Chapter 251 Do You Hate Us That Much?

Chapter 252 Who Exactly Is Aurelia?

Aurelia bit her lip, and tears suddenly streamed down her face: "My leg is broken... my whole life is ruined."

She kept repeating this phrase, her voice getting quieter and quieter.

Aurelia stood in the hotel lobby leaning on a crutch, her hair plastered wetly to her face, her lips pale from the cold, her whole body shaking. Her soaked clothes clung to her body, revealing her skeletal frame. She looked utterly miserable.

Anyone who saw her would think she was a poor girl pushed to the edge.

Her voice was soft and hoarse, as if she was using her last bit of strength to speak: "I'm an orphan. I grew up in a welfare home. The other kids there bullied me, stole my things, pushed me to the ground and stepped on me. I had no new clothes, no new backpack, nothing at all."

She cried so hard her whole body shook, her voice breaking as if she was pouring out all these years of grievances.

"After I got into college, I thought I could finally turn my life around. But when I got here, I realized I was still nothing. My classmates saw my shabby clothes and called me a country bumpkin behind my back. I worked like crazy - handing out flyers, washing dishes, tutoring - sleeping only three or four hours a day, but I still couldn't change anything."

She sniffled, tears dripping down her chin and soaking the front of her clothes.

"So I thought, I have to grab onto something. I have no background, no one to rely on. I can only rely on myself. I did a lot of wrong things, used a lot of shameful methods, but I had no choice, I really had no choice... If I don't climb up, I'll get trampled to death."

She lifted her head and looked at Anna, her eyes filled with envy and jealousy, along with an indescribable bitterness.

"Do you know how jealous I am of you?" Her voice suddenly became very low, as if talking to herself. "You have everything, you don't have to do anything. But me? I scheme and claw my way up, and in the end I still end up like this - my leg ruined, my reputation destroyed, nothing left."

She lowered her head, her shoulders shaking violently.

"I'm sorry." Her voice seemed to squeeze out through clenched teeth. "I really know I was wrong. I shouldn't have tried to harm you. I just... just had a moment of twisted thinking."

She lifted her tear-filled eyes to look at Anna, full of pleading: "Can you... forgive me?"

Everyone fell silent.

Anna looked at her with a complicated expression, her lips moving slightly.

Just then, the hotel's glass door was pushed open from outside.

Two people in uniform walked in.

Leading them was a female officer in her forties, her expression serious. Her gaze swept around the hotel lobby and finally settled on Aurelia: "Aurelia Blake?"

Aurelia turned around, her face still streaked with tears, looking somewhat confused: "That's me... what's wrong?"

The female officer walked up to her, pulled out her badge from her pocket and showed it briefly, her voice emotionless: "We found a body. We now suspect you're connected to this murder case. Please cooperate with our investigation."

Aurelia froze, a tear still hanging at the corner of her eye: "What murder case? Officer, you must be mistaken... I'm just a weak, disabled girl. Who could I possibly kill?"

"This afternoon, a female body was discovered in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town." The female officer looked at her, speaking slowly and clearly. "After DNA testing and identity confirmation, the deceased is Aurelia Blake."

The air instantly froze.

Aurelia's body stiffened in place, the tear tracks still wet on her face, that pitiful expression frozen there.

"The victim has been dead for at least a week." The officer's voice was cold and clear. "Aurelia is dead, yet you've been living under Aurelia's identity. We have reason to suspect you killed her to take her place."

The lobby was so quiet you could hear the central air conditioning humming.

Then Aurelia laughed.

The laughter was soft, as if seeping out bit by bit from deep in her throat, with an indescribable eeriness.

Her face still had the tears from moments ago, but the smile had completely replaced all other expressions.

In those red, swollen eyes, the grievance and pitifulness seemed wiped away by an invisible hand, revealing the cold, sharp gleam underneath.

"Found out so quickly," she said, her tone suddenly changed, the drawn-out ending carrying a lazy nonchalance. "I thought I could keep this up a bit longer."

She reached up to wipe the tears from her face, moving slowly. When she finished, she lifted her face and gave Anna a knowing smile.

She tilted her head: "What a shame. This identity got exposed so fast. I wasn't done playing yet."

Ethan's expression had darkened completely. He pulled Anna behind him: "Who the hell are you?"

She smiled: "Haven't you guessed yet?"

"Ethan, I saved you so many times. You owe me a debt you couldn't repay in your next lifetime."

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly and coldly spoke a name: "Cassandra."

Anna's mouth fell open slightly: "How is that possible? Isn't Cassandra dead?"

"You're all still alive, how could I bear to die?" She straightened up on her crutch. Though still in that frail body, her whole demeanor had completely changed, like a wolf shedding its sheep's clothing.

The female officer took handcuffs from her waist: "Enough talk. You're coming with us now."

Cassandra was handcuffed. She turned her head, her tone gentle: "Anna, you think this is over? I still have a big gift to give you. Just wait."

Anna stood behind Ethan, quietly watching her.

"You'll receive it very soon." She blinked, the corners of her mouth curving up. "I hope you like it."

The officer didn't give her another chance to speak. She and her partner grabbed her arms from both sides and led her out. She didn't resist. When she reached the door, she looked back at Anna one last time, her smile somewhat eerie.

She had already contacted people and arranged the next step of her plan.

Even if she died, she would never let Anna have peace.

A few days later, it was time for Anna's prenatal checkup again.

Ethan was supposed to go with her, but had to go on a business trip at the last minute. Anna told him to go, saying she'd just take bodyguards with her.

This time she brought two bodyguards, who followed her into the maternity hospital on either side.

The examination went smoothly. The baby was fine. Anna came out of the examination room, planning to use the restroom before leaving.

The restroom was at the end of the corridor. The two bodyguards stood outside the door waiting.

Anna pushed the door open and had just walked to the sink when the stall door behind her suddenly opened. Before she could turn around, a hand reached from behind and covered her mouth and nose.

A pungent smell rushed into her nostrils, and her consciousness was instantly drained away.

The two bodyguards waited outside the restroom door for ten minutes. Anna still hadn't come out.

One of the female bodyguards pushed the door open to check. The restroom was empty, with only one of Anna's earrings on the sink and a few drops of fresh blood on the floor.

"Damn it." The female bodyguard cursed and immediately rushed out. "Mrs. Gray has been kidnapped!"

The entire hospital was searched top to bottom. No one could find Anna.

That evening, a fire broke out at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

When the fire department arrived, the fire had mostly burned out. Half the warehouse roof had collapsed, and everything inside was burned to charcoal.