But Michael did not return home. Instead, he headed to Serenity Lane and Sunset Alley.


    I had no clue what he was up to. I just trailed behind him blindly.


    I was eager to witness his reaction once he discovered the truth.


    Was it going to be regret or relief? Or would he cover up for Yasmin?


    “Michael Ford, have you ever had the slightest affection for me? What were you thinking when you


    bullied me?


    “How could you be so disgusting and shameless just to get what you want?” I stood behind him and


    repeatedly asked.


    I knew he couldn’t hear. But I still sought a result and an answer.


    “Mike, there is no sign of Stephanie’s whereabouts. As we told the police, we did ask Stephanie to


    be here on the 13th and 14th.


    “But the police also mentioned that she headed to Sunset Alley on the 15th. I checked the


    surveince, and it showed that Stephanie came alone.”


    Michael’s buddies had arrived with the investigation results.


    I sneered at the pair, wondering if they were genuinely oblivious or just acting.


    It was evident I heard themughing and joking around through the earpiece on the day of my


    ident. They even said on the other end that even a pervert wouldn’t be attracted to a woman


    like


    1. me.


    “Why did shee alone on the 15th?” Michael’s face didn’t look good as he nced around.


    “Did the surveince capture her leaving?”


    “The police identified a janitor. Only a janitor was seen leaving with arge trash bag during the time


    Stephanie went missing. There were no traces of Stephanie…” The guy’s confidence faded as he


    spoke.


    Then he asked in a low voice, “Mike, Stephanie can’t be dead right?”


    Michael’s face paled. Perhaps the panic had started to set in. “Stop talking nonsense, she can’t be


    dead.”


    He took a step back and leaned against the wall.


    I just stood there and looked at Michael. A sense of destion engulfed me.


    “Mike, didn’t I warn you that women like Stephanie would stop at nothing to achieve their goals?


    She pushed Yasmin down the stairs and even tried to poison her. It’s better for her to be dead.”


    None of Michael’s buddies liked me. I knew they preferred Yasmin all along.


    These people had never respected me. They’ve always made fun of me, bullied me, and humiliated


    me. I knew very well that Yasmin had the ability to sway their opinions.


    However, Michael’s deliberate encouragement was the root cause of their mistreatment. It was only


    natural for them to hate me because Michael hated me.


    Michael frowned and looked at the other person. His eyes were hazy, somewhat intimidating.


    I remembered that guy’s name was Jack Brown. He had tried to assault me in the Ford Residence’s


    backyard but failed. He ran away after I smashed his head.


    Afterward, Jack threatened me to not tell anyone about what happened that day. He said that even


    if I did, no one would believe me.


    He had spread rumors around Michael and his friends to discredit me. He tarnished my reputation


    just to prevent me from revealing the truth.


    If I were ruined, he could easily dismiss the assault as just another lie from me. No one would


    believe me even if I had told the truth.


    And indeed, that was what happened.


    Jack was a distant cousin of Michael. He was there when I first entered the Ford Residence at the


    eight of eighteen. At that time, his mother evenined to Michael’s mother.


    “Lois, if you’re trulycking a child, Jack isn’t a bad option. If you prefer girls, I have a daughter.


    Why bother taking care of someone else’s child when you can care for your own blood?”


    At that time, I cowered behind Michael. My parents had just passed, and I was scared. There was


    no one I could trust around me.


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    “Don’t be scared. Ignore these people, they’re all sick in the head.” Michael held my wrist and


    brought me to a bedroom on the second floor.


    “From now on, this is your home.”


    I watched Michael in silence. From that moment, my dependence and reliance on him reached its


    zenith.


    However, everything shattered after he discovered the love letter that I had written.


    After all these years, I still never understood why Michael reacted so intensely and felt repulsed.


    I had been naive and in love. Why did he harbor such disdain for me throughout the years?