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After I had completed all the necessary procedures, I exited the police station. Joseph trailed behind me, his condition rather unstable. He then called out to me. “Lucy Charon.”
I turned around to look at him.
“I’m sorry. Are you satisfied now?” He sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
I gazed at Joseph, who was very much still alive and breathing. I shook my head. “No. I’ll
only be satisfied when you’re dead.”
a
Hurt was written all across his face. I didn’t understand why he looked so pained. The situation had reached this point, so why was he still pretending?
“Lucy, I had feelings for you once. I’ve always been keeping an eye on you since our first school year.”
His words repulsed me as I relentlessly exposed the cracks in his weak lie. “It’s because you decided I was the perfect target for your scheme, right?”
Joseph shook his head vigorously. Tears dripped from his face as he explained, “It’s not like that. I really did like you. I know that you enjoy eating our canteen’s hamburgers. I know that you like to look out of the window when you’re learning new phrases. I know many of your habits.”
I realized then that the Joseph from my past life did know me very well. Still, if he liked me, why did he kill me? He mustn’t have loved me if he was willing to end my life.
“Do you want me to empathize with your father and Madison?” I asked.
Joseph was stunned for a moment. “No, that wasn’t my intention. Why do you always think the worst of me?”
I scoffed. “I understand the type of man that you are. You’re despicable and shameless. The other students only fell for you because they were fooled by your mask. You played the role
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perfectly in public, but behind closed doors, you’re far more repulsive than a filthy public
restroom.”
Different emotions flashed across his face as he was subjected to my harsh scolding. In the end, he still had the nerve to ask, “Can we still be a couple?”
I looked at him as if he had gone mad. In fact, I was sure he had a few screws loose in his
head.
When Mom and Dad were informed of the situation, they rushed back from abroad to
reunite with me. In my past life, they were the same, taking every word I said to heart. Despite our poverty, they toiled endlessly to cover my school fees.
Dad sat to the side as he smoked a cigarette, letting out a heavy sigh every now and again. Meanwhile, Mom couldn’t stop crying from the fear she felt.
“Mom, I got into university,” I comforted her.
Mom lost it completely when she heard that. She hugged me and blubbered, “It’s been hard on you. Your father and I didn’t know anything, so you had to resolve this issue all by yourself. We’ve failed you as your parents.”
I patted the back of Mom’s hand. Lucius took a drag on his cigarette one last time. His eyes
were reddened. I knew that they were blaming themselves, but the reality was that the root
of the problem was Joseph and his family.
I couldn’t imagine how heartbroken my parents must have been when they received news
of my passing in my previous life. Joseph had gone to such lengths to prevent me from getting in the way of Madison’s future.
I wondered if he would still love Madison so fervently in this life.
I dropped by the police station again after I comforted Mom and Dad. When I arrived, I noticed that there was a group of reporters loitering outside. It was only natural that such earth–shattering news would attract the attention of the media.
They stopped me from entering the station as they bombarded me with questions.
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“Are you Lucy Charon?”
“Yes, I am,” I answered calmly.
“How do you feel having your university spot taken away from you?”
I frowned. “Furious. My homeroom teacher conspired with his son to lie to me. They tried
to take my future away to compensate for someone else’s.”
“This someone else you mentioned, is it your homeroom teacher’s illegitimate daughter?”
I nodded. I was then pulled into the station by the female officer.
a
I wanted Madison and her entire family to be criticized by the public. The university entrance exam was such an important part of being a student and was brought up by
society even years after the student had graduated. It was practically ingrained in a person’s identity.
I discovered the truth about how Madison’s parents rescued Joseph from the female officer.”
A fire had broken out at the Gunther residence. Madison’s mother, Melissa Jackson, was
having a clandestine date with Frank, and the latter had forgotten to turn off the gas.
Coincidentally, Melissa’s husband, Charlie Bass, had noticed the fire. He had dashed into
the house to stop it. Left with no other option, Frank had clambered through the window to
avoid detection. He was terrified that his affair with Melissa would be discovered.
A young Joseph had been napping at the time. Charlie had rescued Joseph first before running back into the house to save Melissa. But it had been too late by then. Charlie and Melissa both perished in the fire.
I sighed deeply when I heard the full story.
When the acceptance letter that was rightfully mine was returned to me, tears welled up and spilled from the corners of my eyes. I was finally able to attend university in this life.
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