- 15 hours ago
The Lover Who Sent Me to Prison - FULL EP
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00:00Eight years ago, the serial murder case I handled was overturned.
00:03The victims' enraged families stabbed me multiple times outside my parents' home,
00:07demanding I pay with my life.
00:10My family, ashamed of me, cut off all ties.
00:12I was imprisoned for eight years on charges of gross misconduct.
00:16After my release, I hid in a small coastal town in Maine,
00:19became a fisherwoman, and finally found something like peace.
00:21Then, Lucas Drake arrived and shattered that peace.
00:24He was already a celebrated police commissioner,
00:27famous throughout the state for cracking impossible cases.
00:29Outside my small wooden shack,
00:31reporters packed in front of the door and shouted at the top of their voices,
00:34Mrs. Voss, Commissioner Drake hasn't married in eight years.
00:38Has he been waiting for you to come back?
00:40I looked at him standing there in the crowd,
00:42wrapped in all his glory and all his medals, and I almost laughed.
00:46Nobody knew that the man behind the wrongful conviction,
00:49the one who had manufactured false evidence to earn his mistress a commendation,
00:53then pushed me out front to take the fall,
00:55was this very same, devoted Commissioner Drake.
00:58The wooden door stayed shut.
00:59At the sight of it, the reporters only grew louder on Lucas' behalf.
01:02Lucas himself remained composed.
01:04Boss Frank heard the noise outside, getting worse,
01:07and came out of the shack, bowing slightly toward Lucas.
01:11Commissioner, we're all law-abiding people here.
01:14We haven't done anything wrong.
01:15This little place can't accommodate someone of your standing, sir.
01:19If you and all these people don't leave soon, we won't have a business to run tomorrow.
01:24Serena!
01:25Commissioner Drake came all this way to find you.
01:27Come out and say hello!
01:29There's no need.
01:30Don't pressure.
01:31At the sound of that voice, my hands went still over the fishing net I was mending.
01:35The sharp nylon cord had already cut a deep line across my fingers.
01:39Even after all these years, that voice still reached right through me.
01:43Based on everything I knew about him, the idea that Lucas Drake had lingering feelings for me
01:47was as absurd as the sun rising in the west.
01:49But I knew him well enough to know he wouldn't leave until I showed my face.
01:52Thinking of Boss Frank, who had always been good to me,
01:55I let out a long breath, set down the net, and walked out.
01:58The moment I appeared, the reporters swarmed.
02:00Mrs. Boss, how does it feel to go from a decorated genius detective to a fisherwoman?
02:04Commissioner Drake clearly still cares deeply for you.
02:07Are you avoiding him because you're still resentful to uphold the truth back then?
02:09We've heard your former apprentice has refused to marry for eight years,
02:13waiting for the commissioner.
02:14What do you make of that?
02:14The reporters surged closer, and a microphone jabbed against my face more than once.
02:19My gaze traveled over their heads and locked with Lucas's cold eyes from across the distance.
02:25Every muscle in my body went rigid.
02:27I opened my mouth.
02:28Nothing came out.
02:29The reporters, getting no answer, grew more aggressive,
02:32several times nearly knocking me off my feet.
02:34Then, he moved through the crowd and stepped in front of me, blocking them.
02:37Everyone, this is a private matter between the two of us and is not open for comment.
02:44These people work hard for a living. Don't interfere with their livelihood. Please go.
02:49The reporters scattered, grumbling. I exhaled and was about to turn back to the shack. Lucas spoke.
02:54Serena.
02:55I forced my body to stop trembling and looked up at him.
02:57Is there something you need, Commissioner Drake?
02:58At the title I used, he paused, then asked slowly.
03:02These past years, have you been alright?
03:05That question, coming from him, was genuinely absurd.
03:09I wanted to laugh and couldn't find it appropriate.
03:11He took another step toward me and raised his hand.
03:13I instinctively stepped back and didn't notice the stone at my feet.
03:16I went down hard, all four limbs in the air, the wound on my finger scraping the gravel,
03:22blood welling quietly.
