Chapter 4
I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I saw the lights of the highway—I had finally escaped safely.
The moment I stepped through my front door, before I could even catch my breath, I saw two police officers standing in my living room.
One of them said, “Are you Lydia Ford? We’re placing you under arrest for assault with intent to harm.”
My blood turned to ice, and my ears started ringing.
How was this possible?
In a daze, I was handcuffed and taken to the police station.
A week later, after my parents pulled every string and spent a considerable amount of money, I was finally released on bail.
During those days in custody, the police repeatedly interrogated me about how I had orchestrated the trap against Freya and the other team members.
I mechanically recounted what happened that day, but I could never explain why I was the only one who escaped completely unharmed.
I raised my bandaged arm: “I was attacked too. Isn’t this enough to prove my innocence?”
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16:20
The officer looked troubled: “According to the report we
Chapter 4
police confirmed my injuries were indeed caused by wild animals.
The officer seemed puzzled: “The people who went with you were basically all attacked by a large wolf pack. While they survived, most suffered severe injuries and permanent disabilities.”
+2 Bonus
Throughout the investigation, they couldn’t find any evidence of my involvement, and they discovered I had no grudges against any of the victims.
When all the clues were pieced together, it could only be attributed to coincidence.
Since they couldn’t build a case and my parents had paid substantial bail, I was finally allowed to
o go home.
a
Before leaving, I couldn’t help but ask: “Who exactly reported
me?”
The officer replied reluctantly: “Sorry, that involves confidential case information we can’t disclose.”
After returning home, my parents told me that the other team–building participants had suffered severe injuries and disabilities, with many losing their jobs as a result.
I stayed alone in my room for three whole days, trying to make sense of everything.
My parents thought my old wounds were acting up and I was feeling depressed, so they insisted on taking me to the nospil120
A
www
C
handle some business.
Feeling restless in the hospital room, I decided to go downstairs and walk around while they were out.
Passing by a regular patient room, I saw several familiar faces sitting inside.
Standing in the center of the room was Freya, completely unharmed, cheerfully distributing luxury gifts to teammates who were sitting in wheelchairs or lying in beds.
I felt a chill run through my body as I watched this scene, my stomach churning.
They had all clearly seen the three vicious wounds on my arm and the bloodstained sachet on the ground.
Yet now, they were like trained dogs, gathered around the real culprit, wagging their tails and begging for scraps.
Something was wrong. This was all wrong.
What exactly had Freya given them?
I instinctively clenched my fists, alarm bells ringing in my head -I couldn’t get dragged into this again.
I had barely taken a few steps when someone grabbed me roughly.
Freya said, “Lydia, how did you get released so quickly? I just Anished handing out apology gifts to everyone.”
16:20
+2 Bonus
Chapter 4
She looked apologetic: “It’s all my fault. I originally wanted to use the sachets to bring everyone good luck, but I didn’t expect someone to tamper with them.”
Everyone in the room noticed me.
Someone asked: “Lydia, you’re the only one who got away with just minor injuries. Did you lead the wolf pack to us?”
Freya quickly intervened: “Lydia, even if you hate me and are jealous of me, you shouldn’t have done something like this. We’ve all worked together for years—how could you bear to watch them lose everything, their jobs, and end up permanently disabled? You should apologize to everyone properly.”
I let out a cold laugh and walked straight to the center of the
room.
“Listen up!” I ripped off the bandages on my arm, revealing the hideous scar. “First, these wounds are identical to yours- all courtesy of Ms. Murphy’s sachets. Second, I warned you all that the sachets were problematic, but you insisted on wearing them anyway. You basically signed your own death warrants. I’m a victim here, and my conscience is clear. Go find whoever actually hurt you—you have no right to keep harassing me.”
