Chapter 256

The traffic officer had just pulled out his phone. Lily Song, flustered and panicking, tried to smack it away, but Daniel Richards caught her slender wrist in mid-air. His gaze was unreadable, laced with something deeper. “Don’t interfere. Let him do his job.” The officer chuckled. “Mr. Richards, true model citizen.” Then he hit play on the footage— [A woman crosses the street on a red light with a child in tow. The kid, clearly uneasy, tugged at her, but the woman seemed distracted, walking on without noticing.] [Suddenly, a white car sped into frame, brakes too late to matter. At the crucial moment, the woman let go of the child’s hand—to save herself.] [A loud impact. The little body lay motionless in a pool of blood.] … The screen went blue. Daniel stood frozen, eyes locked on the screen. The last image looped in his head—his Ella, sprawled in blood. He turned to Lily, his voice icy. “That’s what you call too late? You ran that light and when the car came, you left her there.” Lily