03:23He rushed forward, his expression genuinely alarmed.
03:26Are you alright? Here, let me…
03:28I scrambled backward on my own and got myself up against the wall.
03:33I'm fine. Commissioner Drake, if there's nothing else, I'll head back in.
03:36I need to be out on the water before sunrise tomorrow.
03:39Lucas's expression flinched.
03:41Serena, does it have to be this formal between us?
03:43You don't know. These years I've…
03:45He was cut off by a voice.
03:47Daddy! Mommy and I missed you so much!
03:50A child of about eight or nine launched themselves into Lucas's arms.
03:53Stella Holt followed behind, supporting my parents as they walked.
03:56She took Lucas's outstretched hand and gave him a reproachful look.
03:59Lucas, how could you come visit my mentor without telling me?
04:04Mom and Dad were worried sick about you coming all the way out to a place like this on your
04:08own.
04:08She turned and smiled at me, a smile with just the faintest edge of condescension.
04:13No offense, Mantor. The little one just misses her daddy so much.
04:17And with this one making things lively, she just wants to be close to Lucas.
04:22My eyes moved without meaning to, to her flat abdomen.
04:25I thought of what the reporters had said and felt the bitterness of it.
04:28Lucas Drake hadn't married in eight years, waiting for me to come back.
04:32Yet he had two children with Stella Holt, one of them already this old.
04:36I thought back to before my imprisonment, when Stella had been wounded on duty and spent a year recovering at
04:41a rehabilitation facility.
04:42By a convenient coincidence, Lucas had been assigned away for a year at the same time.
04:46Most likely they had already started something then.
04:49And I had been the last to know, still running cover for Stella, giving her credit, protecting her blindly.
04:54Before I could say a word, my parents turned on me.
04:57Serena Voss, how do you have the nerve to still be breathing?
05:01You've dragged our name through the dirt.
05:03Three years ago, your father had a stroke.
05:07If Stella hadn't been checking in on us regularly and gotten him to the hospital in time,
05:12he'd already be in the ground.
05:14I looked at their white hair and weathered faces.
05:17All these years, unable to be at their side, a wave of sorrow moved through me.
05:22Watching how fiercely they defended Lucas and Stella made it cut even deeper.
05:25If they knew, if they knew that the people they were grateful to were the very ones who had destroyed
05:30their daughter,
05:31I wondered what they would feel.
05:33Lucas, a woman this ungrateful isn't worth a second of your concern.
05:37After what she did, I'd be too ashamed to show my face.
05:41You don't need to go chasing after her.
05:43We don't have a daughter anymore.
05:45Stella is our daughter, and you're still our son-in-law.
05:48Boss Frank looked from my parents' venomous expressions to me, and his eyes went strange.
05:53After everything they said, I found I had nothing left to say.
05:57My hands, trembling slightly, gave me away.
05:59Lucas noticed.
06:00He said in a tone of weary patience.
06:02These years, people have been blaming them too.
06:05Don't hold it against them.
06:06He soothed my parents gently,
06:08and before leaving, turned back to me one last time.
06:11What happened back then?
06:12I have always owed you for it.
06:14My number hasn't changed.
06:16Call me if you need anything.
06:18After my parents and the rest of them were gone,
06:20Boss Frank's wife found me and put a hand on my shoulder.
06:23Her expression was complicated.
06:25In the end, she said nothing, but I knew something had shifted.
06:28Sure enough, the next day on the water,
06:30I was assigned the most barren stretch of sea.
06:32Serena, it's not that I'm not looking out for you.
06:37Yesterday's scene was too much,
06:38and you came out of prison.
06:42The others don't want to work near you.
06:43There's nothing I can do but send you out alone.
06:45I nodded in silence,
06:47held the heavy nets in hand,
06:48and walked toward the small boat
06:50that looked fragile against the waves.
06:51A sadness moved through me.
06:53The quiet I had built,
06:54Lucas Drake tore it apart with his own hands.
06:58For days, I did the hardest work for the lowest pay.
07:01Then, one week later,
07:03Boss Frank found me
07:03and pressed a thick envelope into my hand.
