Tears streamed down my face.
“Don’t cover your mom’s head!” Jacob Campbell walked past me, pointing at my back. “Your mom has asthma!”
“Dad!”
I grabbed him.
I was afraid he would recognize that it wasn’t Mom but Yasmin, and on the other hand… I surprisingly wanted to say a few more words to him.
This was the most we’ve ever talked as father and daughter in our entire lives, and I never expected it to be under these circumstances.
“What are you doing?” Jacob Campbell suddenly turned around, revealing a terrifying scar on his dark face.
“I…” I stared blankly at him.
Should I tell him that the police were already deployed outside, ready to ambush him the moment he stepped out?
Should I tell him that leaving this warehouse would mean a dead end for him?
I once hoped so much for his death, especially when he hurt Cameron.
But now, I suddenly realized that blood ties were indeed real.
“Do you have anything else?”His gaze turned cold.
“Nothing.” I slowly released him.
“Laura,” he hesitated, looking at me and then at Yasmin’s covered face, before lowering his head to the box in his hand. “Are you… hiding something from me?”
I trembled all over, vigorously shaking my head.
“Laura, you brat, if you dare to play tricks, I’ll kill you first!”
He became alert, immediately squatting down to open the box. He pushed aside the layer of banknotes on top, revealing stacks of white paper underneath!
“Bastard… bitch!” Jacob Campbell’s face turned red with rage. He overturned the box, roaring with all his might. His large hand gripped my throat, pinning me against the iron pillar.
I was so scared that my whole body went limp, unable to move a muscle. All I could see was his contorted face twisted with rage.
“You brat, I knew you were playing tricks! Ah-”
I felt like I was about to die. The fear inside me reached its peak!
“Bang!” A gunshot rang out, sparks flying. The sharp sound of metal clashing reverberated in the dim space.
Jacob Campbell’s hand suddenly loosened, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked at me. “You dared to call the police?”
He pulled out a knife and swung it towards me. I ducked, but he grabbed my collar again. I screamed, and at the critical moment, I suddenly felt the collar loosen…
Jacob Campbell screamed in agony and rolled to the side, clutching his waist.
“Don’t be afraid,” came the familiar warm embrace, “I’m here.”
“Cameron?”
Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face as I buried myself in his arms.
While Jacob Campbell hadn’t gotten up from the ground yet, he gritted his teeth and pushed Yasmin outside. As he turned back, Jacob Campbell lunged at him, and the two of them wrestled into a tangle.
I panicked as I saw him tackle Cameron to the ground, straddling him and raining down punches. The thudding sounds struck my heart like knives.
“Jacob Campbell!” I screamed. “Let him go!”
I glimpsed the fallen knife on the ground.
Without much thought, I lost all sense of reason. I grabbed the knife and stabbed at Jacob Campbell…
“Laura, you dare to touch me?” Jacob Campbell turned back, his gaze fierce.
Before I could react, the knife plunged into his throat, piercing deep…
“Ah-”
In that instant, blood sprayed everywhere.
I couldn’t tell who was screaming. Was it my terrified shriek or Jacob Campbell’s hoarse cry… My ears buzzed like there were millions of bees buzzing. Everything before my eyes turned crimson, blood splattered on my face and body… The knife dropped from my hand, and I froze…
Jacob Campbell thudded to the ground.
His eyes widened with fear.
Cameron stared at me in disbelief.
Time seemed to stand still.
I looked down at the growing pool of blood… He convulsed like a worm, blood gushing from the wound in his throat.
How could there be so much blood?
My stomach churned violently, and I collapsed to the ground, retching uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face incessantly.
He won’t get up again, will he?
I’ve killed someone.
I’ve killed my own father…
Outside, police sirens blared incessantly. The police surrounded the area, taking photos, questioning, and handling the body. A large hand patted my shoulder, and another pair of hands helped me up… I was oblivious, my body feeling weightless, the whole world swaying.
