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I keep feeling a pair of eyes on my back lately.

But whenever I turn to look, there’s nothing there.

As I got into the car, I saw Julian Fletcher’s assistant lean in and whisper in his ear. "All the information on Silvia Lynch."

I knew it. Julian Fletcher was investigating me.

He suspected I was Cecilia Caldwell, but it was only a suspicion.

The man is so arrogant. He won’t admit he was responsible for Cecilia Caldwell’s death, so he needs to find someone who looks like her as a stand-in.

...

"Silvia Lynch used to be so meek and submissive, but she’s suddenly become very assertive. I wonder if it’s because she married into the Lancaster Family and has their backing now," the assistant whispered.

Julian Fletcher said nothing, his eyes following me until I was gone.

"Meridia Hospital, please," I told the driver.

I had arranged to meet Madeline Quinn at the entrance of the hospital.

When I arrived, Madeline Quinn was already there waiting.

"Sorry, something held me up," I said with an apologetic smile.

"Your act still isn’t convincing enough. Cece would never be so formal with me," Madeline Quinn said coldly, turning to lead me into the inpatient department. "She would just say, ’I’m late, I’ll treat you to hot pot to make it up to you.’"

"I’m late, I’ll treat you to hot pot to make it up to you," we said at the same time.

Madeline Quinn froze for a second, her expression complex as she stared at me.

I just smiled and didn’t say a word.

"No matter how good your imitation is, you’re just a pale imitation," Madeline Quinn warned, leading me forward.

Erin Whittaker was currently under both police protection and surveillance, so I needed an escort to see her.

I didn’t know why Erin Whittaker wanted to see me, but I knew it couldn’t be for anything good.

"Silvia Lynch." Inside the private room, Erin Whittaker sat on the bed in a hospital gown, looking as pale and fragile as a glass doll on the verge of shattering.

The last time I’d seen her in the hospital was when she’d framed me for pushing her down the stairs.

All I felt was a sense of irony. So much had changed.

"Is there something you wanted?" I asked, my voice heavy.

Erin Whittaker instinctively glanced at Madeline Quinn, then hesitated, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

Madeline Quinn nodded. "I’ll be outside. You two talk."

I frowned, wondering why Erin Whittaker had deliberately sent everyone away.

Once we were alone, Erin Whittaker’s composure suddenly broke. Her voice was a low, strained whisper. "I did everything you said. You told me to lure Cecilia Caldwell out on the fifteenth, and I did it! Didn’t you say it would be foolproof? Now Julian knows! What am I going to do?"

My expression darkened, and my eyes narrowed warily at Erin Whittaker.

’Is she trying to frame me?’

"Heh... Are you trying to shift the blame for what happened to Cecilia Caldwell onto me? I’m not taking the fall for this," I said, glaring at Erin Whittaker. "And here I thought you were so clever, but you’re still pulling these cheap framing tricks?"

Erin Whittaker paused, stunned, then frowned. "What do you mean? Are you backing out now and refusing to admit it? You were the one who told me to lure Cecilia Caldwell out! You were the one who told me to report her every move to you! You were the one who told me to record her daily speech and mannerisms and send them to you! Haven’t you been the one imitating Cecilia Caldwell this whole time? Don’t tell me... after imitating her for so long, you’ve started to believe you actually are her?"

I stared at Erin Whittaker suspiciously. ’Did Silvia Lynch and Erin Whittaker actually know each other?’

"I reported every move Cecilia Caldwell made, filmed it, and sent it to you. In return, you promised me you’d make her disappear forever. The records are all right here. Are you trying to back out now?" Erin Whittaker said, brandishing her phone. "I’m telling you, if Julian Fletcher makes my life difficult, I’ll make sure yours is a living hell. I’ll tell the police you were the real mastermind."

I stood frozen to the spot. Panic was starting to set in.

’What the hell was Silvia Lynch trying to do? Imitate me?’