07:06He avoided my eyes.
07:07Serena, I'm doubling this month's wages.
07:09Try your luck somewhere else.
07:13Was it Lucas?
07:14Boss Frank let out a long sigh.
07:16Don't blame me.
07:16You know what kind of man Commissioner Drake is.
07:19I'm just a regular person with a family to feed.
07:21How could I afford to cross him?
07:23Take a friend's advice.
07:24Make peace with him.
07:26A woman as sharp as you,
07:27someone who broke the cases you broke,
07:29you shouldn't be rotting in a place like this.
07:32The Commissioner only wants what's best for you.
07:35What's best for me?
07:36Those light, hollow words landed on me like a mountain.
07:38I stood there, holding the cash, fingers cold.
07:41I didn't argue.
07:42I didn't beg.
07:43I turned, packed what little I had,
07:45and left the coastal town I had barely lived in for a year.
07:48On the third day of being turned away,
07:49everywhere I went, Lucas called.
07:51Serena, I've arranged a civilian administrative position
07:54for you at the Harlow City Police Department.
07:56I'm sending someone to bring you in.
07:58You start in three days.
08:00Commissioner Drake,
08:02I cannot accept your generosities.
08:05I only ask one thing.
08:07Please leave me alone.
08:10Leave you alone?
08:11Lucas's voice stayed even.
08:13I'm only trying to help.
08:15There's no reason to treat me like a threat.
08:17I remember who you were.
08:18The pride of the Force.
08:20If it weren't for...
08:22He paused.
08:23I know you hate me,
08:24but you can't go on destroying yourself like this.
08:26If a desk job doesn't appeal to you,
08:28come and consult for Stella instead.
08:31She just made deputy commissioner.
08:33It's a busy time for her.
08:34You were her mentor.
08:36It would be natural for you to guide her.
08:38I clenched my teeth and refused.
08:40I appreciate the thought.
08:42I only want a quiet life.
08:44He didn't engage with that.
08:46I understand you're still holding on to the past.
08:49But this isn't the moment for stubbornness.
08:51You'll understand my intentions later.
08:53Your intentions?
08:55Do you mean for me to go on being an accomplice
08:58in your wrongful convictions?
09:01Or to keep taking the fall for Stella Holt?
09:04Serena Voss!
09:06Watch what you say.
09:08This consultant position,
09:10you will take it whether you want to or not.
09:12Unless
09:13you want your parents to end up homeless in their old age
09:17with no one to care for them.
09:19Of course.
09:20He always knew exactly where to press.
09:24On the third day after I returned to Harlow City,
09:27someone came and brought me to a venue.
09:30Camera shutters exploded from every direction.
09:33It was a press conference.
09:35Stella Holt sat at the front table.
09:37Behind her, a large screen displayed the event title.
09:40Thank you all for attending today.
09:43This press conference is a statement
09:45of our department's commitment to justice,
09:48rehabilitation, and second chances.
09:50She turned toward me.
09:51This is my mentor, Serena Voss.
09:54Though she once made a grave error,
09:57the law has rendered its judgment.
09:59We believe every person deserves the chance to begin again.
10:02Her gaze lingered on my pale face,
10:05her tone grave.
10:06As officers of the law,
10:08we do not abandon those who are willing to reform.
10:10Following a decision made jointly by Commissioner Drake and myself,
10:13we are pleased to appoint Ms. Serena Voss
10:15as a civilian forensic consultant
10:16to the Criminal Investigation Division.
10:18We hope she can contribute her experience
10:20and expertise to the community.
10:21The reporters erupted,
10:23feeling as though I had been stripped bare
10:25and put on display.
10:26She walked to me.
10:29Mentor.
10:30A small gesture from me.
10:32Please accept it.
10:34Think of it as a welcome gift.
10:35The posture looked like deference.
10:37It was condescension worn as generosity.
10:41I watched the flash of triumph in her eyes
10:43and felt my stomach turn.
10:45While the room filled with murmurs of admiration for her grace,
10:48I became the backdrop that made them shine.
