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Hunter immediately launched an investigation into Nadine’s death. The findings revealed that on that fateful day, a masked stranger had broken into their home and stabbed Nadine 33 times before fleeing.
Bleeding profusely but still clinging to life, the severely wounded Nadine had dialed someone’s number as her last hope. After endless rings, the call connected–only for her to be met with furious scolding before she could utter a single word.
Hunter’s face drained of color when he recognized his own voice from the surveillance footage. He suddenly remembered that he had indeed received a call from Nadine that day.
What had he said? He’d told her not to bother him while he was picking up Serena, then
heartlessly hung up without listening to her.
If he’d shown just a little patience that day… would Nadine still be alive? He couldn’t bear to dwell on that possibility and forced himself to keep watching the footage.
Soon, another Nadine appeared–the one who only existed for those five days. She cleaned the bloodstains and hid her own corpse by painstakingly dragging it into the wardrobe. Then, he
had brought Serena to live in the villa on the very day of her death.
He didn’t need the footage to know what happened next, yet their past conversations now echoed in his mind like nightmares.
“You want me to stop? Then say it, Hunter. Tell me you love me.”
“Love you? You think you deserve that?”
“Hunter, I love you.”
“I hate you.”
“Just say you love me.”
“That’s impossible, Nadine. I told you I could never love you.”
Every exchange had been her cry for help. A single word from him–even an insincere one- could have saved her. But he’d cruelly crushed her hopes each time.
Until the final day, when she stopped asking for his love and simply prepared their divorce papers instead. His heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. Dizziness overwhelmed him, making the world spin around him.
Hunter forced himself to stand and called for his assistant, Andre Brown. “I want you to look into this now–who was that man who broke in that day?”
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His roar startled Andre, who immediately rushed to investigate. During the agonizing wait, Hunter couldn’t control his rage. An unnamed fire burned in his chest, driving him to smash everything in sight.
Priceless vases, artworks, and paintings became victims of his fury as he hurled them violently to the floor. After what felt like an eternity, Andre returned with a stack of documents when exhaustion finally overcame Hunter.
However, his expression was uneasy, and his words were evasive. “Mr. Goldman, we’ve identified the intruder from that day, but…”
“No buts! Speak clearly!”
Andre flinched and handed over the files. Hunter snatched them away, his face growing paler with each page. The investigation revealed Serena had orchestrated the attack!
It was not just that–Andre had uncovered everything else. All past incidents were Serena’s schemes, framed to look like Nadine’s doing!
He flipped through page after page until reaching the final document. All color drained from his face as he found out Nadine’s claim about Serena scattering her parents‘ ashes was true.
He then recalled Nadine’s violent outburst after enduring so much. She had sought justice for her parents‘ ashes, only for him to stop her. The despair in her eyes that day on the rooftop, begging for an answer he’d cruelly denied.
Hunter’s blood ran cold. Why would Serena do this?
He’d given her everything, so why would she hurt Nadine like this? Why did she order her murder?
Blind rage turned his eyes bloodshot. He grabbed his phone and dialed the number he’d been ignoring.
“Serena, get over here.” His voice was icy, but the woman didn’t notice.
Instead, she happily rushed over immediately.
Chapter 13
