Chapter 404 - 400: Goodbye, Saul Thorne

Cecilia Sterling answered every question honestly and conscientiously. She didn’t hide what she knew, nor did she say a word more than necessary about what she didn’t.

Her entire demeanor made it clear to the experienced Captain Shepherd that she wasn’t lying.

Saul Thorne leaned against the cold corridor wall, his gaze fixed on the dark brown door of the interrogation room as a torrent of thoughts swirled in his mind.

He had never been one for emotional turmoil, but today, an uncontrollable tightness constricted his chest, and his mind was a complete mess.

Cecilia had never mentioned Wesley Yates in front of him. Not a single word.

He himself had never imagined that Cecilia would have any connection to a crime boss like Wesley Yates. Even when he had first stepped out of the interrogation room, his mind was still refusing to accept the fact.

Time ticked by, second by second. Saul Thorne’s heart felt as if it were being seared in a hot pan. The initial agitation slowly gave way to fear.

He was afraid.

He was afraid that Wesley Yates’s affairs would truly implicate Cecilia Sterling. He was afraid she would be nervous alone in the interrogation room and say the wrong thing. He was even more afraid that she would cover for Wesley Yates and become an accomplice for harboring a criminal!

About 40 minutes later, the interrogation room door finally opened.

Captain Shepherd was the first to emerge. He looked up and saw Saul Thorne waiting right by the door. He walked over and said in a low voice, "Captain Thorne, we’ve asked everything we needed to. We didn’t find anything suspicious. Your girlfriend and Wesley Yates have a non-biological brother-sister relationship, but she doesn’t know much about his affairs."

’A non-biological brother-sister relationship!’

Saul Thorne’s pupils constricted. Cecilia and Wesley Yates’s relationship clearly far exceeded his expectations.

Brother and sister—this was obviously not just some ordinary relationship.

"You had no idea?" Captain Shepherd asked tentatively.

Saul Thorne gently shook his head.

Seeing this, Captain Shepherd sighed. He reached out, patted Saul’s shoulder gently, and comforted him, "You need to try and relax about this. The squad will be investigating your girlfriend closely. If she isn’t found to be harboring him or involved in any other criminal activity, you don’t need to take this so seriously."

But how could a few words from Captain Shepherd possibly soothe the complex emotions churning inside Saul Thorne right now?

Soon, Cecilia Sterling also came out, escorted by a female detective.

Her expression was serene. She showed no sign of nervousness or unease at being in the Criminal Investigation Division. Instead, she calmly and unhurriedly thanked the female detective beside her.

The questioning was over. Captain Shepherd knew Saul Thorne would have things to say to his girlfriend, so he gave them some space, beckoning the female detective to leave with him.

The atmosphere instantly grew stiff. Saul Thorne looked at Cecilia, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but ultimately, he didn’t know what to say.

Cecilia smiled faintly. "Walk me out first."

They walked out side by side. Unlike usual, Saul Thorne didn’t take her hand, but Cecilia felt no sense of loss.

She knew Saul Thorne, and she understood him.

’Right now, his heart must be filled with questions and confusion, and even an anger with no outlet.’

Saul Thorne didn’t stop until they were out the main entrance. He looked at Cecilia, his expression complex, and finally spoke, "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Cecilia tilted her head up slightly to look at him. To this day, she had never tired of looking at Saul Thorne’s face. It was still as handsome as when they first met.

But at this moment, she was more clear-headed than ever before.

"I’m not a suspect, much less a criminal. I have no obligation to come clean to you about anything," Cecilia said slowly, her tone remarkably calm. "Besides, my relationship with him is my own personal affair. It has nothing to do with anyone else, and I’m not obligated to tell anyone about it."

A flash of pain crossed Saul Thorne’s eyes. His well-defined lips trembled as he spoke again, "But he’s not a good person! You’re so close to him, you had to have known!"

"I understand what you mean." Cecilia nodded, but then her tone shifted. "But everyone in this world has their own perspective from which they view people and things."

"From your point of view, of course he’s a bad man. From the point of view of many, maybe even most people, he’s a bad man. But to his wife, he’s a good husband. To his children, he’s a good father. And from my point of view... he’s a good brother."

Saul Thorne’s expression twisted upon hearing Cecilia’s words.

And Cecilia knew of Saul Thorne’s reverence for and dedication to his identity as a detective.

So she gave a resigned smile and said, "Saul Thorne, I’ve been very happy during my time with you, but now, we both know it’s over."

From the very beginning, all she had wanted was a simple romance. But now, Wesley Yates was like an irremovable thorn that would forever be stuck in Saul Thorne’s heart. Once a rift formed between them, the relationship would no longer be pure but would instead become complicated.

Cecilia would never let herself get trapped in such a relationship again. She had to get out now.

Because she would not sever ties with her brother for Saul Thorne. Even if her brother went to prison, she still had to take care of his wife and child for him. Furthermore, the important documents regarding his company’s equity division and all his private assets were in her hands.

This was her brother’s complete trust in her, and she would absolutely not betray it.

And Saul Thorne... he was just her man.

That was all.

Saul Thorne looked at Cecilia, the words to ask her to stay caught in his throat, as if crushed under a thousand-pound weight, unable to escape.

He was a smart man; how could he not understand what was going through Cecilia’s mind? From the very start of their relationship, she had been the one in the lead.

She was the one who agreed to start it.

If she said it was over, then it was truly over.

After a long silence, Cecilia knew Saul Thorne had accepted the end of their relationship. She looked at him gently, her smile still warm and beautiful. "I know you all will continue to investigate me. You’re a good cop; it’s your duty. Be it me or my brother, if that day ever comes... I won’t blame you."

"Cecilia..." Saul Thorne murmured, his voice thick with suppressed emotion.

But Cecilia just shook her head gently, signaling him not to say anything.

"Goodbye, Saul Thorne."

Leaving him with those final words, Cecilia slowly turned and walked away without looking back.

Saul Thorne stood rooted to the spot, watching her figure recede into the distance until she disappeared, never once looking back at him.

His heart felt heavy, aching with a pain so intense that the veins on his temples bulged and his eyes stung and turned red. And yet, he still didn’t say the words to make her stay.

Meanwhile, Cecilia got into her car parked at the curb. Sitting in the driver’s seat, she let out a soft sigh. The end of the relationship didn’t seem to have a major impact on her; she just felt deep down that it was a shame.

’As for Saul Thorne himself, our personalities were compatible and our sex life was harmonious. Our relationship really could have lasted much longer.’