10:51That evening, the news cycle moved fast.
10:53I watched the notifications flood my phone and laughed.
10:57Once again, they had nailed me to the post of public shame.
11:00This time, in front of the entire city.
11:05After the press conference,
11:06my parents came by from time to time.
11:08Every time, they looked at Stella with warm, maternal eyes.
11:12Every time, they looked at Lucas with grateful tenderness.
11:16Lucas, you've done so much.
11:18To still be managing this ungrateful girl,
11:21that's above and beyond.
11:24Serena, look at Stella.
11:26Look how far she's gone.
11:27If you had even half her worth,
11:29we could die in peace.
11:31My mother would even take Stella's hand.
11:33Stella, you're carrying now.
11:36Don't overwork yourself.
11:39If Serena gives you any trouble,
11:41you tell me,
11:42and I'll deal with her.
11:43I watched this scene.
11:45My heart had gone so numb,
11:47it couldn't register pain anymore.
11:49Oh, by the way, Mentor,
11:50we've recently apprehended a gang of fugitives.
11:53Their leader seems to be connected to your old case.
11:57He's the younger brother of one of the victims
11:59from the serial murders you investigated.
12:01He's apparently had a grudge against you all this time.
12:04Says he's going to find you
12:06and make you pay.
12:09What?
12:11Is that true?
12:12My father slammed the table
12:13and pointed at me.
12:15That's what you get!
12:19His brother died horribly because of you.
12:23Of course he wants revenge.
12:25That's only right.
12:28Stella, Lucas,
12:29you have to do something about this!
12:32Whatever happens to her,
12:34she brought on herself.
12:34We just can't let it come back on you two.
12:36Mom, don't worry.
12:38With me and Lucas here,
12:39nothing will happen to Mentor.
12:42We've already had a word with them.
12:45And her eyes swept over me
12:46with a look that wasn't quite a smile.
12:49Something inside me went cold.
12:51What are Lucas and Stella planning now?
12:55In the days that followed,
12:57the area outside my apartment
12:58grew increasingly hostile.
13:00At first, scattered shouts.
13:02Then, pounding on the door.
13:04Death threats!
13:05The families of the wrongly convicted
13:08poured all their pain and fury onto me.
13:11I sat inside and listened
13:13to the crash of fists against my door,
13:16the curses seeping through the walls.
13:19Each impact felt like it landed on my chest.
13:22One afternoon, my parents came.
13:25They stood at the door
13:26and didn't step inside.
13:31Serena, how many more problems
13:33are you going to cause?
13:34Those people out there
13:36make noise every single day.
13:37The neighbors are all talking.
13:39You've made us a complete embarrassment.
13:43I'm begging you.
13:45Go out and talk to them yourself.
13:48Apologize.
13:49Make them stop.
13:51I can't be under this kind of strain.
13:53If anything happens to her or the baby,
13:55how do we face Lucas?
13:56I looked at her.
13:57This door is this precious.
14:00My chest tightened
14:01until I could barely breathe.
14:03Go and talk to them?
14:04In front of people blinded by grief and rage,
14:07that was the same as asking me
14:09to walk into my own death.
14:11Mom.
14:12Dad.
14:13My voice came out raw,
14:14the last of my effort.
14:16Have you ever once considered
14:17that I was innocent?
14:18What happened back then,
14:20it was Lucas Drakes
14:22and Stella Holt who...
14:25Enough!
14:27Even now,
14:28you refuse to own what you did.
14:30You want to drag Stella and Lucas
14:32through the mud
14:32after everything they've done for us.
14:35They've been better to us
14:36than you ever were.
14:38Stella saved your father's life.
14:41You have no conscience left.
14:46Say another word against them
14:48and we'll pretend we never had you.
14:50Then,
14:50Stella's voice drifted in from the hallway.
14:53Mom, Dad,
14:54why did you come here?
14:56It's not safe.
14:58My parents,
14:59the moment they saw her,
15:01softened completely.
15:02Stella,
15:03this is no place for you
15:04and your condition.
