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Natalie was well aware of what the inspector meant by that.
In the upcoming days, if they still did not come across any new leads or evidence that proved Harrison and Susan
were the ones who murdered her mother, the case would be closed and the two of them released, free of any
charges.
No. I can't let this happen!
Natalie balled her fists so hard her nails dug into her skin.
Shane frowned in disapproval upon noticing it. He reached out to pick up one of her hands, then forcefully pried her
fingers loose.
Staring at the red nails marks on her palm, Shane let out a barely audible sigh and gently stroked the marks with
his thumb. “Doesn't it hurt?”
“No. I just feel so frustrated. I can't seem to find out the truth behind my mom's death.” A tear escaped Natalie's
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇteye and coincidently fell on his thumb, scorching his skin slightly.
Shane released her hand to brush her tears away.
Right after he was done, Natalie launched herself into his embrace and said in a choked voice, “Shane, my mom's
gone. She's gone...”
“I know.” Shane wrapped his arms around her and patted her back softly. “But you still have me and the two kids,
and there's also Jared.”
“Jared?” As though recalling something, Natalie pushed away from him and used her sleeve to wipe her tears dry.
“You're right. There's also Jared. I almost forgot to inform him.”
With that, she fished out her phone and called her brother.
Jared was sleeping at that moment as it was still nighttime abroad. Upon hearing his phone ring, he fumbled for his
phone near the headboard and swiped to answer without even glancing at the caller ID. “Who is this?”
“Jared, it's me.” Natalie sat down with Shane's help, who then took the seat next to her and flipped through the
case file again.
Hearing his sister's voice, Jared broke into a gentle and angelic smile. “Oh, Nat. Is everything alright?”
“Jared, I...” Natalie's lips quivered and words failed her.
“Nat?” Jared called out quizzically.
“Jared, Mom is...”
“What's wrong with Mom?” Jared could hear the sorrow in Natalie's voice and instantly became wide awake. Bolting
upright into a sitting position, he urged in a frantic voice, “What is it, Nat? Tell me!”
Natalie's hand which was holding the phone trembled. “I will, but you must promise to stay calm, okay?”
Although Jared had undergone a heart bypass surgery previously, his heart would always be at risk. She was afraid
that news of their mother's death would be too huge a blow to him.
“I know. Don't worry, Nat. I'll stay calm.” Jared drew in a long breath.
Natalie placed her hand on Shane's arm, trying to borrow some courage from him. Then, she sobbed out, “Mom
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmis... gone!”
Boom!
Jared felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He was paralyzed to the spot, and it took him some time to
find his voice. Finally, he rasped out, “What did you say?”
Natalie bit her lip hard and repeated, “Mom is gone!”
Thud!
The phone slipped from Jared's hand onto the bed.
Natalie sprang up from her seat when she heard the noise.
Seeing this, Shane's expression immediately turned grave. “What's wrong?”
Natalie did not respond. Instead, she gripped the phone tightly and yelled anxiously, “Jared? Jared, are you okay?
Don't scare me like that! Jared!”
Jared vaguely heard Natalie's panic-stricken voice coming from his phone. Finally, he snapped back to his senses
and picked up his phone from the bed.
However, his hand trembled so badly it took him several attempts to grab ahold of his phone. Gingerly raising it to
his ear, he spoke in a choked voice. “Nat... How did this happen? How can Mom be gone? She was clearly fine when
we talked on the phone yesterday!”
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