(From Ashes to Hope) Chapter 17
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I stared at the face in the photo, so similar to Lily’s, and hesitated for a
moment.
This photo might hold complex information, and I wanted to gather my
thoughts first. I decided to go home.
Back home, I found my scanner and carefully placed the photo on it, as if
handling a precious treasure.
My heart pounded as the scanner light slowly swept across the photo.
Once the scan was complete, I saved a digital copy on my phone,
double–checking to make sure it was secure.
I stared at the smiling girl in the photo, my heart filled with a mixture of
confusion and shock, desperate to unravel the mystery behind it.
My mind raced uncontrollably.
Could my mother have had another child besides me? Could this girl be a
relative I never knew?
Lily didn’t look exactly like me. I had assumed it was because she was still
young, her features not yet fully developed, and that the resemblance would
become more apparent as she grew older.
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Or could this girl be from John’s family?
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Although Mrs. Miller only had John, what if his father had an affair before
marriage and fathered this child?
My thoughts were getting increasingly outlandish. I forced myself to calm
down and decided to wait for the police investigation.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to compose myself and dialed Officer Lee.
“Mr. Lee, I have a new discovery,” I said eagerly as soon as the call connected.
‘Oh? Tell me about it,” his voice was calm and steady.
Trying to keep my voice steady, I said, “I found a photograph hidden in a
crack in a wall. The person in the photo looks a lot like my daughter, but the
photo looks very old, and my daughter has never worn clothes like that.”
Officer Lee was clearly surprised, his voice raising a few octaves.“This is an
important clue. Send us the photo and any relevant videos, we’ll follow up on it.”
“Okay, Mr. Lee, where should we meet?” I asked quickly.
“Let’s meet at the police station entrance,” he said after a moment of thought.
I arrived at the agreed location and saw Officer Lee waiting for me.
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I hurried over, took out a flash drive containing the photo and video from
my bag, and handed it to him solemnly. “Mr. Lee, this is the evidence I found, I
hope it helps your investigation.”
Officer Lee took the evidence and nodded seriously. Don’t worry, we’ll
investigate thoroughly.”
Meanwhile, after John filed the report, the police carefully examined Raina’s
contact
tact history, following the trail of her personal information, like searching for
a crucial piece of evidence in a vast ocean of data.
They discovered that she had contacted a dwarf a week ago. The two had no
prior interactions in their records, yet there was a transaction record of one
million dollars, a secret hidden beneath the surface.
With Raina unreachable, the police quickly identified and located the dwarf.
She seemed unaware that her scheme had been exposed. She was resting
peacefully at home when the police arrived and took her away.
As soon as she heard it was about the surveillance footage, she panicked and
immediately knelt before John.
Her composure crumbled completely. “I don’t know anything!” she cried, “I
just got paid to walk past the camera, that’s all. She didn’t tell me anything, I didn‘
t even show my face, it’s not against the law, is it…
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Her voice was filled with fear and pleading. I’m already disabled, please don
t arrest me. I’ve told you everything I know, I’ll return the money, can you let me
go?”
The police remained professional and calm, carefully questioning her about
every detail of her interaction with Raina, meticulously recording every word
These records would be crucial clues to unraveling the mystery.
After taking her statement, as the police were about to take her away, her
phone suddenly rang.
John immediately noticed her panicked expression and his alarm bells went
off. He snatched the phone with lightning speed.
His eyes were fixed on the screen. When he saw the unfamiliar number, a
sense of foreboding washed over him, as if a major secret was about to be
revealed.
He answered the call, signaling to the dwarf to cooperate and not reveal that
they were at the police station.
Raina’s cold voice came through the receiver, “Pack your things and leave
now, don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me! Throw away your SIM card and get a new
one!*
Her voice was bone–chilling
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John’s expression froze instantly, a mixture of anger and shock from the
betrayal and deception
The dwarf looked at him nervously, not knowing what to do.
He quickly scribbled a few words on a piece of paper and handed it to her,
instructing her to read it aloud.
The dwarf spoke nervously, “It seems this matter is very important to you,
the money you gave is not enough, you have to increase it, otherwise I don’t
know if I can keep my mouth shut…”
The line went silent, only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard, as if
Raina was also panicking from this unexpected turn of events.
It seemed she was truly enraged.
After a long pause, Raina’s furious voice came through the receiver, “You
piece of trash! You’re just an actor I hired, and now you’re trying to blackmail me?
Are you crazy?!*
Her voice was filled with anger and disdain. I’m afraid you’ll have the money
but not the life to spend it!”
However, after venting her anger, she quickly calmed down, regaining her
composure.“How much do you want? Where should I give it to you?” she asked.
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Raina’s voice was cold–blooded, a side John had never seen before, as if she
were a complete stranger.
This was his childhood sweetheart, he never imagined Raina would become
like this, the shock was immense.
If Lily hadn’t died, she might have continued to wear her mask of kindness, performing her act in front of John, perhaps for a lifetime.
But now, at this moment, the last glimmer of hope he had for Raina was extinguished, like a faint candle blown out by a harsh wind.
He gestured a number to the dwarf and then wrote down the location for the exchange on the paper, instructing her to read it aloud.
And so, the time and place for the exchange were set for the next day.
< (From Ashes to Hope…