15:05Be careful.
15:07How are you and the little one
15:08and Lucas?
15:09Please take care.
15:10They surrounded her.
15:11Every murmured word of care
15:13was a pin
15:14pressed quietly into my skin.
15:16I stood and watched
15:18this scene of family warmth
15:20that had no place for me.
15:21The last trace of hope
15:23I'd kept for them ran out.
15:25Stella soothed them
15:26and guided them
15:27back down the hall.
15:28As she passed me,
15:29her eyes moved over mine.
15:31There was a satisfaction in them,
15:33barely hidden.
15:34A few days later,
15:35my mother called.
15:36Her voice,
15:37for the first time in years,
15:38was soft.
15:41I really craved
15:43the honey cake
15:43from the old bakery
15:44at the southern end
15:46of the town.
15:47Could you go buy some?
15:49I went out.
15:50Just as I turned
15:51into a quiet side alley,
15:53several figures
15:53rushed out from behind.
15:55A bag went over my head.
15:57The world went black.
16:00A tremendous force
16:02drove me into the ground,
16:03the back of my skull
16:04hitting cold pavement.
16:06You filthy animal.
16:08We finally got you.
16:10Pay for the ones you killed.
16:12Fists and boots
16:13became like hailstones.
16:15I curled in
16:16trying to protect my core,
16:17but each glow
16:18drove through me.
16:19Every breath
16:20brought a sharp,
16:21metallic pain.
16:22I lost track of time.
16:24Eventually,
16:24I was dropped
16:25onto the ground.
16:26The bag was torn away.
16:28The dim light
16:28made my eyes ache.
16:31A younger man
16:32with Redwing's eyes
16:33lifted a broken bottle.
16:34My brother was only 19!
16:37His whole life
16:38was ahead of him!
16:39You took it!
16:40If you hadn't
16:41closed the case so fast,
16:42the real killer
16:43wouldn't have run free
16:44for years!
16:45The evidence
16:45wouldn't have been
16:46so hard to find!
16:47And here you are,
16:50still alive.
16:52Why?
16:53Why should you be?
16:54Hot blood poured
16:55from my arm.
16:56Bet you didn't know
16:57it was your own mother
16:58who helped lure you out here.
17:00All they asked
17:01was that we leave
17:02Lucas Drake's
17:03and his family
17:04out of it.
17:05You're pathetic.
17:07Even your own parents
17:08gave you up.
17:09My consciousness
17:10blurred at the edges.
17:11My mother's voice
17:13calling me out the door
17:14with her soft request
17:15still echoed somewhere.
17:16I hadn't misread her.
17:18I had just wanted
17:19too much
17:20to be forgiven.
17:22The blood loss
17:23and pain
17:23started making me
17:24shake uncontrollably.
17:25The warmth
17:26leaving my body.
17:27Above me
17:28they raised an iron bar.
17:29I looked at it
17:30and I closed my eyes.
17:31Being alive
17:32is too exhausting.
17:33My parents'
17:34contempt.
17:35My ex-husband's
17:36betrayal.
17:36My apprentices'
17:37calculated destruction.
17:39In the blur of it,
17:40I drifted back
17:41to being small.
17:42When thunder
17:43shook the house
17:43at night
17:43and I was scared,
17:44my father would
17:45quietly get up
17:46and leave the light on.
17:47My mother would
17:47sit beside me
17:48and pat my back
17:49in slow,
17:50steady strokes.
17:50Her voice was
17:51the most reassuring
17:52sound in the world.
17:53It's okay, baby.
17:54Mommy and daddy
17:55will keep you safe.
17:56Don't be scared.
17:57That voice
17:58seemed to get clearer,
17:59not fainter.
18:00Tears moved
18:00down the side of my face.
18:02My lips
18:02moved without sound.
18:04Mom,
18:05I'm not scared.
18:06A strange peace
18:07spread through every limb.
18:08If my dying
18:09would finally
18:09give them rest,
18:10maybe that was alright.
18:12The bar swung
18:13toward my skull.
