Chapter 5

Adrian's hands began to tremble.

He stared at those words, his breathing growing rapid.

"What... what does this mean?"

Rachel walked over without even glancing at it.

"What else could it mean? More melodramatic nonsense! Probably chicken blood or duck blood to scare people. If she was really dead, where's the body? Did it just fly away?"

Patrick sneered as well.

"Exactly. She's been manipulative since childhood. She's probably hiding somewhere watching us make fools of ourselves. Adrian, don't fall for it. Have the police issue an arrest warrant."

Adrian said nothing.

He looked at the room full of medicine bottles and picked one up at random.

The label had been torn off, but he recognized the shape of this bottle.

He'd seen it when buying painkillers for Yara.

This was heavy-duty painkiller, specifically for terminal cancer patients.

"This medicine..."

Adrian's voice was hoarse.

Yara's eyes flashed as she quickly came over.

"Oh, isn't that just vitamins?"

"Sister always loved taking diet pills and vitamins randomly, said she needed to maintain her figure to seduce men."

She took Adrian's arm, acting coquettish:

"Adrian, it smells awful here. Let's go. Sister definitely isn't home—she probably ran off with some random man."

Just then, Adrian's phone rang again.

Same officer.

Adrian answered, his knuckles white with pressure.

"Mr. Vale, after rushing the DNA comparison, we've confirmed the deceased's identity."

"It's Nora."

"The body has been transported to the city funeral home. Since the deceased signed an organ donation agreement before death, the hospital is pressing for confirmation."

"If you're family, please come as soon as possible."

Adrian felt something explode in his brain.

He swayed, nearly falling.

"You said... confirmed?"

"Yes. Cause of death was terminal stomach cancer with massive hemorrhaging. Time of death was approximately late last night."

Late last night.

What had he been doing then?

He'd been helping Yara pick out what to wear to court the next day.

And sending me that cold, threatening message on SnapChat.

[Nora, stop playing dead.]

Turned out, I really hadn't been playing.

Adrian hung up the phone, his entire being seemingly drained of its soul.

He turned to look at the three Penningtons, still complaining about this and that.

Suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

"The police said..."

He'd barely opened his mouth when Yara suddenly clutched her eye and let out a piercing scream.

"Ah! My eye! It hurts so much! So much!"

She collapsed, convulsing all over, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

"Mom! Help! Sister... I see sister coming at me with a knife to gouge my eye! It hurts so much!"

Rachel panicked and grabbed her.

"Yara! What's wrong? Don't scare Mommy!"

"It's Nora! That wretched girl must be hiding somewhere cursing Yara!"

Patrick roared:

"Adrian! What are you standing there for? Get Yara to the hospital!"

Adrian stood frozen in place.

On one side, police notification to identify a body. On the other, Yara writhing in pain.

"Adrian..."

Yara grabbed Adrian's pant leg, looking up pitifully.

"I'm so scared... Am I going blind? Is Nora refusing to give me her cornea?"

Adrian looked at her, then at the phone in his hand.

Even the phone still had my blood on it.