’If what Erin Whittaker is saying is true, if she really has proof, then I’m sunk. I wouldn’t be able to clear my name even if I jumped into the Flavis River.’

"I have no idea what you’re talking about. You sound like you’ve lost your mind. I don’t even know you." Naturally, this was something I could never admit to.

With so many police officers standing guard outside, I couldn’t believe Erin Whittaker’s room wasn’t bugged.

"You and that killer are partners. You’re his accomplice."

Erin Whittaker suddenly laughed. "Ah, I see. So you’re his wife..."

I glared at Erin Whittaker. "You’d better have proof before you say something like that. Otherwise, I’ll sue you for slander."

"Slander?" Erin Whittaker pulled out her phone and opened her email app. "This is everything I sent you. Should we go over it together? If the police investigate, it’ll be easy enough for them to find out if you were the one receiving these, won’t it?"

I stepped forward to grab Erin Whittaker’s phone, but the door was suddenly thrown open.

Zeke Shaw and Madeline Quinn entered with several police officers in tow. They both looked at me with complicated expressions.

There was disappointment, scrutiny, and cold indifference.

"She’s lying! I don’t know what she’s talking about! She’s framing me!" I tried to explain.

"We’ll know whether she’s framing you or not once we identify the recipient," Zeke Shaw said, glancing at Zane. "Take her in."

"You don’t have any evidence. You have no right to take me," I said, backing away instinctively. A new wave of panic hit me.

’If Silvia Lynch was actually the one who did this, how am I supposed to clear my name?’

’I’m so ridiculously unlucky. Of all the people to be reborn as, why did it have to be Silvia Lynch? Couldn’t I have been reborn as a complete stranger?’

’This Silvia Lynch had far too many secrets of her own.’

"Why were you imitating Cecilia Caldwell?" Julian Fletcher was standing in the doorway. I don’t know how long he’d been there, but his expression was even more complex than Zeke Shaw’s or Madeline Quinn’s.

Beneath the coldness was a simmering anger, as if he was furious that I’d played him for a fool.

"Huh?" I almost laughed. "Imitating Cecilia Caldwell? When have I ever imitated Cecilia Caldwell?"

’He’s the one who insisted I was Cecilia Caldwell, the one who deluded himself into calling me Cece.’

’How disgusting.’

"No matter how perfect your imitation is, you’re not her! You can never be her!" Julian Fletcher roared, his emotions spiraling.

"Julian Fletcher, you should take a good look in the mirror and see just how disgusting you are," I said, then turned my head to look at Erin Whittaker.

A triumphant glint flashed in her eyes.

In that instant, a strange sense of calm settled over me.

As long as this was just her attempt to frame me, I wasn’t afraid.

My real fear was that Silvia Lynch had actually done all those things.

"I’m pregnant," I said, looking at Zeke Shaw. "I have the right to contact my lawyer."

"That won’t be necessary. I’ve already informed your husband," Zeke Shaw said in a low voice.

Clearly, he didn’t trust me anymore.

"You haven’t even confirmed if that email address is mine, and you’re already believing her lies? If this woman was capable of telling the truth, Cecilia Caldwell wouldn’t be dead!" I said, shooting a furious glare at Erin Whittaker.

Erin Whittaker maintained her pitiful, damsel-in-distress act. "I had no choice. You all forced my hand."

I laughed coldly and looked at Zeke Shaw and Madeline Quinn. "You’re actually going to believe her?"

Neither Madeline Quinn nor Zeke Shaw said a word, but their silence was an answer in itself.

As for Julian Fletcher, he was already completely convinced.

I was suddenly overcome with a sense of pathetic helplessness. It seemed everyone was only willing to believe what they wanted to see.

"Cece." Just as I had resigned myself to going with Zeke Shaw, a hoarse, urgent voice cut through the air.

I froze, turning to see Sebastian Lancaster hurrying down the hall.

He was here...

’Will he be like the rest of them? Will he also be convinced that I’m a liar?’