Chapter 3
“Miles Chen! Listen to yourself! Chloe lost her mom when she was little; she’s already had it tough enough! She didn’t let it get her down; she became even more driven, and you keep knocking her down every single day! Are you even human?!”
Aunt Sarah shrieked, tears streaming down her face. “I’m telling you, you’d better pray to God the victim in this case isn’t Chloe! Otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!”
My heart leaped. Had Aunt Sarah found out? But looking at her expression, it didn’t seem like she knew the truth. It was more like she was deliberately trying to provoke Dad.
Sure enough, at her words, Dad’s face instantly changed.
“Impossible! Don’t you think I’d know my own daughter?! The victim in there absolutely cannot be Chloe!”
Aunt Sarah bit her lip. “If it really is Chloe, don’t even think about claiming her body back! You never liked the kid anyway; let her come back to our family!”
Dad raised his voice. “Fine! Take her! Do you think I care?! I’ve wanted that bad luck charm out of my life for years!”
Aunt Sarah trembled with rage. “You rotten Miles Chen! If you don’t want Chloe, I do! Such a good kid, she’s suffered enough injustice living with you! You cold-blooded, heartless bastard! Ugh!”
I floated in the air, a little overwhelmed. I knew Aunt Sarah was incredibly good to me. After Mom died, Dad rarely paid attention to me. Beyond making sure I ate, he ignored everything else. I still remember Aunt Sarah being the one who bought me my first bras and sanitary pads during my teenage years. I wanted to study hard and get into the police academy, but Dad wouldn’t pay for tutoring classes. In the end, it was Aunt Sarah who secretly took me to enroll. From the smallest daily necessities to tutoring, smartphones, tablets, and computers, Aunt Sarah almost always paid for them out of her own pocket.
To Aunt Sarah, I was practically her own daughter.
Aunt Sarah, fuming, stormed out of the police station, her trembling fingers typing a message on her phone. I floated over, peering at the screen.
‘Chloe, it’s not safe out there right now. No matter how angry you are at your dad, you still need to come home! If you don’t want to come home, that’s fine. Come to Aunt Sarah’s. I’ll send you to college and pay your tuition! We don’t need your dad. Aunt Sarah’s place will always be your home, sweetie. Be good.’
I blinked, feeling tears well up. Aunt Sarah had lost her only sister on that rainy night years ago too. Yet, she didn’t hate me like Dad did. Instead, she poured all the love she had for her sister into me.
I’m so sorry, Aunt Sarah. I’m afraid I’m destined to disappoint you.
It seemed that because my body was inside the police station, I couldn’t follow Aunt Sarah further than a certain distance. I could only watch helplessly as she left. When I floated back into the station, I found Dad slumped in a chair, looking exhausted.
Officer Miller saw him and couldn’t help but advise, “Dr. Miles, you’ve worked for twenty hours straight. You should go home and rest!”
But Dad shook his head. “No, I’m a bit uneasy about this case… I’ll just rest here briefly, then go back and see if there are any more clues on the body.”
“Uh… alright.”
I watched Dad’s swaying body, both admiring his dedication and wishing he’d get some proper rest.
…
“The DNA results are in!”
A shout echoed through the police station, instantly energizing everyone! Even I couldn’t help but feel a surge of tension! Dad, who had been staying at the station for two nights, rushed to the data room.
“The database, has it been checked? Have you identified the victim?”
“Still comparing. It’s taking a bit. Don’t rush!”
Everyone gathered around the computer, nervously watching the progress bar crawl forward. 75%… 88%… 95%… 100%!
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the final result.