Chapter 8

At the police station, two people sat facing each other. Vanessa sat motionless in the chair, her expression dazed. Half an hour had passed, and she still hadn't spoken to or acknowledged anyone. The officer across from her could only sigh repeatedly. Just then, his colleague walked in and said they had found Baxter's phone number. He immediately dialed the number. "Is Vanessa Shaw your wife?" Baxter paused for a second before replying, "Yes." Hearing this, the officer immediately switched to speaker and hit the record button. "Mr. Johnston, Ms. Shaw appears to have been the victim of a sexual assault. "She's in shock right now, so we need you to come to the station and bring her home." There was silence on the other end of the call for a few seconds. Then, came a cold scoff, "Vanessa, how long are you going to keep up the act? That man was someone you hired, and yet you're taking this to the police station? I don't have time to play along with your little game. "Officer, if she's so eager to stay there, then let her. A night in the lockup might help her reflect on things." With that, the line went dead. The entire room fell silent. Vanessa's eyelashes fluttered faintly, and her lips curled into a bitter smile. In the end, things went just as Baxter had wanted. She went from being a victim to being labeled a public nuisance and was detained at the station that very night. That night, Vanessa had never felt more clear-headed. She sat from night to dawn without shedding a single tear, silently counting down. There was just one day left. She was released the next day. Instead of going home, she headed straight to the cemetery. She wanted to visit Sonya one last time before leaving. But when she arrived, she couldn't find Sonya's grave no matter how hard she searched. "What did you say?" "Your mother's ashes were relocated. Ms. Tanner brought in a signed authorization letter yesterday and paid the relocation and maintenance fees, so we approved the transfer." Tabitha, again? How did she even know Sonya had died? With questions swirling in her head, Vanessa rushed back to the villa. As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw her. Tabitha was in the courtyard, trimming a potted plant. The flowers were in full bloom, and she was admiring them with great interest. Vanessa strode straight over and yanked her by the wrist. "Where are my mother's ashes?" The pot fell to the ground with a crash. But Vanessa didn't care. All she wanted was to know what had happened to Sonya's ashes. She could feel her body shaking with rage. Tabitha glanced at her but said nothing. Calmly, she looked down at the spilled soil. "What a pity," she said with a sigh, only to smirk the next moment. "I was going to give it to you as a gift. So, you shouldn't put this on me, okay?" Hearing this, Vanessa looked down. Among the brown soil were not just pebbles, but scattered white-gray powder that clearly didn't belong. That powder looked exactly like ashes.