18:13In the final second
18:14before it hit,
18:15a voice rang
18:16through the space.
18:17Stand down!
18:17Police!
18:18Outside,
18:19the shriek of sirens
18:20tore through the night.
18:23That shout,
18:24stand down,
18:24was clear and certain.
18:26A man's voice.
18:27Then the sirens came,
18:28red and blue light
18:29strobing through
18:30the broken warehouse windows.
18:31A figure broke
18:32through the door first.
18:33Fast,
18:34clean,
18:34no wasted motion.
18:35When he turned,
18:36I stopped breathing.
18:37It was Ethan Solis,
18:38State Bureau Investigator,
18:39my junior from
18:40the police academy.
18:41Nobody move!
18:42Ethan had his weapon
18:43trained on the ringleader,
18:44his gaze steel-edged.
18:46The officers behind him
18:47flooded the space
18:47and took control.
18:48The men were pressed
18:49to the floor,
18:50cuffed.
18:50Ethan crossed the warehouse
18:51in quick strides,
18:53crouched beside me
18:53and assessed my injuries.
18:55When he saw my arm,
18:56the torn skin,
18:57the blood,
18:58his eyes went red
18:58at the rims.
18:59He controlled it.
19:00He pressed to the wound
19:01with practiced efficiency.
19:03Stay with me.
19:04The ambulance is on its way.
19:05His voice was quiet.
19:06Underneath it,
19:07barely there,
19:08was a tremor.
19:08I tried to pull together
19:09something like a smile.
19:11Ethan Solis,
19:12what are you doing here?
19:13Later,
19:13he said simply.
19:14His eyes didn't leave the wound.
19:18At the hospital,
19:19Ethan used the investigation
19:20as his reason to stay.
19:21Once the medical staff
19:22were gone
19:22and only the two of us
19:23remained in the room,
19:24he spoke.
19:25Serena,
19:26after I transferred back
19:27to the State Bureau,
19:28I never stopped
19:28watching your case.
19:30I always felt
19:31something was wrong
19:32with what happened
19:32eight years ago.
19:33He said an encrypted drive
19:35on the nightstand.
19:38This is everything
19:39I've gathered quietly
19:40over the years.
19:41It can't fully prove
19:42your innocence yet,
19:42but it shows clearly
19:43that the case was full
19:44of unanswered questions.
19:45Why?
19:47Because I know you.
19:48I know who you are.
19:50I know you would never
19:50have done what they said
19:51you did.
19:53I've been waiting
19:53for the right moment.
19:55Then the door opened.
19:56Lucas Drake walked in,
19:57Stella Holt a step behind him.
19:59When they saw Ethan,
20:00both of their expressions
20:01shifted,
20:01just for a second.
20:03Lucas recovered first.
20:06Investigator Solis,
20:07what brings you here?
20:09Executing official duties,
20:10Commissioner Drake.
20:11The State Bureau
20:12has decided to open
20:14an investigation
20:14into the assault
20:15on Mrs. Voss.
20:16Stella moved quickly
20:17to the bedside,
20:18voice full of concern.
20:20Mentor,
20:21are you all right?
20:22Lucas and I
20:22were up all night worrying.
20:24Her performance
20:24made my stomach clench.
20:25Ethan glanced at her once,
20:26coldly,
20:27and said nothing.
20:27Serena,
20:28you have my word.
20:29This will be investigated fully.
20:31And how will that investigation
20:33proceed,
20:33Commissioner Drake?
20:35The way you closed things
20:36eight years ago?
20:37Or will you be looking
20:37for another substitute?
20:39The room went silent.
20:42On Ethan's insistence,
20:43I was moved to a hospital
20:44designated by the State Bureau.
20:45He arranged for a protective detail
20:46and personally
20:47oversaw my recovery.
20:48One evening,
20:48he wheeled me through
20:49the hospital garden at dusk.
20:50You can't keep disappearing
20:51into yourself like this.
20:52He paused beside a bench.
20:54Do you remember the oath
20:55we took at the academy?
20:58That no matter what we faced,
21:00we would see to it
21:01that justice reached the victims?
