"Elijah, Lucy''s dead. She killed herself," Noah said, his voice trembling as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "I messed up what Mr. Holden asked me to do."


    Elijah rushed into the room and saw Lucy''s lifeless body on the floor. Then, he pulled Noah behind him, shielding him. He said firmly, "This is on me, not you. I''ll exin it to Mr. Holden. Noah, don''t be afraid."


    Noah closed his eyes for a moment. After calming himself down, he replied, "Elijah, I''m not scared. I messed up, and I won''t let you take the me for me. I''m not afraid of Mr. Holden''s punishment, so call him."


    He had only panicked for a brief moment when he first saw Lucy''s body, but he quickly regained hisposure. "I won''t touch the scene and just get Mr. Holden. Lucy left a suicide note, and whatever''s in it must be important."


    "Noah—" Elijah started, but Noah cut him off.


    "Go," Noah insisted, his tone firm. "Elijah, we have to take responsibility. Don''t put me in a position of disloyalty."


    Elijah clenched his jaw and walked out.


    ...


    Marcus and Natalie arrived about 20 minutester. Upon seeing them, Noah immediately stepped forward to take the me, his eyes red.


    He said, "Mr. Holden, I''ve failed you. Please punish me. I shouldn''t have left her alone. I gave her the chance to kill herself."


    Marcus nced at him but did not respond immediately. He walked over and picked up the suicide note. It was short, with only a few lines written.


    "I''m sorry. I was wrong. I''ll take my own life to atone for my sins and ensure no one else is burdened by my actions. Suicide is my only choice and my only way out.


    "When I''m gone, please send my body back to the Maine family and let them handle my funeral. Perhaps those who attend will bring you unexpected answers. Signed, Lucy Maine."


    "Mr. Holden, please punish me," Noah repeated, his head still hung low, unable to meet Marcus'' eyes.


    "There''s nothing to punish you for," Marcus simply said. "Contact the Maine family and have Lucy''s body sent back. Noah, I''m leaving this task to you again."


    "Yes, Mr. Holden," Noah replied, his voice trembling but respectful.


    "Noah, I don''t want any more mistakes this time," Marcus added sternly.


    "Yes, Mr. Holden. I understand," Noah said, nodding.


    Natalie, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "If Lucy chose to kill herself, she probably knew from the start that she couldn''t escape. Even if she hadn''t done it, Cassie would never have let her go."


    Her tone was cold and matter-of-fact as she added, "She would''ve found a way to end her life eventually, unless someone watched her every second."


    "Ms. Walker," Elijah said gratefully, stepping forward. "Thank you." He had been worried Marcus would me Noah.


    "Marcus isn''t unreasonable," Natalie said, ncing at Marcus. "You''ve all grown up together. He has no reason to distrust you and believe someone who hurt Laura."


    She turned to Marcus. "Right, Marcus?"


    Marcus nodded. "Yes."


    Natalie continued, "So, Noah, don''t me yourself for Lucy''s suicide. Even if she hadn''t died, we wouldn''t have gotten anything useful out of her."


    Noah finally felt the weight on his chest ease a little. "Yes, Ms. Walker."


    "Go handle it," Marcus replied, rubbing his temples. He motioned for Natalie to follow him, and they left Noah''s room.


    Natalie chose a quiet path and led Marcus on a walk. She remarked thoughtfully, "Even if Lucy hadn''t killed herself, she wouldn''t have talked. Her suicide note, though, gave us a clue. Her funeral might bring some people out of the shadows."


    "Exactly," Marcus agreed, ncing at her. They both knew what the other was thinking.


    "Besides Lucy, has Ethan found anything on the others?" Natalie asked.


    "Lucy''s assistant, Julie, vanished after leaving Holden Residence years ago," Marcus exined. "Ethan''s still looking, but it''s like she disappeared into thin air. There''s no trace of her."


    "That''s why Lucy said her funeral should be handled by the Maine family and told us to watch for those who show up," Natalie said, stopping in her tracks.


    "Do you have a photo of Julie?" she asked suddenly.


    "No, why?" Marcus replied, raising an eyebrow.


    Natalie frowned. "I just remembered something. When I was little, I overheard Mrs. Langley Senior on the phone mentioning a brother, But it was so long ago, and I was young. I''m not sure if I heard it rightor if I''m remembering it correctly."


    "Mrs. Langley Senior had a brother?" Marcus immediately pulled out his phone


    and called Charles. "She''s my grandfather''s god-sister. Maybe he knows something."


    "Good, ask him," Natalie said.


    Marcus got straight to the point when Charles answered. "Grandpa, did Mrs. Langley Senior have a brother?"


    "I''m not sure," Charles replied, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He was getting older, and the recent hypnosis session had drained him. "Marcus, why are you asking this all of a sudden?"


    "It''s just something Nat and I were talking about," Marcus said casually.


    Charles sighed. "Natalie grew up in the Langley family, and Grace always doted


    on her fake as it was. If Grace really had a brother, wouldn''t Natalie know about


    it?"


    "Got it. I''ll ask her," Marcus replied before hanging up.


    "You heard that," Marcus said, turning to Natalie.


    "Yeah, I did," Natalie replied, exhaling slowly. "I grew up in the Langley residence but never met Mrs. Langley Senior''s brother. I only overheard her on the phone with him a few times."


    "She was talking to someone who would asionally address her as his sister and ask her for money and something else," Natalie added, frowning. "Since I never saw him, I can''t be sure if he was her real


    brother or just someone who


    worked for her."


    She paused, then continued, "If he was her real brother, wouldn''t they have


    stayed in touch over the years?"


    Marcus thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Not necessarily."


    "Natalie, do you think the mix-up at the hospital when you were a baby was an ident?" Marcus asked, his tone serious.


    The question caught Natalie off guard. She hade to Amberton not only to treat Laura but also to uncover the truth about the hospital mix-up If it was not an ident, then this matter went deepethan they initially thought, involving more than just a few people.


    "Natalie, I''ll have Ethan keep digging into the people who took care of my mother


    back then," Marcus said.


    "Once Mom''s, Grandpa''s, and Sheldon''s memories align, we''ll have a clearer picture," he added. "But Cassie probably already took care of those people."


    Natalie frowned, deep in thought. "Instead of chasing those people, maybe we should go straight to Cassie."


    "And I think you should talk to Grandpa Charles about this," she suggested. "After all, Cassie is his daughter, your aunt."


    Marcus smirked faintly. "Grandpa''s been exhausted since the hypnosis. I don''t think talking to him now will give us the answers we need."