Chapter 10 It Must Be Her
After Terrence left. Kaleb stood by the cold riverbank, staring at his phone.
His screen flickered as messages constantly popped up, yet none of them
was from me.
He was probably thinking about the past. Back then, when I noticed that something was going on between Alena and him, I always got angry with
him.
Yet every time I vented my anger, I always thought that like I was being petty. After all, Alena was his stepsister, and it was understandable that he treated her well.
I tried to convince myself, repeatedly overturning my thoughts. I told myself that I shouldn’t let such trivial matters affect us, so I would always seek reconciliation.
It had been twenty–four hours since I sent my last message.
That day, I went missing.
“Bang!”
Kaleb threw a stone into the water, and his angry voice followed. “Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”
I stood next to him, bitterly smiling. In the past, even when we had the fiercest quarrel, I came back to him within 3 days.
He thought he understood my nature, thinking that I wouldn’t make any
fuss.
I quietly stared at his handsome face, which was now clouded with anger. When I was twelve, during summer camp, I got stuck on a mountain because of a heavy rainstorm, and it was he who risked a landslide to turn back and save me.
I cried and threw myself into his arms, asking why he had to be so foolish. What if he got hurt because of me?
He was covered in mud, but his smile was warm. He said that as soon as he thought of me being out there alone, scared, upset, and hurt, he just wished he could fly over and be with me.
At that time, I was too young to know what love was. I only knew that his embrace was warm, and I wished he could protect me for a lifetime.
Now, it was clear that he had made a mistake, but he showed no remorse. Instead, he thought I was just making trouble.
When he no longer loved me, anything I did would be seen as something
wrong.
On the fourth day after my death, Kaleb finally started to panic.
He opened our chat, only to find that he hadn’t received any new
messages.
My phone was still off.
“Mr. Harrington, here’s your collee.” Ilis assistant brought him a cup of coffee to help him stay awake.
Kaleb finally realized he had been staring at his phone for half an hour.
“It had been four days. Even if she was throwing a tantrum, Savannah
should have had enough by now.” he thought.
Kaleb stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked out quickly.
“Mr. Harrington, you have an important meeting soon.”
“Another day.”
Without even turning his head, Kaleb drove into the city and went to visit Kyra Larson.
“Ms. Larson, someone’s looking for you.”
I hurried to reach her. Kyra was a high school friend of mine. Forced by her parents, she gave up her major and went into teaching. She now taught at a middle school.
She knew my pain, so she had no good attitude toward Kaleb. “What are you doing here?”
“Is Savannah with you? Tell her that keeping making a fuss does no good to anyone…”
Kyra interrupted sharply, “What? Kaleb, are you crazy? Wasn’t it you who left her at the wedding site? What’s she throwing a tantrum about? The guests were the ones causing a scene, and it was she who had to apologize to everyone. Who’s the shameless one?”
Kyra’s words hit the point and Kaleb’s face darkened at once.
“I don’t owe you any explanation. Call her and tell her to go home!”
Kyra then realized that I hadn’t returned home for the past few days. She didn’t feel like scolding Kaleb anymore. “Is Savannah not at home?”
“You’re pretending, right? You’re her best friend, and every time we fight,
31.121
Chapter 10 Must Be Her
she comes to you, right?”
That was true. Kyra was my closest friend, so I always turned to her.
It made sense that Kaleb had thought I was with Kyra during these days.
Kyra’s face darkened at once. “What do you mean? My grandmother is seriously ill, and after attending the wedding, I went back to my hometown. I only returned to work today. What’s going on with Savannah? Did you upset her again? You bastard!”
Kaleb met Kyra’s bloodshot eyes. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and her cracked lips. These all showed that she had been up for days. She wasn’t lying.
Savannah was not with her. Where had she gone in those few days?
Kaleb quickly turned and left, with Kyra’s voice calling out from behind. “Kaleb, if anything happens to Savannah, I won’t let you off the hook!”
I reached out, wanting to smooth the messy strands of Kyra’s hair from her face, but I just couldn’t.
I sighed helplessly. “Kyra, I’m sorry I broke my promise. Please be happy.”
1
My hand could no longer touch her, and my voice would never be heard again.
Kaleb forcibly dragged me away again. He answered a phone call and drove off. He then stopped once more, his face pale and angry.
He dialed his assistant’s number. “Check on Savannah…”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The man I had loved for so many years only started to check for my whereabouts on the fourth day after I went missing.
I imagined my body must have already begun to rot by now,
Before he could finish his sentence, Alena rushed toward him as he opened the car door. “Kaleb, why have you been avoiding me these past few days?”
Alena pouted, looking as if she had been wronged.
Kaleb didn’t want anyone to find out about them, so he abruptly ended the call.
He looked exhausted as if he didn’t have the energy to deal with Alena.
“Alena, I have a meeting soon. If it’s not something important, I’ll head back to the company.”
Alena hooked her arm through his. “Kaleb, my art exhibition is opening today. Aren’t you coming to support me?”
Kaleb snapped back to reality. In the past few days, he had been so immersed in work that he not only neglected Savannah but also forgot about Alena’s exhibition, on which she had spent years.
“I’m sorry. Let’s go now.”
I smiled bitterly as I looked at the phone left aside.
For all those years! He was not for me after all.
Alena’s exhibition was at the Salthaven Gallery, a place where I had once wanted to hold my own exhibition.
Since we were children, both Alena and I loved painting. Our dad hired the former head of Pinnacle Art Academy to guide us.
The teacher always said I was the most talented student he had ever seen.
Chapter 10 en kist Be ther
Growing up in the Brook family meant that painting could only be my hobby. Our parents hoped we would focus on finance instead.
Whether managing our family business or eventually becoming a wife, I was meant to be a help to my husband. An artist couldn’t manage that.
Over the years, I secretly painted many works, hoping that one day, when I had the time, I could open my own gallery.
I never expected that I would die before realizing that dream. What was worse, Alena managed to do it.
I was not her after all. The whole family had worked so hard to find her, so they certainly adored her.
They would give her whatever she wanted. How could they ever let her bear any responsibility?
I followed them behind, a bitter feeling rising in my heart.
I died abruptly, and there were still so many things on my bucket list.
I could hear the praises around me. “Ms. Brook’s is so talented! A real genius.”
“No wonder she’s gifted. This ‘Water Lily‘ is so pleasing to the eye.”
Water Lily?
I looked up, and the painting before me was clearly the one I had painted.
When I turned my head, besides the “Water Lily,” there were many other paintings I had stored in the basement studio.
Alena had claimed my works and included them in her exhibition!
How could she do that? She stole all my work!
It was her. She must have had someone kill me.
