It was Ruby who called the police.
Though she had retired, she had taken care of me through many Christmases and still cared about me.
This time, Ruby had taken the train to look after her daughter and happened to remember my birthday, so she came to check
on me.
She knocked on the door for a long time with no response. By chance, the landlord brought someone to view the apartment and opened the door.
*****
In the morgue, Bennett stared at my body.
A police officer asked, “Is she your daughter?”
Bennett remained silent for a long time, then nodded.
The officer said, “According to preliminary tests, she died of sudden cardiac arrest. For now, we’re ruling out homicide…”
Bennett didn’t hear the rest of what the officer said.
He thought: “Ruling out homicide? No. I know who killed my daughter.”
Bennett remembered my words: “Dad, please spend que birthday with me. If you don’t come. I’ll die.”
11:25
Though he didn’t understand how, Bennett recalled Wesley’s words: “Stella is a child who never lies.”
So the killer of Stella was her father.
Wesley had said: “Stella is a child who never lies.”
So every cry for help was real.
Every time Stella studied hard, she wanted to earn Bennett’s praise. Every time she was sick and suffering, she wanted Bennett to come see her.
All of it was real.
But Bennett, carrying his hatred for her mother, dismissed all those words as lies.
The officer watched Bennett walk out. This president of Lewis Group showed no expression, his eyes hollow, not shedding a single tear.
The officer thought: “He’s truly heartless. The rumors are true. He really does hate his daughter–he didn’t even cry after learning she was dead.”
Bennett stepped outside into the bright sunlight. He pulled out his phone and opened our chat.
He scrolled up, reading through the messages I had sent him one by one.
A/
met a kitten on my way to school.]
11:25
[I did really well on my test this time.]
[A classmate got sick, so I organized a charity drive.]
[Dad, I saw you on the cover of a business magazine today and bought lots of copies to take home.]
[Dad, can you come to the parent–teacher conference? If you can’t make it, that’s okay. I know your work is important. Take care of business first.]
After reading message after message, Bennett’s gaze finally settled on his replies.
Until the very end of my life, the voice message he had sent me was: “Then go die.”
At three in the afternoon, the sunlight was brilliant and blinding.
That day, many passersby saw a man in a suit suddenly crouch down in front of the police station, crying heartbrokenly.
