Chapter 71

Tom took off without a second glance.

He left Tony and Lally's regrets behind, or maybe it was just Tony's regret all along. Tom always said Anna was like a stand-in for Lally, filling that empty spot in Tony's heart.

Would a guy really go after someone who reminded him of his past just because he missed them?

I was pacing up and down the hospital hallway. The lights were dim, and it was super quiet.

The sound of my heels clicking on the floor was driving me nuts, so I leaned against the wall, lost in thought.

When it came to Tony and Anna's marriage, meeting Tom gave me some answers.

Maybe it was a weak and selfish feeling, but not for Tony. When he talked about Anna, his voice and eyes were full of love. Even knowing about Anna's ties with the shareholders of Digital Leap Technologies, he still cared for her, showing how much he depended on and loved her.

And Anna? She was definitely vain, and like Lally, she had her share of painful memories. But unlike Lally, who was stuck in her bad luck, Anna seemed driven by a love for wealth and power.

Reform? I didn't think so. A woman like her wouldn't give up after one setback unless she faced something unbearable.

But why did she keep coming to me to find a job for Tony?

And how did she know about the big insurance policy Tony and Tom took out for Tammy?

From a money-making angle, I was just a journalist editor making around $100,000 a year. What could she possibly gain from me? On the other hand, that insurance policy was a big deal.

Tom said the shareholder Anna was involved with had no ties to the child trafficking ring. If we thought about it that way, the two questions I had seemed unrelated.

But what if that shareholder was part of the crime group?

Then it all made sense. Anna got close to Tony to find others who escaped back then, to track them down. And she came to me because I had just started digging into this case.

In other words, these people were after not just those who escaped the child trafficking ring but also me, the one investigating it.

Tony, Lally, and Tom all wanted me to leave Silverlight City for this reason.

For a moment, I felt completely lost.

In the police, prosecutor's office, and court departments I knew, everyone connected to the True Love Entertainment Club arson and murder case had been reassigned.

Even Benjamin, who had helped me, was sent on a business trip. Leonard had to protect himself and investigate secretly, and I hadn't heard from him in days. I was worried and called to check on him a few days ago, and thankfully, everything was normal.

They trusted me with the truth of the case, working at the magazine for more flexibility. But now it seemed I was also being watched by those people. If my guess about Anna's purpose was right, they might have started investigating me a long time ago, maybe even watching me during the trial.

I smiled bitterly. It seemed that reassigning the people involved in the murder case had another purpose, to isolate me. Even if I disappeared from Silverlight City one day, no one would notice.

Was this why they wanted me to leave Silverlight City?

There was no real empathy in this world. When a husband died mysteriously, everyone told the wife to let it go because it was too dangerous.

Was that "for your own good" or just a self-righteous moral stance?

I wasn't backing down. Even if it meant death, I was going to uncover the truth.

But Zoey and Howard couldn't get too involved. Things were already dangerous, especially for Zoey. She was smart and kind-hearted, but our good relationship shouldn't put her at risk.

If I had to face the abyss and the end, it would be me alone.

By now, it was noon, and the sun was at its peak.

The first ray of sunlight finally entered the corridor, shining through the glass door. It didn't light up the whole area, but it did chase away the oppressive, dark mood, making even the dim corners seem lively.

If Tom could withstand the encroaching darkness, what would he think when he saw this ray of light?

Would he, like Lally and Tony, come to his senses and tell me everything?

I followed the direction of the light. Outside the glass door was a sky bridge connecting two buildings, long and straight, like a link between life and death, leading to the oncology ward.

A few patients sat in wheelchairs, their skin dry and sickly. Their hair, due to chemotherapy, was almost gone.

They tilted their heads back, closed their eyes, and greedily soaked up the remaining moments of sunlight, either in their final days or already beginning to say goodbye.

Alan used to hate coming to the hospital. He said seeing these patients always pained him.

I used to tell him he was thinking about life and death too early, being too pessimistic, with a soft heart not fitting for a man from the North. Alan would just smile and say nothing.

Now, Alan was gone, and I had found parts of his past.

Now, the questions of life and death, compassion, or a soft heart were all left for me to resolve.

Thinking of this, I felt a wave of sorrow, sighed deeply, and pushed open the door, walking towards the sky bridge.

Because I saw a patient, very weak, barely able to sit up, slumped in a wheelchair. Unlike the others, he wasn't looking at the sunlight but sitting in the shadows, coldly laughing at those enjoying their final moments in the sun.

This person must be quite influential, at least in society. Despite his weakness, his eyes were still sharp, hinting at his former prowess in the business world. But his overall demeanor was somewhat weak and even gloomy.

He saw me, waved weakly, and smiled.

This meeting wasn't as heart-wrenching as the first. His smile reminded me of his college days in the drama club, where many girls were charmed by his smile.

But I knew, as Alan mentioned, he was a pessimist. His warm smile was practiced, hiding deep pessimism or even hypocrisy.

In college, I heard his real smile was ugly, almost crazy, even grim.

Just like now, he looked like a wolf hiding in the forest swamp, dying from an incurable tumor.

A few days ago, I went to his company and even his house, but they said he had gone to Edria.

Now, I found him in the hospital. It was Frank.