chapter1008

Sandy's voice faded until it was barely a whisper. It wasn't until the words left her mouth that she realized Lydia was probably on her way to bring Luke's body home.

"He's dead now, but he still needs to come home. You... you're the one who killed him," Lydia said, her tone icy as she turned and walked away.

Sandy clutched her shirt so tightly her knuckles turned white, chin jutting out as she let out a bitter laugh. "He should've died ages ago. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have lasted this long. He got lucky. I'm the one who lost a kidney for nothing."

Even dead, Luke had lived a good life. He'd been wrapped in luxury since the day he was born, loved by his parents. She'd never had a single day like that.

Lydia and Connor caught the first flight to Country T, planning to bring Luke home afterward. As soon as the plane touched down, Lydia's phone started ringing nonstop. It was Byron. Sandy's case was now in his hands.

"What's up?"

Boss, we just found out Sandy might be involved in something else. She denies everything, and we don't have real proof yet."

Lydia frowned. "What case?"

"It's a little messy. The victim's name is Soren he was Sandy's ex-fianc ."

Lydia's eyes widened. "Soren?"

"Yeah. Did you know him?"

She nodded. "How did he die?"

"Officially, it's a car accident, but we always thought someone else was involved. Trouble is, there's no evidence. The crash happened in a blind spot, and the car exploded, so there's nothing to go on."

"Alright. I'll look into it and see if Sandy's really behind it."

"Thank you, Boss. We've been stuck on this Soren case for ages. If anyone can figure it out, it's you."

After she hung up, Connor glanced over. "Soren's dead?"

The only reason Connor remembered Soren at all was because he'd once been Lydia's fianc in name back when she was with the Smith family. Otherwise, his name would've meant nothing.

Lydia nodded. "Yeah. Pretty shocking."

If Sandy really had something to do with Soren's death, that meant she'd taken yet another life. It just kept piling up.

Luke's funeral was small and quiet. Hardly anyone came. Even though Jenson and Milana were in prison, Lydia still let them know. They were Luke's real parents, after

all.

Neither of them ever expected the next time they saw their son would be like this. They cried themselves hoarse, their grief so deep it felt like their hearts would never heal But none of their tears could bring Luke back.

"Luke, I'm sorry. Please don't blame me, just open your eyes and look at us, please." Milana was on her knees, fists pounding the ground as if sheer pain could change what had happened

Why did it have to end up like this? She would've taken his place in a heartbeat.

"Sandy! How could she be so cruel? Luke was her brother. How could she do that?" Jenson's pain was so raw he looked ready to collapse. It was all such a tragedy.

"Where is Sandy? Lydia, take us to her. We need to see her," Milana said through gritted teeth, her voice thick with hatred. For a while, they'd thought as long as Luke was alive, there was still hope. Now he was gone, and nothing seemed to matter anymore.

Lydia looked at them, her face calm and unreadable. "And what would you do if you

saw her? Would you make her pay for Luke's life with her own?