Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

Later, a police officer arrived to question me about Juliet. I remained silent, leaving the explanation to Violette.

The officer informed me that Juliet had dropped her charges, stating that she wouldn’t pursue the matter further. All I needed to do was apologize to her.

I continued to remain silent.

"What do you know about this killing game? From what we gathered, you’re just an ordinary person who graduated from college a few years ago with little social experience, and you often help homeless children.

"How did you manage to walk out of the ruined building unharmed? And your husband, he’s intellectually disabled with mental issues-sorry."

I had never met the officer questioning me. I understood he was just doing his job and had no intention of offending me when referring to Dexter as intellectually disabled. Nevertheless, I spoke up warily.

"I wouldn’t say I came out unharmed. I did fall down the stairs, resulting in a brain injury. I was in a coma for half a month. I just regained consciousness.

"As for why Juliet was injured, I assume she was overly frightened in that pitch-black environment, leading her to mistake me for an enemy. Thus, I don’t think I owe her an apology," I stated truthfully, though omitting certain details such as intentionally tearing her wound.

"I can vouch for her!" Violette angrily chimed in.

She was also telling the truth. She certainly hadn’t seen me harm Juliet.

Violette had never perceived me as someone who would hurt others, and Juliet’s "malicious" image had been deeply ingrained in her heart. Thus, she was inclined to side with me.

The officer glanced at Violette, then back at me. "But Mr. Coleman stated that he was present at the scene and implicitly confirmed that you harmed Ms. Turner."

"Mr. Coleman was also overly frightened in that circumstance. I don’t think any eyewitness testimony would hold much significance or value given the situation," I calmly and rationally answered his question.

I then added, "Juliet took a tumble and lost her balance on the stairs. By the time I saw her wound, she was already sobbing and screaming."

Despite the truth that Juliet fell off the stairs because she was terrified by me, I provided a kernel of truth amidst a tapestry of deception, altering the sequence of the events.

The officer nodded. "Understood. Since Ms. Turner has dropped the charges, this matter isn’t significant anymore. Please take a good rest. The task force will come to see you later. We ask for your cooperation."

I nodded as I watched the officer leave, then turned to Dexter, whose gaze remained intense and restless.

Fueled with fury, Violette cursed Juliet with every word she could think of.

After sitting numbly for a while, I slowly confessed, "I did harm Juliet." It was undeniable that I had resorted to violent means while questioning her.

Violette looked at me in surprise. "Then why didn’t you finish her off?"

I stared at Violette speechlessly before responding, "As a coroner, you should know better than to let friendship cloud your judgment, my friend."

"Oh, right." Violette scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. She then muttered under her breath, "Oh, whatever. Since Juliet dropped the charges, who cares?"

I knew Damien had ways to make Juliet drop the charges, so I hadn’t been too worried about it.

"I just wanted to see... how many steps it takes to turn a lie into truth," I said.

Obviously, that officer-an outsider-had bought my lies earlier.

The police had already documented the testimonies of everyone who managed to escape from that game alive, including Violette, Zion, and Eason. With their accounts and Juliet’s "wicked" image, most

people were more inclined to believe

my version of events.

"Do you know why Quinn could hide among us without being discovered?" I posed the question.

I explained, "It’s because most

people tend to perceive the weak in

a certain way, especially when Juliet, and other malevolent figures are present. We’re moral net likely to suspect Juliet and others like her than those who appear weaker.""

In essence, we could only perceive what others were willing to show us.

Since Peter had been portraying

himself as a loving husband and

devoted father, it suggested that he was concealing something beneath this facade. But how many secrets was he truly hiding?

"Dexter, do you think I shouldn’t have lied just now?" I asked Dexter.

He seemed to have been silent for the whole time.

"You lied because you knew that Juliet dropped the charges. Your lies won’t affect the investigation. If the charges hadn’t been dropped, you wouldn’t have lied. Instead, you would’ve confessed," Dexter said softly.

He indeed knew me too well.

"It’s human nature to protect oneself. It seems only natural for humans to act selfishly," I muttered. "Honestly, before I realized it, I was already lying just now."

My breath became heavier, my gaze trembling as I turned to Dexter, who was also staring at me intensely.

Dexter was aware that the past Sophia Milford lacked emotions. She was incapable of understanding feelings such as happiness, pain, despair, or heartbreak... even devoid of self-preservation. However, I understood all these... which made me somehow emotional.

The moment I learned that Damien had informed the police about my involvement in Juliet’s injury, I couldn’t help but wonder about Juliet’s true intentions. Was she trying to threaten me? And could this indirectly harm Dexter? Consequently, I chose not to engage with the officer despite his inquiries.

However, when he mentioned Dexter, my instinct for self-preservation kicked in almost immediately.

"Sophia... You’re fine just the way you are, always have been, and always will be... Don’t push yourself too hard," Dexter said as he pulled me tightly into his arms, his voice trembling with emotion.

It was clear that he understood the extent of my efforts to fit in... to become a normal person.

However, while normal people experienced emotions, they were also inherently selfish and capable of lying. They had flaws, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. Yet, it was these complexities and varied traits that made humans. They were a highly intelligent and adaptable species, surpassing all others on Earth.

So, when I found myself instinctively lying, I was taken aback in disbelief.

I looked at my hands, then shifted my gaze to Dexter.

In my restored memory, the Sophia Milford before amnesia felt like an outsider in this world.

After amnesia, I became like a newcomer who had stumbled into a trial game by accident. I experienced pain and disappointment in what seemed like a normal life, forgetting the fact that I used to be an "abnormal person".

I had to admit, I felt somewhat grateful to Damien. Without his "episodic teaching", I wouldn’t have become the current me.

I was like an old tree that had been withered for a long time, suddenly sprouting new shoots. I was now filled with vitality and growing branches.

However, this was a lengthy process as there were still many challenges awaiting me in this world...

Suddenly, my train of thought was disrupted by a knock at the door. Glancing over, I saw a tall man in a suit standing there.

The man was good-looking, with

some resemblance to Dexter,though not much. He had a confident demeanor, reminding me of Damien. He gave off the air of a capable and seasoned senior executive in some company.

I surmised he was the heir Martin had carefully cultivated in secret, the man who had led Martin to treat his son, Dax, as expendable.

"Hey, Dexter," the man greeted Dexter with a smile, his expression genuinely friendly and non-threatening.

However, I could sense the danger emanating from this man’s presence. Something told me that he was more than met the eye...

"You must be my brother’s wife. Hi, I’m Jimmy Black," the man said as he approached with a fruit basket, extending his hand to me in a friendly gesture.

I frowned at him. I had investigated Jimmy Black beforehand because I was wary that Martin might harm Dexter, and "genius" was just one of Jimmy’s least conspicuous labels.

Jimmy grew up in Melovia, receiving only the top education along his journey. He was meticulously nurtured by Martin at great expense. Now, I suspected he might also be a genome-edited human. What worried me even more was that Jimmy had received a good education on top of his given gift. He was deeply influenced by Ulophia’s aggressive capitalist ideology... Dexter might not be his match.

"You’re in the wrong place," Dexter interjected before I could speak, his demeanor cold and commanding.

"Go out, turn right, go straight, take the stairs down, and you’ll find the morgue. If you still don’t know the way, Lean take you to the crematorium," he added, histone sharp and unwelcoming.

When Dexter faced his "enemy" Damien, he often resorted to throwing tantrums and acting childishly because he never regarded Damien as a competitor of his level. Yet, Jimmy Black was different.

He exuded an air of danger, with his

mere presence releasing pheromones that instantly set other high-level men on edge. It triggered a response akin to the rivalry observed among powerful animals.