Eye of Sin

Chapter 9 Divorce

"That's the situation, and I can explain it to you." Vayne's father sighed, "When I married Vayne's mother, we tried for many years to have a child, but couldn't. We went through various treatments and consultations. Finally, when I was forty, we had our daughter.

Having a child at forty made us cherish her more, as we considered her a miracle. Unfortunately, when Vayne was only five, her mother fell ill. Her health deteriorated over the years, and by the time Vayne was eight or nine, she passed away.

After that, I raised Vayne alone, trying to shield her from any suffering. I was busy with work and getting older, so I didn't remarry. I just wanted Vayne to have friends and enjoy her childhood, even if it meant spending more money on her.

As for Katia, she was my secretary at the company and a great help to me. Personally, I did consider starting a new family with her, but I was worried about how Vayne would react. So, I kept it a secret for a while, only subtly hinting to Vayne.

At first, Vayne agreed as long as Katia didn't have children of her own. Later, she expressed concerns about her high school years, fearing any change at home might affect her. So, I agreed with Katia that we would marry after Vayne finished high school.

But suddenly, during her senior year, Vayne changed her mind and vehemently opposed my remarriage."

"Yes, I remember that clearly!" Vayne's aunt chimed in, looking distressed. "Vayne made such a fuss. If it continued, it could have jeopardized her exams, or worse."

“Why did she suddenly become so opposed?” Jiajia asked.

"I don't know who influenced her, but she started to believe that Katia's intentions were insincere. Katia was younger than me and only in her forties. Vayne thought Katia was lying about not wanting children and was rushing into marriage because of her age."

Vayne's father looked embarrassed. "Back then, Vayne's protests worried me, so I asked Katia to wait a bit longer. Originally, I planned to marry after Vayne went to college, but Katia was upset with my indecision. She felt I was prioritizing Vayne and not considering her feelings. She gave me an ultimatum: marry now or break up immediately. I had no choice but to break up with her. After that, she left my company and found another job.

While I regret how things ended with Katia, I know she's not the type to take revenge on Vayne. If anyone deserves blame, it's me. After all, I'm the one who let her down."

Vayne's father wiped his eyes with a tinge of sadness. "Although I'm desperate for you to find the person who harmed Vayne and punish them severely, but as for Katia...

I already felt guilty towards her. When we broke up, I offered her financial compensation, but she refused. She's truly a good woman. It's understandable she said a few harsh words in the heat of the moment. I really don't want you to involve her in this matter any further and disrupt her life because of me."

"You can rest assured that we'll handle it appropriately," Jiajia nodded. "I understand your feelings, but when it comes to matters of life and death, we need all the clues you can provide to help solve the case."

Vayne's father nodded, feeling conflicted and ashamed, but he couldn't help but add, "Ever since Vayne started causing trouble, she and Katia couldn't stand each other. If it hadn't escalated to this point, things might not have ended so tragically. So, even if Katia wanted to harm Vayne, it would have been practically impossible for her to do so.

My daughter is in trouble, and I have no reason to cover up for an outsider. Subjectively and objectively, I don't believe Katia is involved. That's why I'm saying this—I have no intention of obstructing your investigation."

"Sis, Katia might not have been able to approach our Vayne directly, but if she couldn't do it herself, couldn't she have paid someone else to do it for her?" Vayne's aunt, who had almost become her new sister-in-law, clearly didn't trust Katia as much as Vayne's father did. "When she was so resentful back then, and you were offering her compensation for the breakup, the fact that she didn't take a single penny seems unrealistic to me."

"You're more than ten years older than her. If it weren't for your good conditions, how could she have stayed with you for so long? She turned herself from a young woman into an old maid, what was she after?

In my opinion, she initially refused your compensation just to assert her dominance and make you feel guilty, hoping you'd succumb to the pressure and marry her! She was playing a game of cat and mouse with you. Who knows how terrified she might have been when you actually gave up!"

"Alright, why do you have to drag other people into our family affairs?" Vayne's father was unwilling to involve Katia and responded somewhat harshly, not expressing any opinion on Vayne's aunt's suggestion.

Jiajia thought for a moment and asked, "Would it be convenient for us to visit your home now? Although the crime scene isn't there, I think it's necessary for us to have a more direct understanding of Vayne's living conditions, which would be helpful for our further investigation."

"Of course, that's fine! Absolutely!" Vayne's father hesitated for a moment, then quickly agreed and stood up again. "If you have the time, we can go right now! I'll say it again, as long as it helps uncover what happened to Vayne, we'll cooperate with anything!"

"How about I call Xena and have her come along?" Vayne's aunt sought Vayne's father's opinion. "She's close to Vayne and they share everything. Maybe Vayne told her some things that we're clueless about. Xena might know more than us!"

After explaining to Jiajia and Howard, she added, "Xena is my daughter, two or three years younger than Vayne. They've been close since childhood, so I reckon she knows more than us!"

"Please wait for a moment, I'll go inform the leader." Jiajia nodded and gestured for Howard to stay with the three relatives of the deceased. She then took the autopsy report and made a brief report to the team.