Chapter 20: She Said the Same Thing

James had just dropped a bombshell on Sophia: Bianca was a virgin, according to the autopsy.

Sophia was floored by the news, and Matthew was even more shaken.

"No way," Matthew muttered, shaking his head like he was trying to wake up from a bad dream. "If she was a virgin, why wasn't there any bleeding? And she had an affair with Daniel. She couldn't have been a virgin. You're lying."

Matthew sat there, looking like he'd been hit by a truck, his eyes empty and tears streaming down his face.

This whole mess was a tragic misunderstanding between a guy with old-school views and a woman stuck in traditional ways.

If the misunderstanding had been cleared up earlier, it might've been different. But time couldn't be turned back.

Faced with the cold, hard facts, words felt useless.

Matthew finally confessed to instigating murder and domestic violence. In his fifties, he lay on the table, crying like a kid.

Sophia finished her notes and stepped outside.

The sky was bright, with white clouds drifting and the sun shining. The warmth of the sunlight felt like it was washing away the gloom in her heart.

Sophia headed to the villa and found the surveillance footage in the study.

The video showed Bianca jumping off the building; Chase hadn't lied.

But Bianca's phone was still missing, like it had vanished or was forgotten somewhere.

As Sophia left the villa, a gust of wind blew over a trash can, sending garbage flying everywhere.

Wearing her glasses and a black trench coat, Sophia walked down the road. A piece of white paper flew towards her, and she caught it just before it hit her face.

The paper was a bit crumpled, but the bold black letters [Accidental Death Insurance] stood out.

The beneficiary was Daniel.

The signatory was Bianca.

On the back, there were a few handwritten words in strong, forceful handwriting: [I owe you nothing anymore.]

Seeing the note, Sophia closed her eyes, feeling lost in the wind.

She couldn't imagine what Bianca was feeling when she wrote those words—maybe despair, pain, or relief.

Sophia could almost feel Bianca's powerlessness under Daniel's control.

If Bianca could've divorced, she would've done it long ago. It wasn't that she didn't want to; Matthew just wouldn't let her take any of the property.

Bianca knew the consequences of crossing Matthew.

For someone as vulnerable as Bianca, she must've been utterly desperate.

Just like the neighbor heard during their argument, "Are you trying to drive me to my death?" Bianca saw no way out but death. A beautiful life ended just like that.

Two days later, at Bianca's funeral, there were no tears.

She had no family, no friends. Even Daniel didn't show up. The funeral home took care of everything.

At least her grave was pretty grand, with a big tombstone that gave it some dignity. Bianca's name was carved into it, and the photo showed her smiling. She looked beautiful when she smiled.

Sophia placed a bouquet of flowers in front of Bianca's grave and bowed deeply.

Half an hour later, all the staff had left, and the place felt empty and lonely.

Sophia was the last to leave. After she walked away, Chase showed up with a bouquet of flowers.

Step by step, he walked to the grave. After bowing, he sat down and took a phone out of his pocket, placing it next to the grave. "Mrs. Moore, thanks for giving me the phone. I'll hand over the evidence to the police and make sure that jerk gets what he deserves. But this is just punishment."

Chase sighed, looking at the grave, and said softly, "If only you had listened to me. That night, if you had killed him, you would've been truly free, right? Why didn't you do that?"

"Her conscience wouldn't let her do it." Sophia stepped out from behind a large tree, slowly approaching Chase.

Chase looked at her, a bit surprised. "You knew I'd come?"

Sophia nodded. "I kept wondering where her phone went. Everyone else said they hadn't seen it. And why was there an ether-soaked towel in Mrs. Moore's room? Why did Mr. Moore fall asleep for no reason, and why was there a rope next to his pillow when he woke up? Coincidentally, the ether-soaked towel and rope that Ms. Anderson prepared went missing, and she didn't know where they went. So the only person who could take things from Ms. Anderson without arousing suspicion was you."

Chase stared at Sophia, then gave her a thumbs up. He exhaled, "I didn't want Mrs. Moore to die. She had it really rough."

Sophia raised an eyebrow, "And then?"

Chase calmly said, "The real culprit was Matthew. If he died, Mrs. Moore could be free, including my mom."

Sophia said heavily, "So you wanted her to kill Mr. Moore?"

Chase nodded, "That night, I went to Mrs. Moore's room and told her Matthew was going to harm her. I wanted her to fight back. I gave her the ether-soaked towel and the rope. All she had to do was knock Matthew out and strangle him. But she didn't do it. In the end, she couldn't overcome her inner turmoil."

Sophia looked him in the eye and asked, "And you? Did you do it?"

Chase looked helplessly at the sky, his eyes bright, and slowly answered, "I thought about it."

Sophia said sternly, "You should be a law-abiding good kid."

Chase looked at the tombstone. "Mrs. Moore said the same thing."

At that moment, the clouds parted, and sunlight shone down, covering the tombstone, making it sparkle like gold.

In the photo, Bianca was smiling happily.

It felt like everything had gone back to decades ago when she was still that beloved little girl.