Chapter 4

Brandon somehow got his hands on a set of orderly clothes and bribed a new cleaning staff member, planning to coordinate an inside job to sneak Victoria out.

I decided to play along.

That night, I deliberately called Dr. Evans, telling him I’d had a nightmare that something happened to Victoria, and I felt uneasy, asking him to patrol more often.

Dr. Evans reassured me that everything was fine but still promised to keep a closer eye out.

At midnight, Brandon, disguised as an orderly, pushed a cart piled high with dirty bedsheets and quietly slipped into Victoria’s room.

Victoria had already changed into her clothes and was hiding at the very bottom of the cart.

Everything went smoothly. They successfully bypassed the first checkpoint and reached the back gate of the facility.

Outside the back gate, the bribed cleaning staff member was waiting.

However, just as Victoria was climbing out of the cart—

“What are you doing?!”

A sharp shout, accompanied by several powerful flashlight beams, exposed them.

It was Dr. Evans with the security team, who happened to be passing by on rounds.

Victoria and Brandon were caught red-handed.

This escape attempt had severe consequences.

Victoria was deemed an “extremely dangerous individual” and transferred to the deepest part of the facility’s intensive care unit.

There, the windows were only palm-sized, and the door was a quadruple-locked iron door.

Her daily activity range was limited to that ten-square-meter room.

She was completely imprisoned.

But what I didn’t expect was that she could still call Brandon.

“Brandon, we have no other way.”

Through the listening device, Victoria’s voice was cold and desperate. “Only if Julian dies can I get out, can we get the money, and can all of this end.”

“I’ll find an opportunity to tell the doctor my condition has improved and request to see him.”

“We’ll arrange to meet at Crimson Lake outside of town. It’s secluded and deserted at night.”

“Then, I’ll push him into the water, hold him down, and say he committed suicide by jumping into the lake because he couldn’t take it anymore. And I… because of my ‘condition,’ couldn’t save him.”

“Okay, let’s do it!” Brandon’s voice held a desperate, make-or-break ruthlessness.

“Victoria, this is our last chance.”

Listening to the conversation through my headphones, the smile on my lips deepened.

When all of a person’s escape routes are blocked, the evil of human nature is unleashed without reservation.

The time I’d been waiting for had arrived!

A few days later, I received a call from Dr. Evans.

He said Victoria’s condition had stabilized significantly lately; she no longer argued and could even engage in simple conversations.

Victoria herself had strongly requested to see me, suggesting we meet by Crimson Lake, where we used to have dates.

“Mr. Wallace, after our assessment, we believe this could be a good sign, perhaps helpful for her recovery.”

“We’ll have two orderlies accompany her to ensure safety.”

“Then… alright.” I reluctantly agreed. “For her to get better, I’m willing to try one more time.”

Friday, at dusk.

I parked my car in a small grove of trees some distance away, turned off the engine, and waited quietly.

A few minutes later, a white facility transport van slowly pulled up.

The doors opened, and Victoria, along with two orderlies, stepped out.

Victoria told the orderlies, “Sirs, could you please wait for me in the car for a moment? I want to speak with my husband alone. It won’t be more than ten minutes.”

The orderlies exchanged glances and nodded. After all, this had been pre-arranged.

Victoria took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and walked step by step toward the man by the lake, who was wearing a beige trench coat.

That trench coat was my favorite and most frequently worn piece of clothing.

Splash! Water splattered everywhere.

The man didn’t even have time to react before he was swallowed by the icy lake water.

He choked on several mouthfuls, struggling desperately in the water, flailing and shouting, “Victoria! It’s me!”

However, Victoria couldn’t hear what he was yelling, or rather, she simply didn’t care.

She jumped into the water without hesitation, pressing his head down with all her might, pushing him under again and again.

“Die! Die! Julian Wallace, you bastard! You ruined everything for me!” She roared maniacally, having completely lost her mind.

The man’s struggles grew weaker and weaker. Finally, the last string of bubbles disappeared from the surface of the water.

Victoria gasped for air, a satisfied, twisted smile spreading across her face.

She had succeeded!

She had killed Julian Wallace.

Freedom and wealth were beckoning to her.

Just then, a voice, tinged with a hint of curiosity, drifted from the darkness behind her.

“Darling, what are you doing?”

Victoria’s body stiffened abruptly, the smile on her face freezing instantly.

Slowly, inch by excruciating inch, she turned her head.