Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

Violette sat on the ground, looking at Dexter. "Where’s Sophia..."

Dexter dropped the stick in his hand as if he had been startled by something. He turned and ran, but Zion pinned him.

"Why are you running? What’re you doing here? Take him back for interrogation!"

Zion shouted, seething with rage-

It was always Dexter!

I knew that Zion’s suspicions of Dexter had deepened.

I sighed in relief. That was a good sign.

As long as the truth was discovered soon and my body was located...

The police took Dexter away, and Zion carried Violette.

I was temporarily relieved and stood there in a daze, looking at the lollipop that Dexter had dropped.

It was fruit–flavored.

Dexter was arrested, and the police interrogated him for 24 hours. He didn’t say a word.

Without evidence, the police had to let him go for the time being.

I sat in the police station lobby, watching Dexter being led away by the Black family. My vision was numb.

This murderer... was too cunning.

Dexter still seemed to be of great value to the Black family. The Black family had hired Huma’s best lawyer to bail him out.

I wondered if it was proven that Dexter was the serial killer, would the Black family try to get him out?

If that was the case, then those dead women were too pitiful.

In the afternoon, Damien came to the police station to inquire about the investigation.

He seemed very eager to know if I had been found.

I guess he wanted to find out if I was dead.

"The mission failed because it wasn’t Juliet." Zion began to suspect Dexter, assuming that Dexter decided not to kill because he realized that Violette was not Juliet.

"We found a handkerchief with traces of sedatives in Dexter’s pocket. There was a stick and other criminal tools too." Zion frowned. Even if Dexter was released on bail, they would still keep an eye on him.

"It’s Dexter, that lunatic! He’s the murderer! Sophia must be in his hands!" Damien angrily exclaimed. "Why don’t you arrest him?"

"First of all, the lunatic you’re talking about is the scion of the Black family. Ignatius Black stepped in to bail him out."

"Secondly, they’ve hired the best legal team to release Dexter on bail. And lastly... Dexter has a psychiatric evaluation to prove that he has a mental disorder. Even if he carries drugs and a stick in his pocket, there’s no way to tell that he’s the murderer."

Zion warned Damien to act rationally.

Things would be different if Juliet was the one who went that night. Once Dexter was arrested in the process of trying to kill her, Zion would have the confidence to detain Dexter temporarily.

Damien didn’t say anything and took a deep breath.

The Black family... was indeed not to be trifled with.

"I always have this feeling that... Sophia is right beside..." Damien muttered.

After a while, he spoke again, "If we keep an eye on Dexter, is it possible... to find Sophia?"

Zion didn’t say anything, but he hoped so.

The police had already started to suspect Dexter and were watching him 24 hours a day.

I believed that under such tight surveillance, he would show his true colors sooner or later.

Violette sat on the bench, looking a little lost. "Is Dexter the murderer? Why don’t I think so?"

I sat down next to Violette, smiling gently. "That’s because you’re too kind."

Violette froze, turning her head in my direction.

I froze too, not knowing why I felt like crying.

Her eyes betrayed her deep sadness, and she shook her head. "Sophia’s going to be okay."

"Murderers are all good at pretending, especially psychopaths," Damien said in a deep voice.

"He doesn’t seem to be pretending." Zion, being a police officer, had his fair share of experience. "I’ve contacted experts in criminal psychology. I suspect... Dexter has multiple personalities or some other mental disorder."

I shook my head and sighed. I had suspected Dexter was suffering from multiple personality disorder before. Yet, now I was more inclined to believe that Dexter had an accomplice.

"Zion, the bodies of the women who were adopted in that photo have all been found. All except for a woman named Mildred Silva, and this Juliet."

A colleague came over and looked at Zion. "We’re searching for Mildred."

Zion nodded.

-Can’t we just arrest that lunatic? Why does the Black family still want to protect a loony guy!

Damien’s emotions spiraled out of control as he turned and left the police station. He intended to confront the Black family.

I ignored Damien. He wasn’t anxious for my sake. He was just worried that Dexter would hurt Juliet.

Violette’s eyes reddened as she turned her gaze to Zion. "Seriously? Is there no other way? We can only keep our eyes on Dexter? Is that it?"

"Let’s wait and see. We’re watching Dexter." Zion poured Violette a cup of hot water.

Violette took it, but her tears couldn’t be held at bay. "I’m afraid... I’m afraid Sophia is now..."

"Violette, I’m fine," I reassured her in a hushed tone, suddenly feeling relieved.

