Chapter 2

After Matthew's sister Chloe bowed deeply to Matthew's portrait through her tears, she turned to me.

"Joanna, when I left for work that morning, you were already awake."

She stared at me, her voice trembling with anger.

"There's no way you were asleep when my brother was attacked. You must have heard something!"

She took a step closer.

"And there's something else. Whoever cleaned up the crime scene knew exactly what they were doing. They left no trace behind."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Do you really expect us to believe the killer managed all that with someone else in the house?"

She paused, then raised her voice.

"You helped them, didn't you?"

"What are you hiding, Joanna? Who are you protecting?"

Chloe's words silenced the room. Until then, it had been filled with crying.

Every relative and friend turned to stare at me.

Their eyes were full of suspicion and resentment.

"She's right. I've thought something was off about Joanna from the beginning! Matthew was stabbed eighteen times. How could she not have heard anything?"

"She's deliberately keeping quiet. She's protecting the real killer!"

"Just look at her. Does she even look like a woman who just lost her husband?"

Someone scoffed.

"Maybe she had something to do with Matthew's death!"

"Matthew was a good man. He never made enemies. So why would anyone suddenly want him dead?"

Another voice cut in.

"Unless he caught Joanna cheating!"

"Maybe she and her lover teamed up to murder him. Then they cleaned up the crime scene to cover their tracks!"

Everyone finally let their anger out.

And their accusations grew uglier by the second.

I glanced at the furious crowd and said coldly, "Do you have any proof of what you're saying?"

"If you don't, I can sue you for defamation."

My words brought the accusations to an abrupt stop.

But the suspicion and anger in their eyes only grew stronger.

"Joanna! Since Matthew died, you haven't cried once. You haven't shed a single tear! He loved you for twenty years. How can you be so heartless?"

Margaret sobbed and pounded her chest, her voice hoarse.

"Matthew died such a horrible death. Why are you protecting a deranged murderer? What could possibly make you do that?"

Even as she broke down and demanded answers, I remained unmoved and said nothing.

Then, out of nowhere, Aurora, who had been quietly crying, pulled out a dagger and held it against her own throat.

"Mom!"

Her voice trembled, but her eyes were filled with determination.

"You and Dad were always so in love. If he even had a headache or a fever, you'd worry so much you couldn't eat or sleep. I don't believe you'd protect the person who killed him!"

"Tell me who killed Dad!"

"Who are you protecting?"

"If you don't tell me, I'll die right here in front of you!"

As she spoke, she pressed the dagger harder against her neck.

The tip pierced her skin, and drops of blood began to appear.

The crowd erupted in shock.

Margaret was horrified.

"Aurora! My precious granddaughter! Don't do anything foolish!"

Her voice trembled. She wanted to rush toward me, but fear kept her frozen in place.

In the end, she sank to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face.

"Joanna, you nearly died giving birth to Aurora!"

She clutched at my hands, her voice breaking.

"You've always said she was your whole world. How can you care more about protecting a murderer than saving your own daughter?"

"Please, Joanna. Tell us the truth!"

Chloe quickly stepped forward.

"Joanna, Aurora is your only child. She's always been such a sweet, well-behaved girl."

Chloe's eyes reddened.

"This year, she graduated as valedictorian and got accepted into one of the country's top universities."

She stared at me in disbelief.

"Are you really going to let such an outstanding girl die just to protect the person who killed Matthew?"

Everyone was frantic.

They all stared at me, desperate for me to finally tell them what had happened.

Under everyone's expectant gaze, I looked at my daughter for a long moment. Then I said quietly, "I don't know who the killer is."

My answer sounded like a final verdict.

The light in Aurora's eyes went out instantly.

She stared at me through her tears, her face full of disappointment and resolve.

"I hate you."

Then she tightened her grip on the dagger.

With one sharp movement, she slashed the major artery in her neck!