21:02I looked at the sun
21:03lowering at the edge of the sky
21:04and said nothing.
21:05Eight years had trained me
21:06to carry everything alone.
21:07Ethan crouched in front of me
21:08to meet my eye level.
21:09Serena,
21:10give me a chance
21:11and give yourself one.
21:14Let's find the truth together.
21:15His eyes were clear and steady
21:17and they brought back the image
21:18of a younger version of him.
21:19Always one step behind me
21:21in the academy halls,
21:21asking question after question.
21:23He'd grown into a man
21:24who could carry a room on his own,
21:25but that stubbornness
21:26had never changed.
21:27Just then,
21:27my parents appeared
21:28at the garden entrance.
21:29They hovered at a distance,
21:30uncertain,
21:30not quite able to approach.
21:32Ethan stood and spoke
21:33in a tone that was calm,
21:34but left no room for argument.
21:35Mr. and Mrs. Voss,
21:36Serena needs rest.
21:38If you genuinely care about her,
21:40please give her time.
21:41My mother nodded,
21:42crying quietly.
21:43We understand.
21:46Ethan,
21:46thank you for looking after her.
21:48My father bowed deeply,
21:49tears running down his face.
21:51I'm sorry, Serena.
21:52We never thought
21:54they would go that far.
21:55Looking at them,
21:56at their guilt and their grief,
21:57I felt something complicated
21:58move through me.
21:59Ethan quietly wrapped
22:00his hand around mine.
22:01The warmth was something
22:01I had almost forgotten existed.
22:05Slowly,
22:06under Ethan's encouragement,
22:07I began to look back
22:08at the case.
22:09We moved apart from everyone
22:10at the city department
22:11and with old Ray's
22:12quiet assistance,
22:13gathered evidence in secret.
22:14Look here.
22:16Late at night
22:17in the hospital room,
22:18I pointed to the case photos
22:19on the laptop screen.
22:20When the third victim's
22:22body was found,
22:23the soil samples
22:24from the scene
22:24didn't match the soil
22:25of the location
22:26where the body was dumped.
22:28Ethan leaned in close.
22:30His hair brushed
22:30against my cheek.
22:31Which means that wasn't
22:33the primary scene.
22:34How did the original investigation
22:35completely miss something
22:36this significant?
22:37It wasn't missed.
22:39Someone deliberately
22:40overlooked it.
22:41We looked at each other.
22:42We both saw the same conclusion
22:43in the other's eyes.
22:44As the investigation deepened,
22:46more inconsistencies surfaced.
22:48Missing physical evidence.
22:50Contradictory testimony.
22:51Altered forensic records.
22:53One evening.
22:54I found the forensic technician
22:55who handled the original scene.
22:57Three months after the case closed,
22:59he resigned and moved abroad.
23:01And his bank account
23:03received a large,
23:04unexplained transfer
23:04around the same time.
23:06Can we trace
23:06where the money came from?
23:07The funds were moved
23:08through multiple channels.
23:10They end in an offshore
23:11shell company.
23:12He paused.
23:14But I noticed one detail.
23:16That company was registered
23:18at the exact time
23:19Stella Holt made her first
23:21official overseas study trip.
23:22My phone lit up
23:23with a message
23:24from an unknown number.
23:25Stop the investigation.
23:27Or your parents
23:28will suffer the consequences.
23:31The threat didn't stop us.
23:33If anything,
23:34it made us more certain.
23:35Ethan arranged for my parents
23:36to be moved somewhere safe.
23:37We chose a different
23:38line of approach.
23:39We went back
23:40and spoke to the original
23:41victim's families.
23:42In a bare,
23:43simple rental apartment,
23:44we found the mother
23:45of the first victim.
23:46Eight years later,
23:46this woman was still drowning
23:48in the loss of her son.
23:49He was a good boy.
23:50She held his photograph
23:51as she spoke.
23:52He never went out alone
23:53late at night.
23:54That evening,
23:55he left because of a phone call.
23:57That detail had never appeared
23:59in the official case file.