I was dead by now. At least I didn’t suffer much.

The pain of dying was all but forgotten now too.

"Officer Landon! Something’s wrong..."

Outside the door, a young policeman rushed in with a pale face. "Dexter sneaked out from the Black family’s residence. We followed him all the way... We found Mildred’s body in the ditch behind the old orphanage..."

There was a victim.

I stood up in horror.

Did that lunatic kill so many people?

The girls who were adopted were all killed, one by one..

What could be the reason behind this?

That lunatic threw away the bodies of the people from the orphanage earlier but only kept hers.

What did he want to do?

Did he realize he killed the wrong person? Or was it...

"We’ve got Dexter, but he didn’t run. He stood still, waiting for us to catch him..."

"This time, on the body, we found... We found..." The police officer’s breath was shaky, and his voice was hoarse.

"What did you find!" Zion asked anxiously.

The young police officer glanced at Violette cautiously, hesitant to speak.

Violette was terrified. She stood there, trembling. Her breath came in shallow gasps. "Please, just say it," she whispered.

"Eyes..." The young police officer took a deep breath. "Dr. Sparks examined the corpse. According to him, the eyes in the victim’s sockets were put there after death".

"So, there’s a possibility the eyes may not belong to the victim. They might... belong to Sophia."

Violette collapsed, trembling all over. Her face was pale and devoid of colors.

Eyes....

Did that maniac gouge my eyes out?

My whole body was shaking. I was terrified.

What did that maniac want?

What was he trying to do?

"Crazy! He’s just crazy!" I shouted as I lost control of my emotions. I cried and crouched on the ground.

It was too cruel...

Zion’s face looked grim as he took a deep breath. "Take care of her. I’ll go check it out."

Zion wouldn’t let Violette go to the scene.

She couldn’t handle something like that.

"We can’t be sure before any test is done. Don’t worry." Zion didn’t know how to comfort Violette. He scratched his head and cursed as he walked away.

I stayed by Violette’s side, spacing out with her.

"Violette, I’m sorry. I’m dead and I can’t fulfill our promise."

I once promised Violette that if neither of us married, we would stay single. Then, we would find a city to spend our old days together.

I couldn’t fulfill that anymore.

Zion came back soon after.

The corpse was also brought back to the forensic department.

The coroner was still conducting the examination. This would take time.

Damien rushed over after hearing the news. He looked even more haggard and disheveled than he had in the afternoon.

"I don’t believe it... I don’t believe it!"

He didn’t believe that the eyes in the corpse would be mine.

The autopsy results were a harsh reality check for him.

Those were indeed my eyes.

At this point, Zion and the other officers were completely convinced that I had been murdered.

Violette sat on the ground in dejection, no longer struggling. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She believed that I was dead.

Only Damien, as if he had heard some kind of joke, lowered his head. What followed next was his laughter tinged with a sort of madness.

I no longer had the strength to confront him or to slap him. All these were meaningless.

"Now, the last person the murderer wants to kill is probably only Juliet," a female officer whispered.

Damien’s eyes were bloodshot. "Fine... I’ll wait for him."

"You’ve finally agreed to use Juliet as bait? It’s a pity... it’s too late." Zion said meaningfully, shaking his head. "It’s always after losing something that people realize its importance. How pathetic."

Damien clenched his hands tightly, saying nothing.

"What’s important? It’s best if she dies..." he yelled at Zion, his eyes red.

I knew he would think it would be best if I died.

I sighed. Looking at Damien’s current state, I couldn’t help but smile.

With me dead, he would be free.

At the door, the young officer lowered his eyes and said softly, "Officer Landon, Dexter... confessed. He said he killed her... He killed them all."

"What about Sophia? Where’s Sophia’s body!" Zion yelled out of control. "That bastard!"

"He won’t talk..."

I sat on the chair in a daze. This madman still refused to reveal the location of my body.

"What? That son of a bitch."

Zion lost control. Even as a police officer, he still couldn’t help it.

In a fit of rage, Zion entered the interrogation room. He turned off the surveillance camera and punched Dexter, knocking him to the ground and beating him.

No matter how his colleagues tried to stop him, they couldn’t.

Dexter laughed maniacally with blood on the corner of his mouth and his eyes frighteningly red.

"Where’s Sophia? She’s not from the orphanage. Why did you kill her? Why!" Zion shouted at Dexter.

"Soon... Soon, you’ll see." Dexter’s voice was a hoarse murmur.

Before long, everyone would see my body.

"After Juliet... is dead."