Chapter 3

Chloe watched Julian as he froze on the spot.

"Julian, what is it?"

Snapping out of his daze, Julian slammed the paper onto the glass table. "What the hell is Natalie trying to pull now?"

"A week ago she faked a critical illness report. I actually drove over there to see her, and she looked completely fine! Now she goes through the trouble of forging an official death certificate? Does she really think that'll make me pick her up early?"

A week ago, I really was on the brink of death.

Years of severe clinical depression had destroyed my immune system, triggering multiple organ failures.

The energy I showed that day was just the terminal lucidity—the brief, cruel rally of the dying before the final fade.

That was why I had color in my cheeks when Julian visited.

Mom remembered that visit too.

Her brow furrowed in concern. "Natalie never used to lie about things like this. Could she have found out about everything, and she's just testing us?"

Julian went quiet for a moment.

"Doesn't matter if she knows or not. Tomorrow she'll get the whole truth anyway."

Chloe stood up, but she clumsily bumped against the console table.

A loud smash echoed as a ceramic vase shattered across the floor.

Chloe instantly put on a panicked expression. "I'm so sorry, Julian! I didn't mean to break the vase Natalie made for you by hand."

The day Julian received that homemade ceramic vase, he beamed and swore, "I'll protect this with my life. I won't let it break as long as I live!"

Turns out, his "as long as I live" only lasted five short years.

Right now, he didn't even care. He swept the broken shards into a pile.

"It's just a vase. If it's broken, we can just buy another one. Are you hurt?"

Chloe bit her lip and shook her head timidly.

Mom suddenly remembered something and spoke up in a low voice. "Whatever happened to the cat Natalie adopted when she turned eighteen?"

"She treated Cola like her own child. Why haven't I seen it around the house lately?"

Chloe lowered her head, looking like a guilty schoolgirl.

"Cola... almost scratched the baby the other day. I told Julian as soon as he got home from work. Julian originally just wanted to lock the cat in the spare room for a couple of days to discipline it, but Cola suddenly went wild and lashed out. Julian lost his temper... and beat it to death."

Hearing that, Julian finally seemed to remember how much that rescue cat had meant to me.

A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes. "The baby is allergic to cats anyway, and getting a replacement won't work. When Natalie comes home tomorrow, we'll just tell her it caught an illness and died."

Right at that moment, Julian's phone buzzed again.

It was the same prison administration number.

He had completely lost his patience. The second he swiped to answer, he snapped into the mic, "Ask Natalie if she's done acting yet!"

"Using the exact same excuse over and over—isn't she scared of actually dying a miserable death one day?!"

Static hissed through the speaker, followed by background chatter.

Then a muffled, confused voice came through: "Sorry, someone forgot to log the call. I didn't realize another officer had already dialed this number."

Click. The line went dead.

Julian had been acting completely unbothered, but that sudden click left his mind in utter turmoil.

He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep a wink.

Early the next morning, Julian drove Mom and Chloe to the state facility.

The waiting area outside the release gate was crowded with families.

Julian waited for over an hour, watching people come and go, tearful reunions unfolding everywhere.

His mind suddenly flashed back to those two phone calls.

And that official certificate on his table.

A cold, sickening dread crept into his chest, whispering that something had gone terribly wrong.

When the final group of discharged inmates walked through the heavy gates, Julian's eyes scanned every single face.

Not one of them was me.

He lunged forward and grabbed the guard's arm, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"Excuse me, Natalie Foster was supposed to be released today! Why haven't I seen her?"

Having an inmate die with no family stepping up to claim the body was rare, even in a prison like this.

The guard recognized the name instantly.

"Natalie Foster? You're her family?"

"She passed away in the infirmary yesterday. Didn't anyone notify you?"