Everything around me grew increasingly blurry.
That was the last impression before I passed out.
After that, I had a long dream. In the dream, I passed through a dark void that seemed to have no end. I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear various sounds-Cameron calling my name, Carter calling me, Queenie scolding me.
And Anne’s crying.
Suddenly, there was a half-cut tongue by my feet. I screamed in horror and dashed forward like a headless chicken. I heard Jacob Campbell sigh, muttering to himself, “Laura, I also wanted to take you with me… See you marry a good man, and give birth to a few grandkids for me…”
But in a blink of an eye, his voice turned cruel and malicious. “You brat, you little slut, dare to plot against me!”
“You killed your dad!”
His face appeared suddenly, huge and twisted. “You killed your dad, you’re the daughter of a murderer!”
“You are a murderer now!”
“A murderer killed your own dad!”
“No-”
I screamed and woke up, drenched in cold sweat in my hospital gown.
I curled up, and the hospital room was crowded with people. Doctors and nurses closely observed my condition, while several police officers stood solemnly by my bed.
“There’s nothing serious,” the doctor said with a gentle smile after examining me. “She’s just shocked and needs rest.”
“Officers, unless it’s absolutely urgent, please come back later. The patient needs rest.”
“Laura…” Patrick came in at some point and sat by my bedside.
I hugged my knees tightly, trying to make myself as small as possible.
Everyone else left, and only the two of us remained in the room. He looked at me quietly, sighed softly, and his warm, reassuring hand covered mine. My body trembled, and for some reason, I was particularly afraid of being touched by others.
“Laura, don’t be afraid.”
“Patrick…” It took me a while to calm down. “Where’s Cameron?”
Where was Cameron?
There were so many people in the room just now, but he wasn’t among them. Where did he go?
“He’s fine, don’t worry,” Patrick said. “He just has minor injuries, and he’ll be fine in a few days. Do you want him to come see you?”
“No!” I hugged my head tightly, fear spreading throughout my body.
“Laura…”
“You leave too!”
I completely lost control of my emotions. Even I didn’t understand how I became like this. I not only drove Patrick away, but also all the doctors and nurses. I didn’t want to see anyone, or rather, I was afraid to see anyone. I just wanted to bury myself in the blanket, if this was a small world, I would rather stay here forever and not come out.
Later, I understood that it was called PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
In simple terms, depression.
I isolated myself from the outside world, sitting in the hospital room every day, lost in thought. The scene of Jacob Campbell’s death before my eyes haunted me incessantly.
His terrified eyes, unable to close in death…
I looked at my hands, stained with blood. I had killed someone, my own biological father. The daughter of a murderer, doomed to the fate of killing!
Patrick came to see me every day, sometimes several times a day. He didn’t say anything, just sat quietly by my side. Occasionally, he would say a few words to me, telling me about what was happening outside. He said that my stabbing of Jacob Campbell was self-defense, considering his previous motive to kill me. Moreover, he was an escaped convict and deserved severe punishment.
He also told me that Yasmin was still kept in the dark. The effect of the sleeping pills I gave her was too strong, and when Yasmin woke up, she found herself in the apartment, feeling dizzy but otherwise fine.
However, what he didn’t tell me was that the Scott family was furious, and the Lynch Family was in chaos. It was only because Jacob Campbell died that this matter came to an end.
I was very grateful for Patrick’s careful attention to me. I wanted to talk to him about my feelings, but I found that I could only open my mouth, unable to make a sound.
The doctor said it was a symptom of PTSD, temporary muteness. Once my emotions stabilized, I would naturally be able to speak again.
During that time, I heavily relied on medication. I took countless sedatives every day, and taking sleeping pills became as routine as eating, scaring the doctors from prescribing more medication for me. But without the medication, I couldn’t sleep. I would toss and turn in agony, every nerve in my body throbbing with pain. It was a psychological pain, not a physical one.