24:00Do you remember anything
24:01about who called?
24:02Ethan asked gently.
24:04The woman shook her head.
24:05Only that I heard him say,
24:07Sure, Stella.
24:09When we left,
24:10Ethan held my hand
24:12without letting go.
24:12We both understood
24:13what we had just found.
24:14As the interviews continued,
24:16more and more threads
24:17pointed towards Stella Holt.
24:18Yet every time we seemed
24:20to reach the truth,
24:21key evidence would vanish.
24:22Witnesses would change
24:23their accounts.
24:25Someone is actively
24:26working against us.
24:27Ethan said one night,
24:29exhausted,
24:29pressing his fingers
24:30to his temple.
24:31And whoever it is
24:32knows everything we're doing.
24:33I looked at the lines
24:35of tiredness in his face
24:36and felt a weight of guilt.
24:37I'm sorry
24:39for pulling you into this.
24:40He raised his head.
24:42The light in his eyes
24:43was unwavering.
24:43I chose this.
24:45And I believe justice
24:46finds its way eventually.
24:50Then the unexpected happened.
24:52On a rainy night,
24:53Lucas Drake came to my door alone.
24:55He was soaking wet,
24:56his face the color of ash.
25:00Serena, I...
25:01He saw Ethan sitting
25:02in the room and stopped.
25:04I'll make some tea.
25:05Lucas called after him.
25:06Investigator Solace,
25:08stay.
25:09This concerns you too.
25:11These years,
25:12I have lived with the guilt.
25:14The truth is,
25:15I did hide things back then.
25:17I think it's time
25:18I gave you both an answer.
25:20Neither Ethan nor I spoke.
25:22Lucas continued.
25:23The night it happened,
25:25Stella did go out.
25:27When she came back,
25:28there was blood on her clothes.
25:31She told me
25:32she'd come across
25:33a traffic accident,
25:34but...
25:34But what?
25:36But...
25:37The next morning,
25:38the murders were reported.
25:40Stella realized
25:41I had noticed something.
25:43She came to me
25:44on her knees
25:45and begged.
25:47There was already a child.
25:50I told myself
25:51I was protecting the family.
25:53So,
25:55when she suggested
25:56altering the forensic report,
25:58I let her.
26:00Why are you telling us
26:02this now?
26:03Because I found out.
26:05What?
26:06She may be connected
26:07to other cases.
26:09This is beyond
26:10what I can cover for anymore.
26:11Just as Lucas
26:12slid a folder
26:13of key evidence
26:14across the table,
26:15the sound of tires
26:16screeching to a stop
26:17came from outside.
26:19We moved to the window.
26:20Several black vehicles,
26:21figures in dark clothing
26:22moving fast
26:23toward the building entrance.
26:24Lucas had gone
26:25completely pale.
26:27They know I'm here.
26:29Ethan made the call instantly.
26:30The service stairwell.
26:32Now.
26:35Ethan got us
26:36to a State Bureau
26:36safe house before dawn.
26:38The evidence Lucas
26:38had handed over
26:39wasn't enough
26:40to close the case,
26:40but it pointed
26:41the way forward.
26:42We need a DNA sample
26:43from Stella Holt.
26:45Ethan said,
26:46spreading the files
26:46across the table.
26:47If we can compare it
26:48against the biological material
26:50recovered from
26:50the original crime scenes,
26:52it's over.
26:53For the first time
26:54in eight years,
26:55I could feel the shape
26:56of something solid
26:57beneath my feet.
26:58Then old Ray
26:58called with news
26:59that hit like ice water.
27:01Stella Holt
27:02had filed for emergency leave.
27:04She booked an international
27:05flight for tomorrow morning.
27:06She's running.
27:07I said it before
27:08I'd finished the thought.
27:10No time to push through
27:11a formal arrest warrant.
27:12We have to get to the airport.
27:14We drove through the dark
27:15without speaking.
27:16The highway was empty.
27:17The only sound
27:18was the engine
27:18and my own heartbeat
27:19steady and low.
27:21We were there
27:21before first light.
27:23No.
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