Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

“Phoebe…” No sooner had I hung up the phone than Colin launched into his performance.

“Ow, that hurts.” Colin lifted his hand to show me the wound on his wrist.

I had a hunch he had overheard my call with Melody, and now he was scheming to keep me from leaving.

“Didn’t the doc patch you up already?” I held Colin’s wrist briefly. “If it hurts, why do you keep hurting yourself?”

Colin looked at me with those puppy–dog eyes and whispered, “Phoebe, can we just move out and live on our own?”

He didn’t want me to stay at the Langley estate any longer, and as for Brendan, he couldn’t care less.

“We have a home, he said, his gaze unwavering, as if to tell me that this place was our true home.

Only then did I snap back to reality and take in my surroundings.

The garden wasn’t just filled with my favorite flowers; even the decor of the rooms was tailored to my tastes.

It seemed like he had really been working hard to build a home for us.

“Colin… This place isn’t cheap. Did you buy it, or is it a rental?” I asked suspiciously.

He looked a bit evasive for a moment. “Rental…”

I nodded; that seemed to make sense. “If you don’t want to go back to the Langley estate, we’ll just stay out here.”

Colin was the heir to the Langley fortune, and the trust fund could easily cover the rent each month. Text © by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

Colin was thrilled, and suddenly, the pain in his wrist seemed to vanish.

“Your ankle and shin aren’t fully healed. If you keep hurting yourself, I’m leaving,” I warned, leveraging the threat of departure to make him take it seriously.

Sure enough, Colin panicked, looking at me nervously before pulling me into a tight embrace. “You can’t leave…”

“Then stop hurting yourself.”

Colin didn’t say a word; he just held me, refusing to let go.

“I’ve got to head out tonight, but you need to get some sleep. I’ll come straight here to be with you afterward,” I coaxed softly, testing the waters.

10:09

I hadn’t recalled many memories with Colin yet, but the recollection of our first encounter as children seared in my soul.

If Colin and the orphanage were really that important to my past, why had I forgotten them?

Melody was from the orphanage, too. In the scant childhood memories I had, the woman who had complimented my dress, Fanny, was the one who had died, and Melody was the one who always followed Fanny, seemingly fragile but always watching with cold eyes, even taking pleasure in others‘ misfortunes.

Even as a child, Melody had that manipulative aura about her.

On the way back, I asked James about the incident when Phoebe was bullied for that red dress and several boys were beaten up. In my memory, James hadn’t been involved; he hadn’t been one of those tearing at my dress.

James told me that it was Phoebe’s father who had come to discuss sponsoring the

orphanage, and his own daughter ended up being bullied by the kids there. The headmaster had punished Colin and the other children who tormented Phoebe, but Melody had gotten away scot–free.

It was clear Melody had been cunning and manipulative since she was young.

“Phoebe! It hurts so much.” Colin’s grip on my hand suddenly tightened. “Please don’t go out, just stay with me, okay?”

I looked at Colin skeptically. Had he heard my phone call, or did he sense something was going to happen today?

“Colin, I have to go.” I, too, wanted to uncover the truth and reclaim my memories.

At the very least, I couldn’t just naively get to know him all over again.

It wouldn’t be fair to Colin, and it wouldn’t be fair to me.

“Phoebe, I’m thirsty,” Colin changed the subject.

I sighed and went to get him some water.

As soon as I stepped away, Colin’s gaze darkened. He saw Dexter’s incoming call on my phone and promptly blocked the number.

Colin’s villa was expansive, yet there wasn’t a single maid in sight.

Colin didn’t like people much; only an old butler was employed to manage the grounds outside.