Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

Carol’s cheeks were red and swollen as she clumsily followed him out. She cried and spoke with hesitation as if struggling to express herself clearly. "Please, it’s 500. Please."

She begged desperately, her body trembling uncontrollably. It was obvious that she was in desperate need of money.

The man snapped and forcefully shoved Carol aside, angrily exclaiming, "Move out of my way! What an unlucky day! Fool!"

But weren’t they all bullying a fool? They would give others 500, but would only give Carol 200 each time.

"I need money. I really need money, please." Carol knelt on the ground and kept desperately begging.

I stood at the end of the corridor, watching her innocently begging, and felt incredibly unsettled.

"Hand over the money. You agreed on 500, so that’s what you need to give her. If you don’t, we’ll have to involve the police. If you’re not afraid of the shame of going to jail, then go ahead and try it!" I approached the man and grabbed him angrily.

The man became angry and wanted to push me, but Dexter quickly pushed him directly against the wall. In the end, the man cursed and tossed a stack of 300 dollars onto the ground before swiftly fleeing the scene.

Carol cautiously picked up the money from the ground, peeking fearfully at Dexter. She seemed to be very afraid of Dexter. Suddenly, she stood up and rushed back to the room, determined to lock the door.

Dexter instantly stepped forward and pushed the door open, demanding, "Open the door!"

Only then did Carol open the door in fear as she nervously backed away. "Dexter..."

Dexter stared at her in silence.

Carol secretly placed the cash under the pillow and cast an uneasy glance in my direction. "I didn’t... I didn’t push her on purpose."

She was scared that she had pushed me that day. Did Dexter come to see her? Dexter didn’t speak. He simply stood at the door and gazed at me.

I attempted to soothe her. "Carol, could we please have a conversation?"

However, she lowered her head and ignored me.

"I can pay you." Knowing she needed money, I reached into Dexter’s pocket for the cash and gave it to Carol. Dexter snorted reluctantly.

I was actually quite curious. Carol was Simeon’s sister, and Dexter and Simeon were close to each other. It was puzzling that he was reluctant when I asked him to get some cash out just now, considering he couldn’t ignore her when he had money.

Carol shook her head vigorously and took a step back. "I don’t want that. Simmy said that I can’t get something for nothing."

I was stunned. "But what you’re doing is illegal. And..."

I was somewhat embarrassed to say it, but this was simply not right.

Carol tilted her head and shook it. "Simmy always said that I can’t get something for nothing."

She had a mental disability and only seemed to remember this sentence.

"You get something for nothing by doing this too." I corrected her way of thinking.

She looked at me with fear, then turned to Dexter. "You too! Do you work for money? You... you sleep with him, and he gives you money."

Carol pointed at me and then at Dexter.

I felt somewhat powerless and was left speechless. "We are a married couple, and he enjoys spoiling me with his earnings."

Carol pursed her lips and muttered, "Shameless."

I was confused and looked at Dexter. What did I do to be called shameless?

Dexter’s gaze lingered on Carol, his expression filled with caution. He didn’t see her as just someone with intellectual disabilities, but rather as a dangerous person.

"I have something I’d like to ask you about. Could you please tell me?" I inquired tentatively.

Carol muttered, "You have to pay me."

Without hesitation, I handed over some cash to her.

She still repeated, "I can’t get something for nothing."

"Then what do you want?" I was about to lose my patience.

Carol pointed at Dexter. "Let him sleep with me and pay me."

I was left speechless, absolutely shocked. I glanced at Carol and then at Dexter. What was going on?

"Carol, he’s my husband." I attempted to change her mindset.

But Carol lowered her head and murmured. "It’s not like we haven’t slept together."

I momentarily froze as I thought I heard something unreal, then anxiously gazed at Carol. "What did you say?"

"I have slept with Dexter before," Carol said seriously.

I subconsciously looked back at Dexter. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He was always vigilant as if he already knew that Carol was going to talk nonsense. He took hold of my hands and patiently explained, "The ’sleep’ she referred to is a different kind of sleep."

I couldn’t quite understand what he meant. "What do you mean?"

Dexter gritted his teeth. "When we were in the orphanage, Simmy, Carol, and I often shared the same bed. But it was purely for sleeping. I slept with you and had a baby, that’s different."

I paused to take a deep breath, feeling a surge of anger from her words.

Carol kept talking foolishly, "He also slept with Simmy, and so did Sophia."

I was at a loss for words. What she said had the power to terrify people to the core.

Dexter was clearly upset as well. "Just answer her questions!"

Carol appeared to be afraid of Dexter, lowering her head and replying with a hint of grievance, "Okay."

"Do you still remember the worker who lived upstairs across from us committed suicide by jumping off the building?" I asked quietly.

She nodded with a stern expression. "I do."

"Before the worker committed suicide, do you remember if anyone came to see him?" I nervously inquired.

She looked at me and shook her head. "I don’t remember."

I felt rather let down. Yes, it was true. Carol was mentally disabled and struggled with remembering people.

Carol’s head tilted as she walked out of the door, pointing directly at the surveillance camera positioned outside her home. "Are you stupid? Dexter installed a surveillance camera for me. He said that if I’m ever in danger, I just need to shout at the surveillance camera, and he will come to save me."

For a moment, I stood there stunned. I shifted my gaze from the surveillance camera to Dexter. Indeed, he had connected with Carol very early on. He maintained continuous contact with her and even assisted her in installing a hidden camera.

Dexter nervously lowered his head, possibly avoiding eye contact with me.

Did he install a surveillance camera outside Carol’s house to ensure her safety? So, why didn’t he intervene and stop her from being a sex worker? It left me feeling perplexed.

"Is the surveillance footage with you?" I asked with a hushed tone.

Dexter nodded. "If you’re interested in watching it, we can go back and check it out."

I clenched my teeth and gripped his arm tightly. Why didn’t he tell me sooner?

With an aggrieved look, he turned to me and uttered, "I thought you wanted to look into Carol..."

After he finished speaking, he appeared momentarily taken aback before swiftly changing the topic. "I thought you were going to help Eason visit the site for investigation."

"Why should I ask her if there is surveillance?" I was trying to calm myself down.

"Then, let’s go home," Dexter said, feeling a twinge of guilt. He eagerly grabbed my hand as if he couldn’t wait to take me away.

Carol tilted her head, looked at me quizzically, and then suddenly smiled. "Sophia...is the murderer."

Dexter’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and his frigid gaze sent shivers down one’s spine. He glanced back at Carol. Overwhelmed in fear, Carol recoiled, crouching on the ground and clutching her head.

I also turned around in surprise. "What did she just say?"

Dexter shook his head. "I didn’t catch that."

Carol still murmured, "Sophia is the murderer... Sophia is the murderer..."

In fact, I did hear it. Carol was saying that I was the murderer. Was she still blaming me for taking Dexter away and causing Simeon’s death?