AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“N-no.” Think, Astrid, think. “I just needed to talk to Mum. I miss her.”
My voice shakes at the end and I realise how much that’s true. Since she left, my life doesn’t feel right.
For a brief moment, when I was with Levi, I thought I could be happy again.
But it was all a freaking joke. He only did all that so he could manipulate me.
Dad places a hand on my shoulder. "I know I'll never be Jasmine, but if you need to talk…”
He trails off as if he doesn’t know how to finish the sentence.
I sniffle on my tears. "Why… why are you against me identifying suspects?"
He lifts an eyebrow. "I see deputy Vans has been telling you things he shouldn’t."
“I heard you talking to the commissioner. You said you didn’t want me to go through what happened in the past again. Why?”
“Eavesdropping, too,” he says with slight amusement.
“Technically, it’s not eavesdropping if I hear you on my way out.”
“You mean when you sneak out.”
Busted. I smile a little. “Semantics, Dad.”
He smiles back.
I forgot how young and carefree Dad looks when he smiles genuinely, not like the one he puts in front of cameras.
I haven’t seen him smiling like this since I was seven.
“Don’t you want me to find justice?” I ask.
“Justice is unimportant in this case.”
“But why, Dad? You closed Mum’s case so quickly, too as if it never happened. You might want to pretend like she never existed, but she did.”
“I know that.” A muscle clenches in his jaw.
“Then why did you shut off the investigation? Why, Dad? Why?”
“The other person died. There was no need to keep the case open.”
My
throat closes. “S-someone else died?”
“Yes.” He stands up. “So drop it.”
“But —”
“Take it as if I’m asking you for a favour and drop it.”
After Mum’s accident, I looked all over for articles, but Dad’s PR’s team is so strong that all articles were wiped out. Then he announced me to the public as his daughter. The articles mentioned that Mum’s accident was because of a dog.
This is the first time anyone mentions someone else.
My lips thin in a line despite all the questions I want to ask. I can’t deny Dad the first favour he asks of me.
