Revenge After Death

Later, a police officer arrived to question me about Yasmin. I remained silent, leaving the explanation to Rachel.

The officer informed me that Yasmin had dropped her charges, stating that she wouldn't pursue the matter further. All I needed to do was apologize to her.

I continued to remain silent.

"What do you know about this killing game? From what we gathered, you're just an ordinary person who graduated from college a few years ago with little social experience, and you often help homeless children.

"How did you manage to walk out of the ruined building unharmed? And your husband, he's intellectually disabled with mental issues-sorry."

I had never met the officer questioning me. I understood he was just doing his job and had no intention of offending me when referring to Steven as intellectually disabled. Nevertheless, I spoke up warily.

"I wouldn't say I came out unharmed. I did fall down the stairs, resulting in a brain injury. I was in a coma for half a month. I just regained consciousness.

"As for why Yasmin was injured, I assume she was overly frightened in that pitch-black environment, leading her to mistake me for an enemy. Thus, I don't think I owe her an apology," I stated truthfully, though omitting certain details such as intentionally tearing her wound.

"I can vouch for her!" Rachel angrily chimed in.

She was also telling the truth. She certainly hadn't seen me harm Yasmin.

Rachel had never perceived me as someone who would hurt others, and Yasmin's "malicious" image had been deeply ingrained in her heart. Thus, she was inclined to side with me.

The officer glanced at Rachel, then back at me. "But Mr. Ford stated that he was present at the scene and implicitly confirmed that you harmed Ms. Bailey."Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Mr. Ford was also overly frightened in that circumstance. I don't think any eyewitness testimony would hold much significance or value given the situation," I calmly and rationally answered his question.

I then added, "Yasmin took a tumble and lost her balance on the stairs. By the time I saw her wound, she was already sobbing and screaming."

Despite the truth that Yasmin fell off the stairs because she was terrified by me, I provided a kernel of truth amidst a tapestry of deception, altering the sequence of the events.

The officer nodded. "Understood. Since Ms. Bailey has dropped the charges, this matter isn't significant anymore. Please take a good rest. The task force will come to see you later. We ask for your cooperation."

I nodded as I watched the officer leave, then turned to Steven, whose gaze remained intense and restless.

Fueled with fury, Rachel cursed Yasmin with every word she could think of.

After sitting numbly for a while, I slowly confessed, "I did harm Yasmin." It was undeniable that I had resorted to violent means while questioning her.

Rachel looked at me in surprise. "Then why didn't you finish her off?"

I stared at Rachel speechlessly before responding, "As a coroner, you should know better than to let friendship cloud your judgment, my friend."

"Oh, right." Rachel scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. She then muttered under her breath, "Oh, whatever. Since Yasmin dropped the charges, who cares?"

I knew Michael had ways to make Yasmin drop the charges, so I hadn't been too worried about it.

"I just wanted to see... how many steps it takes to turn a lie into truth," I said.

Obviously, that officer-an outsider-had bought my lies earlier.

The police had already documented the testimonies of everyone who managed to escape from that game alive, including Rachel, Zion, and Eason. With their accounts and Yasmin's "wicked" image, most

people were more inclined to believe

my version of events.

"Do you know why Quinn could hide among us without being discovered?" I posed the question.

I explained, "It's because most

people tend to perceive the weak in

a certain way, especially when Yasmin, and other malevolent

figures are present. We're moral net

likely to suspect Yasmin and others

like her than those who appear weaker.""

In essence, we could only perceive what others were willing to show us.

Since Peter had been portraying

himself as a loving husband and

devoted father, it suggested that he was concealing something beneath this facade. But how many secrets was he truly hiding?

"Steven, do you think I shouldn't have lied just now?" I asked Steven.

He seemed to have been silent for the whole time.