Right at that moment, Corey had just returned from outside, affectionately linking her arm through his.
“Brother, I heard you telling them to look for me. Did you prepare a surprise for me?”
Corey blinked her big, innocent eyes.
But Julian shot a death glare at Corey.
It made a shiver run down her spine.
Before she could even speak, Corey was grabbed by the throat by Julian and shoved all the way down to the basement.
When she locked eyes with those men, her entire body instantly went stiff.
“Since you were little, what have you ever asked for that I didn’t give you? Why did you treat Chloe like this?”
“Why did you manipulate me into hurting her?”
Looking at Julian’s furious demeanor, Corey knew he had already discovered the truth.
She put on her tried-and-true tearful tone, acting aggrieved.
“Brother, I… I was just afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore.”
“I only did it because I didn’t want to leave you.”
But this time, Julian’s heart didn’t soften; he kicked her away.
“From the very day we brought Chloe back, I promised you I would never send you away!”
“You know I always keep my word, yet you still…!”
“You are the most vicious of all! You’re the one who killed her! You drove her to a dead end!”
He wished he could beat Corey to death right then and there.
But his Chloe had suffered so much; letting her die like this would be letting her off too easy.
So with a wave of his hand, Julian let the men inside torture Corey however they pleased.
For three whole nights, Corey’s agonizing screams echoed from the basement.
I used to desperately hope my brother would discover the truth, look at me, care about me, and believe me.
But now that the truth was finally out, I just floated quietly in the air, watching it all unfold like a bystander.
From then on, Julian lived in constant remorse and agony.
He donated every last penny of his fortune.
He knelt before his parents’ graves for a whole week.
It wasn’t until the very end that he finally spoke his first words.
“Mom, Dad, I failed Chloe. I am guilty.”
“I am willing to pay with my life to make it up to her.”
With that, he stood up like a walking corpse and numbly made his way to the sea.
He walked forward slowly and closed his eyes.
After the waves crashed over him a few times, he was completely swallowed by the ocean.
And at that moment, my soul also began to slowly dissipate.
Through the haze, I heard a familiar voice.
“Chloe, I failed you. If there is a next life, let me make it up to you, okay?”
I smiled and shook my head.
“No. Being Chloe is just too painful.”
