After Died for Justice, He Lost Himself

Chapter 5

Before I could even process what was happening, Michael slammed on the brakes.

He snatched the pendant from Hannah's hand and threw it straight out of the car window.

"It's nothing important. I just never got around to throwing it out."

A suffocating knot tightened in my throat. I knew all too well that those words were deliberately meant for me.

A wave of agony flared through my fresh wounds.

My raspy voice cut through the heavy silence. "I'll get off here. There's a subway station nearby; I can take the subway back. Thanks, Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Sheffield."

Michael did not stop me.

As soon as I closed the car door, he started the engine and sped away.

I didn't head for the subway. Instead, I walked towards the spot where Michael had tossed the pendant, crouched down, and searched carefully.

The night wind cut through my clothes, and the tiny pendant seemed completely swallowed by the darkness.

But I kept searching tirelessly until I caught sight of a glint of red deep in the thorn bushes. I clutched it tightly as if I had found a priceless treasure, so focused on it I didn't even feel the thorns raking countless tiny bleeding cuts across my hands.

I wiped the dirt off gently, and Michael's name stood out clear as day on its surface.

I squeezed it tightly in my hand. With it by my side, even death did not seem so terrifying anymore.

The next day, Zack's car was already waiting downstairs bright and early.

I stepped out in a sharp, well-fitted suit, and he nodded in satisfaction.

But when he saw my hands, a flicker of irritation crossed his face. "What happened to your hands?"

I drew my hands back slightly. "I tripped and fell on my way home yesterday, and I got scratched..."

Zack did not press further. "So careless. Once we get to the house, have the steward put some ointment on those."

I nodded obediently, got into the car with him, and then stepped into the sprawling, oppressive Stephens estate.

The moment I walked into the villa and saw Zack's father's face clearly, my breath caught sharply in my chest.

It was him! He's the man who killed my dad and my brother!

I clenched my hands tightly, lowering my eyes to hide my hatred as I followed Zack forward to greet the man.

"Hello, Mr. Stephens."

Zack's father nodded and instructed the housekeeper to start dinner.

I did my best to remain calm, but suffocating dread and hatred tangled in my chest. Even the most delicious delicacies turned to gravel in my mouth; each bite was impossible to swallow.

Suddenly, Zack took my hand. "Dad, I plan to hold the wedding in a few days."

His father grinned, thoroughly pleased. "Good. Hold the wedding sooner, and have a baby sooner."

He also added some conditions and rewards for giving him grandchildren. "There are rewards for having children: one million for a girl, two million for a boy, two million for twin daughters, four million for twin sons, and 20 million for boy-girl twins. The more the merrier! The most important thing for our family right now is to carry on the family line."

Carry on the family line? If that vile, murderous bloodline continues, his poison will only spread.

I lowered my head and nodded, pretending to be obedient.

Just then, a bodyguard walked straight in and whispered something in Zack's father's ear. Suddenly, his face darkened, and he stood up and walked outside.

Zack took me with him and followed his father.

The front yard was packed tight with bodyguards. A person lay on the ground, already beaten to the brink of death.

Zack's father had someone hand me a knife. "She used to be my most trusted subordinate, but unfortunately she learned things she was never meant to know. Luna, you'll be part of this family soon. Today, she's yours to deal with."

The coldness of the knife handle made me shiver violently.

But under the watchful eyes of Zack and his father, I had no choice. I could only summon all my nerve and walk step by step toward the person on the ground.

Yet looking into that person's eyes, I could not bring myself to do it no matter what.

How could a police officer commit murder?

A hand suddenly reached out from behind, wrapped around mine, and drove the blade deep into her chest with terrifying precision.

Blood splattered everywhere, and I turned back in shock.

Zack looked at me with a smile. "Don't be scared. First time's the hardest, but the next time will be easier."

I went ice cold all over.

Zack's father ordered his men to drag the woman away and dump her in the nearby mountains, then told Zack to take me home first.

I said nothing the entire ride home.

Zack assumed I was terrified, so he just told me to get some rest before he left.

The moment he was gone, I immediately took out my phone and called my superior at the police station, telling him to go rescue that person—there might still be a chance to gather evidence of the Stephens family's crimes.

After hanging up, I rushed to the bathroom and scrubbed the blood off my hands over and over again.

The blood was gone, but that sticky feeling still seemed to cling to my skin, making me so nauseous I wanted to throw up.

Just hold on a little longer...

Soon I'll take down all of them in one fell swoop...

I didn't remember how I fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, I was jolted awake by my phone ringing.

I answered without checking the caller ID, only to hear Michael's cold, detached voice coming through the speaker. "The police just brought in an injured person. They mentioned your name when they were talking. Did you do this?"

The words jarred me completely awake, but my throat locked up. There was no way to explain the truth.

After a few seconds of silence, Michael's tone dropped sharply. "Luna Ziegler, do you have any idea the blade missed her heart by just 0.1 millimeters? You could have killed her!"

Thank God, she survived...

"You're just like your father and your brother—a disgrace to the police force!"