After I

Chapter 8

When Nicolas arrived at my house, my parents had just returned from the cemetery. However, they held a grudge against him and retised to let him in

Frantic, Micolas kuell on the ground, repeatedly bowing to my father.

“Uncle, please, let me see Ella…”

My father, maintaining a calm demeanor, replied, “There’s nothing to see. She’s gone. Let her rest in peace.”

Nicolas’s entire body shook. “No, I em’t believe Ella is dead. You must be lying to me…”

I wish my sister were just playing tricks on us!” My brother suddenly burst out of the house, 1 king Nicolas with

piqches and kicks.

“If you hadn’t insisted on that stupid rafting trip, no sister wouldn’t have had an accident. Do you know how many injuries she had when they found her body

“Where were you, luth. Where were you! You bastand!

“You were too busy saving your new love to care for my sister, leaving her alone on the rocks, swept away by the current. And after her death, you did nothing but look after another wount in the hospital!

“Nicolas, you’re a murderer. Who are you pretending to be heartbroken for now”

Nicolas knelt there, speechless, enduring my broller’s blows, tears of regret streaming down his face.

My father, table to maintain his composure, turned away. As a former detective, he had always been reserved, his demeanor straight and professional. Yet, at that moment, he and my brother seemed more shattered and heartbroken than Nicolas, who wh, crying controllably.

After a while. he took a deep breath and pulled my brother away.

Nicolas, go away. Don’t come back.”

Nicolas shook his heal repeatedly. “No, Uncle, I’m not leaving. I want to see Ella again…”

My brother roared, “There’s no need to rush. You’ll get your chance. In court, I’ll make sure to present my sister’s photo, and you’ll see the consequences of your actions!”

Nicolas froze again. “What do you mean by that?”

My father sighed deeply and said. “Ella had multiple blunt force Injuries. The autopsy revealed they were inflicted by

This revelation stamed Nicolas, and it also caught me off guard.

I remembered that after the boat capsized, Lisbeth had chugg to me like an octopus, causing intermittent pain that I had ignored at the time due to difficulty in breathing.

Now, with a fleeting moment of clarity. I recalled Lisbeth’s chilling words before the fall:

“Eleanor, it would be better If you weren’t here…”

I shivered at the thought.

But this couldn’t be definitive proof. In dangerous situations, the body can exhibit instinctive stress responses, und without soll evidence, It’s hard to speculate.

Yet, Nicolas clearly took my father’s words to heart. After leaving my house, he sat in his car, chalu–smoking live cigarettes. The smoke lingered, obscuring his thoughts,

Finally, after extinguishing the last cigarette. he called a private investigator. The Investigation would cover everything Lisbeth experienced before and after arriving in the city.