Chapter 121

I stared at the screen, watching the footage over and over again.

Savannah was worried about me and suggested I go home and rest.

I waved her off. "No, I feel like I know this guy. Maybe I can figure out who he is."

I kept scrutinizing the footage, frame by frame, trying to find something familiar about the man.

He was very cautious, completely covered in black, making it impossible to see who he was.

I could only rely on his build, walking style, and other subtle details to identify him.

His walk was distinctive-short, but with a swagger that made him sway side to side.

After a long while, a name suddenly popped into my head: Earl.

Yeah, Earl wasn't very tall, but he had a walk that made him seem taller. Karen had mentioned it before-how he always swayed like a tall person, even though he was quite short.

This trait matched Earl perfectly.

I jumped up excitedly. The police saw me and immediately asked, "Do you know who it is?"

I nodded firmly. "He looks a lot like Earl."

The police were stunned and skeptical. "You mean Jason's father, Earl?"

No one could believe someone could be so cruel as to harm their own child.

But I shook my head. The missing pieces in my mind finally connected.

Earl wasn't Jason's biological father. His real father was Brandon.

It was a long-standing misunderstanding.

Initially, Earl thought Jason was his son and doted on him, as did Brandon.

But when Earl's affair with Elora was exposed, Brandon began to have doubts.

Coincidentally, Shirley had done a paternity test for Earl and Jason, while Paula had made a fake one.

Somehow, the real test ended up with Earl, and the fake one with Brandon.

Brandon misunderstood, thinking Jason wasn't his son, while Earl discovered Jason was actually Brandon's son.

Earl grew resentful and took it out on Jason.

But the key question was, how did Earl get Shirley's paternity test?

Did she give it to him on purpose?

I couldn't figure it out. Clearly, Shirley had more secrets to reveal.

I told the police that Earl wasn't Jason's biological father, and that Brandon was.

The police exchanged glances. "Thanks for the info. It's really important. We'll start monitoring Earl right away, and if the evidence checks out, we'll arrest him."

I nodded, feeling a heavy weight in my chest. The dream I had a few days ago had come true.

I never imagined someone could be so evil as to harm a child.

But without evidence, we couldn't arrest Earl yet, which was frustrating.

Savannah helped me home. Brandon was sitting on the couch, watching TV, happily drinking beer and eating barbecue.

When he saw me, he looked pleased. "Hey, you're back! You won't believe how well my meeting with the partners went today. I'm so happy, I started celebrating early. How about we go out for a fancy dinner?"

Savannah helped me to the couch. He looked puzzled. "Are you feeling unwell again?"

I looked at Brandon and couldn't help but sneer. "Jason is dead."

Brandon froze, staring at me in disbelief, but there was no sadness in his eyes.

"Really?"

He acted like he was hearing about a stranger, not caring at all.

I couldn't help but sneer. "Yes, really. I just came from the police station. They're going to search the area for Jason's body in the next few days."

Brandon showed no emotion, just nodded and reached for his beer.

I couldn't control my anger anymore. I slapped the beer out of his hand and flipped the coffee table.

Brandon looked at me, confused and frowning. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I can't stand you feasting like this."

Brandon's eyes filled with anger. He had been putting up with a lot to appease me, but now he couldn't hold back.

"That was Earl's kid. What does his death have to do with me? Why are you taking it out on me?"

"And for a kid you barely knew, you're really going this far?"

I sneered. "Brandon, are you really that clueless?"

"Jason is your son."

Brandon was stunned, looking at me in disbelief. "What are you talking about? How is that possible?"

"When Elora had the baby, there was a paternity test, but Shirley later told me that woman tricked me. She had bribed the person doing the test."

"Shirley told me she did a paternity test for me and the baby, and it showed the baby was Earl's, not mine."

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "The child is yours. The paternity test was switched by Paula."

Brandon was finally shocked. He grabbed my shoulders, urgently asking, "What do you mean?"

I told him the truth, leaving out the crucial parts.

Seeing his disbelief, I sneered. "Jason is your biological son, but when Earl found out, he chose to kill him without hesitation. Are you really family?"

"And don't you wonder how Shirley's fake paternity test ended up with Earl? Maybe someone close to you has already betrayed you."

Brandon was in complete disbelief. His worldview was crumbling.

"And do you think Earl acted alone? Wouldn't Renee support him?"

"Think about it, Brandon. You've been fooled by them all along. They killed your son, and you didn't even know, helping them launder money. You're a fool."

I watched Brandon's darkening expression, then went upstairs, not caring what he thought.

I couldn't believe that after this, Brandon would still trust Earl and Renee like before.