Chapter 5

　　Matthew moved fast, summoning a swarm of reporters who penned Edith in at the hospital entrance.

　　Facing the suffocating wall of lenses and microphones, Edith drew a deep breath.

　　“Ten years ago, driven by possessiveness, jealous of every woman near my husband, I lured Susan up to the rooftop and pushed her off. I wanted her dead.”

　　“But she didn't die, so I spread rumors on purpose, claiming she'd seduced her own brother. I wanted to destroy her reputation completely, to hound her to death with gossip. It was all my fault. I was vicious, selfish…”

　　Every word carved through her heart like a slow blade.

　　Once a reporter uploaded the clip online, countless users flooded her private messages with abuse.

　　Even footage of her from prison was leaked onto the internet.

　　Edith gripped her phone, hands trembling as she scrolled through the comments.

　　【This woman is pure poison. Just because she was possessive, she tried to end a living human being's life! When that didn't work, she spread filthy lies. Do people even understand how much a smear like that destroys a girl?】

　　【Look at this video, her chest practically sags to the floor. Mr. Heath tears her clothes off every night, and staring at a body like that, does he choke back the urge to gag?】

　　【How could Mr. Heath ever touch her? The woman's old and ugly, one glance is nauseating. Probably went so long without a man that her mind twisted, and now she wants to kill her own sister.】

　　Edith lifted her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.

　　Loose skin hung slack on her face. She was thirty-five, no longer young, and this face looked older than her years.

　　Time had been merciless with her, carving furrow after furrow into her skin.

　　Matthew, though, seemed to be time's favorite. Ten years gone, and all it had left him was a few fine lines at the corners of his eyes, nothing aging about it, just the added weight of a mature man's appeal.

　　She gave a bitter laugh, switched off the phone, and stopped following the noise online.

　　The door suddenly rattled under a frenzy of pounding.

　　“Slut, get out here! You're not fit for Mr. Heath. If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of the Capital!”

　　Edith flinched, and when she opened her phone she saw the newest private message.

　　【We're coming for you.】

　　【We'll punish you in Susie's place!】

　　After leaving the hospital, she hadn't gone back to the Heath house. She'd holed up in a cheap little motel instead.

　　Two more blows and the door was ready to give. Edith's heart sank.

　　She clenched her teeth, ran to the balcony, and looked down.

　　Sixteenth floor. A jump meant certain death.

　　Bang! The door was kicked clean open, and three girls burst in with knives.

　　Right behind them, Matthew's figure appeared in the doorway.

　　Hope flared in Edith's eyes. “Matthew! Call the police, they're going to kill me.”

　　The girls frowned, indignant. “She nearly got Susie killed. You're her brother. Are you really going to protect the one who caused all this?”

　　“Besides, we're just teaching her a lesson. We're not actually going to kill her.”

　　Matthew hesitated. His phone rang again with that familiar tone.

　　“Matthew, it's so late. I want you to come sleep with me.”

　　The man's expression melted into tenderness at once. He hung up and spoke calmly.

　　“A small lesson is enough. Don't take it too far.”

　　“After tonight, move back to the Heath house. You're my wife. What kind of picture is it, you living out here?”

　　“And in the Heath house, you won't run into things like this.”

　　With that, he turned and walked away.

　　Watching that pitiless back, Edith felt her heart sink inch by inch, and then, with a single crack, it shattered for good.

　　The moment the girls saw him leave, they raised their knives and lunged at Edith.

　　Edith gritted her teeth, dodged the blades glinting cold, and bolted toward the door.

　　But the girls blocked her, holding fast, and the knives sank into her body.

　　She lost track of how long they grappled. Wounded, Edith stumbled at last to the door, then rode the elevator down.

　　She'd barely reached the ground floor when she saw the three girls, bodies slamming to the pavement like kites with their strings cut.

　　Warm blood spattered across her face.

　　The crowd around her broke into panic. “Ah, murder!”

　　“She's the killer! Those girls jumped from 1602, and I remember she's the one staying in 1602!”

　　“Murderer, grab her!”