Chapter 21: Where Did Brynn Go?

In the interrogation room, Sophia leaned in and said, "Try to remember what happened that night."

Hugo's eyes widened when he heard the cops hadn't found Brynn's body.

He racked his brain, trying to recall that night. "I was just watching the surveillance on my home computer, like I always do."

Ever since he found out Brynn was a shameless prostitute, he couldn't stand her anymore.

He'd spent a fortune on the surveillance in the rental house, even better quality than the police station's cameras.

So, he saw everything crystal clear. After Brynn shot up, she didn't move a muscle all night.

It wasn't Hugo's first time spying on Brynn; he knew she usually tossed and turned, waking up several times and curling up like a baby.

But that night, she was stiff as a board, not a single sign of life.

Robert cut in, "So, you thought Brynn was dead when you went to her place the next day?"

Hugo shrugged. "Yeah, you saw the footage too. Did she look alive to you?"

Robert finally got it.

Hugo had already decided Brynn was dead before he even checked her.

This kind of thinking can mess with your head, and Hugo's stubborn nature didn't help. Once he believed something, he stuck to it.

Brynn's breathing was faint while she was out cold, and since she didn't react when Hugo touched or hit her, he figured she was a goner.

Sophia chimed in, "An addict's body isn't like a normal person's. If a regular person injected drugs like that, they'd probably die fast. But addicts, their bodies build up a tolerance, so they don't die as easily."

Hugo sat there, stunned, and muttered, "So I buried her alive?"

"Technically, she wasn't dead."

Hugo was completely floored.

In the conference room, Sophia and Robert went over everything.

When Brynn woke up, all she saw was darkness and dirt. She quickly realized she had been buried alive.

In extreme fear, people can find a strong will to survive.

To save herself, Brynn clawed her way out of the dirt and escaped.

Robert asked, "Sophia, if it were you, where would you go?"

Sophia thought for a moment and said, "First, I wouldn't go to the cops because I'm a drug addict and a prostitute. Second, I wouldn't go to my parents because they control me too much and don't get me. Lastly, I don't have any close friends. The only person I could turn to in that kind of fear would be..."

Sophia and Robert said together, "Boyfriend!"

Brynn's social life seemed messy, but it was actually pretty simple.

The only place she felt any warmth was with the boyfriend she wanted to marry.

Knowing she was hooked on drugs, she didn't just give up. She tried everything to quit, probably for the sake of marrying her boyfriend.

The big question now was, who was Brynn's boyfriend?

Sophia had James check out surveillance videos around the park to track Brynn down.

Meanwhile, she and Robert started digging into Brynn's life at the rehab center.

At the rehab center, the staff mentioned that Brynn was super determined to quit drugs at first. She even hurt herself with a blade, but sadly, she didn't make it in the end.

One of the volunteer girls said she saw Brynn, after relapsing, kneeling in front of Kirk, begging for another chance.

Sophia's instincts kicked in.

She asked, "Are you sure she was kneeling to Professor Gutierrez?"

The girl nodded confidently, "Absolutely. Our rehab center is different from other places. We have surveillance everywhere, even in the bathrooms. The patients have no privacy; otherwise, how could we monitor them in real-time?"

They knew everything Brynn did in the rehab center.

Sophia was puzzled. Kneeling to someone didn't seem like something Brynn would do. Plus, according to Kirk, Brynn respected him, but not to the point of kneeling.

Sophia felt she needed to visit Kirk again.

What she didn't know was that the Stellar Institute of Technology was already in chaos.

Arabella's parents, Brad and Aurelia Pearl, had shown up at the institute, saying Arabella had been missing for days. They used to get daily calls from her, but now she was out of touch.

The school had no choice but to call the cops, who then took Brad and Aurelia away.

At the police station, Brad and Aurelia found out that Arabella was suspected of illegal activities, causing a huge commotion.

They insisted the police had made a mistake.

Seeing this, the police had no choice but to spill the beans.

When they heard that Arabella had become a high-class prostitute, Aurelia fainted and only woke up after a lot of effort.

When she came to, she cried and made a scene, insisting it was impossible.

Brad was the same, saying Arabella was being slandered and demanding the police release her.

Sophia didn't want to get involved, but the noise was giving her a headache, so she went to explain the situation to Arabella. "Do you want to go out and see your parents?"

Arabella was much calmer than Sophia expected. Maybe she knew she couldn't hide anymore. She said calmly, "Yes."

With charges of drug possession and prostitution, Brad and Aurelia would eventually learn the truth.

When Brad and Aurelia saw their well-raised Arabella in prison clothes, they were stunned.

They couldn't believe that their obedient and sensible daughter could be associated with the term "high-class prostitute."

But facts were facts.

Brad, trembling, pointed at Arabella through the glass, his voice choked, unable to say a word.

Finally, Aurelia, holding Brad's hand, asked Arabella, "Why did you do this?"

With tears in her eyes, Arabella couldn't look at them. She just said, "I've had enough. I've had enough of this painful life, and it doesn't even promise anything in return. You have no idea what it's like."

Brad, furious, shouted, "You've taken everything for granted. We've worked hard to raise you, caring for you since you were born, and this is how you repay us? You've brought us shame!"

"Caring for me?" Arabella sneered. "The money you worked so hard to earn can't even match a rich man's pocket change."