04
The next day, Alan arrived with a thick stack of case files in hand.
Standing with his back to Marvin, he opened the files one by one.
Curious, I drifted closer to take a look the moment I saw what was inside, my heart ached with a pain sharper than any blade. They were records of Vinnie’s case. Sparse notes condemned her death as a simple accident: drowning.
“Peter was in charge of this case back then,” Alan said coldly. “I questioned him about it yesterday
With his son still missing, Peter was desperate and had no choice but to come clean.
Three years ago, on the very day my daughter was kidnapped, Peter’s son had been exposed for embezzling 50 million from Levi’s company.
Levi used this as leverage, forcing Peter to abandon the investigation into Vinnie’s disappearance.
Alan flipped through the photos, his expression momentarily softening with pity, though his professionalism held firm. Turning back to Marvin, he said gravely. “You could simply tell us the truth. That would help us investigate and bring justice to your wife and daughter faster.”
Marvin didn’t flinch. His eyes bore into Alan’s, unyielding.
“Humans can survive about three days without food,” Marvin said, his tone eerily calm, “So I’m giving you three days.
Three days. It was the same amount of time Peter had wasted back then.
News of Marvin killing his fiancée spread quickly. The tragedy of Karen’s family was too sensational to keep quiet.
Public opinion swirled in a frenzy, forcing authorities to act.
Marvin understood this game all too well, if he handed over the truth outright, higher–ups might sweep the case under the rug. rushing to close it without causing further ripples.
But with the weight of public scrutiny, people would demand answers.
Alan, visibly frustrated, could do nothing but accelerate the investigation.
He wasn’t originally from this police precinct and lacked knowledge of the prior cases.
Adding to the difficulty, much of the evidence from Vinnie’s case had been deliberately erased. With Levi and Karen both dead and Marvin refusing to cooperate, Alan found himself stuck.
One side held a hostage with an uncertain fate, the other was a labyrinthine case mired in years of buried secrets.
When the detention center’s heavy doors clanged shut behind him, Marvin finally let his guard down. He leaned into the comer of the cell, his thoughts slipping into desperation.
“Terra, will you hate me for reopening the wounds of our daughter’s death? But if I don’t, I’ll never get the chance to expose the truth. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry”
Marvin buried his face in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks. Scalding, bitter tears I could neither wipe away nor
console.
Vinnie’s life had been stolen, her suffering indescribable. Yet the forensic report ruled her death a simple drowning.
We refused to accept it. When Peter ignored our pleas, we turned to newspapers and media outlets, trying to bring the truth to light.
But no one would publish the story.
Even posts we made online were swiftly deleted.
There was an invisible force smothering every attempt we made.
At the time, Marvin had already established himself in society with connections and influence. Even so, he hit a wall at every turn, unable to expose the truth.
And then I, unable to bear the agony of our daughter’s unjust death, ended my own life. Only after my death did a sliver of truth finally come to light.
Karen, drunk and giddy at the news of my demise, had let slip a horrific confession: Her father, Levi, was a pedophile.
So, when Karen pursued Marvin again, he accepted her advances with open arms.
He needed to uncover the tridh.
