Chapter 2
The two of them were of no help and were kicked out to sit on a bench in the hallway, their mouths shut as they furrowed their brows, deep in thought.
“Nadia.” My father murmured, but my hearing was sharp, and I instantly recognized that he was calling my deceased fake sister by name.
“Thinking about your daughter again? Sigh, death is irreversible. You should cherish the present,” Detective Wales sighed, patting my father on the shoulder.
“Hmph, I should have cherished the present! I should have never brought that wicked girl back. Nadia wouldn’t have left us.” My father took out his phone, saw my missed call, but never dialed back the number, his finger hovering in the air.
Do you really not care about me at all?
In the end, my father called my mother, speaking gently to remind her that things weren’t peaceful recently and that he wouldn’t be coming home tonight, so she should lock the doors and windows carefully.
“Someone just sent me Nadia’s things. They came with a note that said ‘Here’s your daughter’s stuff.’ It really left me uneasy,” my father complained to my mother.
“Don’t get upset, she’s trouble. A few days ago, that dead girl called me saying she was kidnapped, and someone was helping her—pure evil. I told her to stop causing trouble. If she doesn’t want to come back, fine,” my mother responded harshly, then threw her bowl onto the table and stormed off to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her, as if to express her displeasure.
My father silently glanced at the bedroom door, then continued eating.
A few days later, my father and his team were overwhelmed with work regarding the unidentified female body.
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from the hall: “I want to file a report!”
The staff quickly asked for the details of the case.
“She’s Nadia, my good friend.”
“Nadia?”
Hearing that name, everyone in the office exchanged a knowing look and silently turned to my father.
He raised an eyebrow, his face cold as he went to investigate.
In the hall was my college roommate and good friend, Kelly.
She was talking to the staff, explaining how she hadn’t been able to contact me for several days and was really worried.
She showed them her phone, displaying a photo of us together. “This is her!”
My father walked over to Kelly, took the phone from her, and looked at the photo of me and Kelly.
“You’re saying she’s missing?” My father’s face darkened, his presence exuding pressure that made Kelly feel uneasy.
“Thank you for caring about my daughter. She spoke to my wife a couple of days ago and even sent me a delivery. She’s fine, you can go now,” my father said, dismissing Kelly.
“But she’s not the kind of person who would cancel plans or ignore messages. Uncle, has something happened to her?” Kelly asked seriously, her face flushed as she tried to maintain eye contact with my father.
“She’s fine, don’t worry too much. Don’t concern yourself too much with her. She’s perfectly fine!” The words “perfectly fine” were almost spat out, full of irritation.
“Sorry, Uncle Jack, I didn’t know,” Kelly apologized, her face red, awkwardly gathering her things.
She walked to the door, but then stopped, staring at my father’s displeased face.
“Um, Uncle Jack, my phone…” Kelly pointed at the phone my father was holding.
My father glanced at the screen, which was still lit, and impatiently handed the phone back to Kelly.
The screen still showed the photo of me and Kelly, with me flashing a peace sign.
The two red birthmarks on my fingers were unmistakable…
I saw Kelly’s embarrassment and followed her out.
She opened her phone, went to our chat, and sent a voice message: “Nadia, Nadia, please reply when you get this!”
Seeing her anxious expression, an indescribable sadness surged within me.
Finally, there was someone in this world who truly cared about me.
