Chapter 157 Was This Your Investigation?
Chapter 157 Was This Your Investigation?
Stephanie's POV
We talked for a long time after that.
Before leaving, I finally worked up the courage to ask Emma.
"Emma, do you know where Yasmin is... buried?"
Emma nodded.
"Kaitlyn never gave her a proper burial. After she died, she was just dumped on a hillside behind the orphanage. She didn't even get a headstone. It took me forever to track down where she was buried. The only way I could identify her was by a metal button on her remains that hadn't corroded."
"Later, I had her moved to a cemetery on the outskirts of town and put up a headstone for her. If you want to visit, I can give you the address."
I nodded hard.
She turned and pulled open a desk drawer, took out a sticky note, wrote down the address, tore it off, and handed it to me.
I carefully folded the paper and tucked it into my pocket, then stood to thank her.
She stood as well, came around the desk, and without another word, pulled me into a hug.
This time, neither of us cried. We just held each other quietly for a moment.
The burden that had weighed on both our hearts for nearly twenty years seemed to finally lift in that instant.
She walked me to the door, holding my hand as she said softly, "When you get married, you have to tell me. I'll be there."
I looked at her and nodded seriously. "I will. I'll be waiting for you."
As I stepped out of the clinic, Christopher was waiting for me under a tree outside.
The moment he saw me, he came forward and took my hand.
I squeezed his fingers in return, feeling the warmth from his palm, and the emotions I'd been holding in for so long finally began to ease.
On the drive back to the hotel, the car was quiet.
Emily sat in the backseat, opening her mouth several times as if to speak, then swallowing her words each time.
As the car turned onto the last street, she finally reached over and gently touched my shoulder.
"Stephanie... did you find out everything about Yasmin?"
I nodded. "I did. My head's kind of a mess right now. Once I've sorted through everything, I'll tell you about it."
She didn't press further. She just patted the back of my hand, leaned back in her seat, and sat quietly with me.
Back at the hotel room, Christopher went straight into the bathroom.
"I ran you a hot bath. You've been on your feet all day—it'll help you relax."
He turned to grab a towel.
I suddenly stood and walked up behind him, gently wrapping my arms around his waist.
His warmth enveloped me, and my nose stung with the threat of tears.
"You're the one who helped Emma solve Yasmin's case, aren't you?" My voice came out muffled. "You're the one who put that medical examiner and those two cops in prison."
He was silent for a few seconds, then let out a soft sigh. He turned around and ruffled my hair. "You figured it out."
I looked up at him. "I knew something was off at the fish and chips place today. Malcolm didn't ask questions—he just gave me the address. Same with Elisa. Every clue led me step by step closer to the truth without overwhelming me all at once. No one else would've arranged everything so carefully except you."
He looked down at me, the corner of his mouth slowly lifting. "So, are you complimenting me?"
"Of course I am." I gave him a light shove, half-teasing. "When did you start investigating all this?"
"From the first time you told me about Yasmin." His tone was matter-of-fact. "At first, I just wanted to find her grave so you could visit her properly when you came back. And I wanted to thank the little girl who once fought so hard to save you."
He paused, something complicated flickering in his eyes.
"But as I followed the leads, I found Emma. She'd been investigating for years, collecting bits and pieces of evidence, but she could never make anything stick. I asked a private investigator friend to dig deeper using her leads, and we finally found solid proof against that medical examiner and the two officers. The medical examiner eventually confessed to everything—taking bribes, falsifying the death report, helping Kaitlyn dispose of Yasmin's body illegally. He laid it all out."
My eyes instantly burned with tears.
I threw myself into his arms, burying my face in his chest. My tears quickly soaked through his shirt. "You're so stupid... why didn't you tell me sooner..."
His hand settled gently on the back of my head, stroking my hair in slow, soothing motions.
"If I'd told you earlier, you would've just suffered earlier. I wanted to wait until you were ready, let you uncover the truth on your own terms. And besides..."
He lowered his head, resting it lightly against the top of mine. "The people who hurt her have already been punished. Now all that's left is for you to say goodbye to Yasmin properly."
I cried in his arms for a long time. He just held me quietly, gently patting my back, letting me finally release all the emotions I'd carried for years.
When I finally calmed down enough to lift my head, I realized his T-shirt was soaked through.
I couldn't help but laugh through my tears, wiping my eyes as I lightly tapped his chest. "It's completely wet..."
He glanced down and smiled too. "It's fine. I was going to change tonight anyway."
He raised his hand and wiped away the last traces of tears from my eyes. "All right, no more crying. The water's going to get cold. Go take that bath and relax."
"Okay."
The next morning, we followed the address on the sticky note, driving across half the town to a cemetery on the outskirts.
The cemetery wasn't large. The iron gate hung half-open, and the lawn inside was neatly trimmed and well-kept.
I clutched the sticky note as I walked slowly down the center path, my fingers tracing over the handwriting again and again.
I stopped.
In front of me stood a clean white marble headstone. It wasn't large, but it was spotless. A small bouquet of dried wildflowers lay in front of it—left by Emma, maybe, or someone else who remembered Yasmin.
The stone bore no birth or death dates, no epitaphs—only one name, Yasmin, carved plain.
I stood before the headstone, my eyes instantly filling with tears.