“In theory, yes,” he looked at me gently, “Everyone should do it, everyone should be compared, that way it’s comprehensive and rigorous. It won’t wrongly accuse an innocent person, nor will it let a guilty one escape.”
I suddenly felt difficulty breathing.
“What if I don’t do it?”
Before Patrick could answer, Cameron in front spoke, “What, scared now? If you’re scared, just confess voluntarily. Then it can save us a lot of trouble!!”
“What are you saying!” My body trembled, “I’ve said it so many times, Anne’s death has nothing to do with me, nothing! Can’t you understand?”
A sudden harsh brake, and my whole body lurched forward, my hand hitting the front seat, another stabbing pain.
“Cameron, can you even drive?” Patrick protested loudly, rubbing his head. But Cameron paid no attention, his cold eyes were fixed directly on me, his angular face was clouded with gloom.
After a while, he pushed open the door and strode into The Lynch Family’s courtyard.
I followed in fear.
Inside, everything seemed normal. My parents were there, and Patrick’s arrival brought joy. They were all in the living room chatting and laughing, but Carter was nowhere to be seen.
I slowly made my way upstairs, growing more frightened the closer I got to our room.
It was strange. I had never been this scared before. Even with Cameron bullying me, it never made me feel this terrified.
Standing at the door, I took a deep breath. I had to face whatever was waiting for me. Perhaps this was my debt to The Lynch Family.
But just as I was about to push the door, it swung open by itself. Behind it was Carter’s somewhat weary face.
“You’re back,” his voice was hoarse.
I nodded.
He noticed the bandage on my hand, “Does it still hurt?”
I didn’t say anything, the feeling of wanting to cry choking me.
“I’m sorry, Laura,” he whispered, “I’m not a good man… When I get drunk, I take it out on women. I’m sorry.”
Listening to him, I felt a bit soft-hearted again, and tears welled up uncontrollably. Actually, between the two of us, what is there to apologize for? If anyone owed an apology, it was me who had betrayed him first. I was the sinner, and everything he did was just punishing a sinner.
Carter hurriedly wiped away my tears, “Laura, please don’t cry! I know… it’s all my fault, I’m sober now. Today was supposed to be a happy day, but I went looking for trouble. It’s all my fault!”
“Laura…” He approached, tentatively trying to embrace me. I didn’t resist, letting him hold me. At this moment, I felt no different from a walking corpse.
I recalled some zombie movies I had watched. Those terrifying creatures, heartless, thoughtless, and emotionless, with their only task being to stay alive.
I was like them now. My only thought was how to survive in this household.
Patrick had appeared. Perhaps my father had already been arrested, and sooner or later, they would uncover my relationship with him.
So, I couldn’t go through with that DNA testing. The strategy I needed was to delay and avoid as much as possible. If that didn’t work, I would escape from The Lynch Family again, but this time with better preparation than before.
However, if I stayed at The Lynch Family, Carter was the only one who could help me.
I looked up at him. He was still staring at my hand, full of self-blame. “How could I treat you like this… If it weren’t for Cameron today, your hand would probably…”
“Let’s not talk about that right now.” I straightened up, hiding my hand behind me. “Carter, could you do me a favor?”
Carter was momentarily stunned, but then he vigorously nodded, breaking into a smile. “Don’t just talk about helping. If there’s anything, just tell me, and I’ll get it done!”
I licked my lips and spoke softly, “Patrick is back, downstairs right now.”
“Patrick?” He frowned, “He’s back? It’s been years since I last saw him.”
“He’s a cop now, in charge of investigating your sister’s case.” My voice grew lower, “Carter, Patrick said he wants to find everyone related to that case and do DNA comparisons one by one. He says it won’t wrongly accuse the innocent and won’t let the guilty escape…”
“But, Carter, I don’t want to recall those past events. I don’t want to undergo that DNA test, and I don’t want to cooperate with Patrick’s investigation… Can you understand me?”
I sat on the edge of the bed, head bowed, tears streamed steadily down my face. I was well aware that my current state would inevitably stir sympathy from Carter. The most potent weapon a woman possessed was the ability to evoke compassion from a man.
In my heart, I apologized. I admitted my greed, my attachment to the luxurious life The Lynch Family provided, my reluctance to return to the days of instability and hardship, and my refusal to follow my biological father and become a hated rat.
My father killed Anne, and I took her place. I was guilty. Yet, I could only continue down the path of sin, using an even greater lie to cover up this lie.
I could only exploit Carter, rely on Carter, to achieve my unspeakable goal. I was truly shameless.
“Carter, I…” I approached him, willingly wrapping my arms around his waist. “I hope you can protect me, alright?”
Carter’s body stiffened, warm and hurried breath brushing against my ear. After a while, he let out a soft laugh, a sound quite different from his usual self.
“Laura,” he said, “what exactly am I to you in your heart? A tool? A shield?”
Carter’s words hit me like a tidal wave, and I stood there, frozen, staring at him in silence. The person I thought I knew so well suddenly seemed like a stranger, and the complexity of his emotions overwhelmed me.
I always thought Carter was easily swayed. Ever since we were kids, he protected me. Both of them lost sister, and Cameron always seemed to target me. But Carter seemed to have forgotten all about it. Since I joined The Lynch Family, he never mentioned it again. Even after we got married, he treated me with utmost care and tenderness.
But today, he was noticeably different.
He apologized not out of sincerity but to smooth things over. His eyes held a strange mixture of feelings, and his words seemed to carry hidden meanings. This was not the Carter I was used to – the protective older brother or the gentle husband who had treated me with kindness since our marriage.
I took a few steps back, feeling increasingly estranged from the Carter before me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He continued to gaze at me, then sighed softly before speaking, “I don’t mean anything… don’t misunderstand. I’m just reflecting on our relationship, Laura. In reality, we aren’t really a married couple.”
“But I am willing to consider you as my husband, to take care of you for a lifetime.”
“Even if you can never be a true woman for a lifetime, are you still willing?” Carter seemed to have suddenly grasped the truth.
I felt confused and astonished, experiencing for the first time the complexity beneath Carter’s exterior. As I contemplated how to respond, he sighed again, saying, “If you truly see me as your husband, I am willing to regard you as a real wife. Let’s forget about these unhappy things and start anew.”
“My health isn’t great, but I want to have a child. Laura, can you understand what I’m saying?”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded faintly.
“In that case, I will protect you. If you don’t want to recall the events of the past, that’s fine. I will help divert Cameron and Patrick’s attention. But… Laura, I also hope you can fulfill the duties of being a wife. Don’t think about people you shouldn’t be thinking about, okay?”
A sense of collapse overwhelmed me. I looked up at Carter, and a suffocating fear engulfed me from all sides.
“Carter, I…”
“Don’t say anything,” he smiled. “I know your feelings for Cameron, and I know he feels differently about you. Yes, he used to bully you when we were younger, but if he didn’t care, why would he bully you? ”
“Laura,” His hand cupped my face, the chill of his fingertips sending shivers down my spine, “I’m not foolish. I’m just choosing to turn a blind eye. If he had no ulterior motives towards you, then why, on the day of his engagement, would he be standing outside our room instead of being with his fiancée?”
I couldn’t find words. I just felt cold, shivering all over.
“As long as you stop thinking about him, I will help you.”
I locked myself in the room for a long time. Carter’s words echoed in my ears.
It turns out I knew too little about him. I had oversimplified things. Who was the fool here? A wife being intimate with another man – how could a husband not feel anything? Especially when my betrayal was so blatant.
But I can’t shake this feeling that something is off. Maybe Carter has remembered the day he fell down the stairs? Has he regained his memory?
However, the most crucial thing now was to peacefully coexist with him. He promised to protect me.
…