Chapter 1891


    Boyd clenched his jaw, the frustration evident in his stance. "Are you doing this on purpose to


    punish me?"


    The officer chuckled, patting him on the shoulder, "Kid, you''re overthinking it. You''re not that big of a


    deal. Besides, why would I get serious with a child? Your suggestion was spot on, though. The girl


    is just a kid, too. I was too hasty."


    Boyd''s hands were clenched tight, and noticing this, a flicker of surprise crossed the officer''s face.


    This kid, so young and yet, carrying such a heavy burden.


    "Do all the other kids shun her?"


    Boyd''s expression was icy, his lips sealed.


    "It''s clear she''s got a lot on her mind. To be honest, even at her age, I don''t think I would have had


    the guts to go and save someone."d2


    Boyd''s lips pressed together tighter, his mind a mess. All he knew was that Yasmine disliked


    Serana. And so, he had arrogantly assumed everything on that basis. It was the only reason he


    nearly condemned Yasmine without a second thought.


    Lately, it seemed to be a pattern, but every single time, he turned out to be wrong.


    The hospital room door swung open, and the director stood at the threshold, "Serana says she''s


    ready to talk now."


    The officer nced at Boyd, and noticing his silence, raised his eyebrows and stood up, "Don''t push


    yourself."


    The director attempted a smile but failed.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Boyd followed into the room.


    Serana was curled up in the corner of the bed, hugging her knees, looking at him with a mix of fear


    and worry.


    "You okay, sweetheart?" the officer asked.


    Serana bit her lip, nodded, nced at Boyd, then began haltingly, "I saw Yasmine and Boyd arguing


    again, so I went to Yasmine to try and make peace. But Yasmine was adamant, and I followed her.


    Then this guy came out of nowhere, grabbed me, and... and covered my mouth so I couldn''t


    scream."


    At this point, Serana''s voice began to tremble noticeably. "Yasmine noticed, and I thought she would


    save me.,but she... she suddenly said I deserved it."


    The officer paused his note-taking, staring on the tiny figure. His eyebrows raised slightly before he


    shifted his focus back, continuing to record the rest of the conversation.. "What else happened?"


    Whether it was the initial shock or the fear resurfacing, tears started to well up in her eyes again.


    "She said she hated me, that it would be better if I died. She even... even told the guy to ''teach me


    a lesson'' to take her anger out on me."


    The officer diligently recorded everything down, but suddenly Boyd, standing aside, asked coldly,


    "Are these really Yasmine''s words?"


    Serana nodded, "Really... I... why would I lie..."


    Boyd stared at Serana quietly, his expression somewhat displeased. After a long while, he furrowed


    his brows, "She saved you."


    Serana shook her head, tears rolling down, "I don''t really know what happened... but these words,


    they really were said by Yasmine..."


    The officer wrote it all down, then asked without looking up, "And then?"


    "Then the guy took me up the mountain, hit me a lot, and I was so scared I kept hiding until I ended


    up in a tree."


    "Did the bad guy say anything else to you?" the officer asked.


    Serana shook her head, her voice barely a whisper, "He just hit me."


    With no further details forting, the officer closed his notebook, exhaling deeply. "You rest now."


    Serana peeked at him timidly.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    As the officer packed away his notes and turned to leave, he paused at the door, addressing the


    silent trio in the room, "You don''t actually believe everything that kid said, do you?"


    Boyd met his gaze, "So you''re saying Serana''s lying."


    Serana hurriedly shook her head, "I... I didn''t."


    The officer said, "She''s telling the truth."


    Boyd suddenly raised his voice, "But you said Yasmine saved her!"


    "Yes," the officer said, opening the door to leave, his back to them. "She took a beating, sure, but it''s


    better than being dead."


    The door closed with a click.


    Boyd stood frozen. The officer''s words were few but enough for him to understand. What Yasmine


    had said was true, and it was precisely for that reason, she had actually saved Serana.


    If she hadn''t spoken that way, the assant might not have spared her, and then she wouldn''t have


    had the chance to escape, let alone call for help.


    By telling the assant to ''teach Serana a lesson,'' she was, in fact, increasing the odds that Serana


    would survive, buying time until help arrived.


    Compared to dying, the injuries Serana sustained were nothing.


    It turned out that from the beginning, she wasn’t the bad guy he thought her to be.


    He suddenly rxed. He felt guilt, remorse, and regret, but this was his issue. He had been wrong


    all along, misunderstanding her.


    Yasmine had always been good, always.


    As he stepped into the foyer, the pouring rain outside greeted him. He took a deep breath.


    Yasmine would be fine.


    What were the odds of not dying in a fall down a cliff, only to be left crippled? How could such things


    happen to Yasmine? She was too clever to let something happen to her. When she returned, he


    would apologize properly.


    He must...


    Yet after waiting two hours, there was still no news.


    Boyd, who had been consoling himself, felt his patience erode, giving way to an overwhelming


    panic that left him restless.


    She was so smart. How could anything happen to her?


    But the next morning, when the searchers came down from the mountain without Yasmine, Boyd,


    who had not slept a wink, sat pale and drawn in the director''s office, listening to them say with


    regret that the heavy rain had hampered their efforts, and they had not found her yet.


    Bryson entered the office muchter, equally disheveled and with a look of someone who had aged


    a decade overnight.


    "Mr. Bryson..." Boyd approached, about to ask for the oue, but Bryson raised a trembling hand


    to stop him.


    The hand shook, and his voice was feeble but filled with profound grief.


    "Don''t call me that." His gaze slowly lifted to meet Boyd''s, eyes clouded with sorrow. "I know I


    shouldn''t me you, but if it weren''t for you, Yasmine wouldn''t have been caught up in such a


    tragedy. Boyd, I thought the daily tiffs and tantrums between kids were just normal. It''s my fault, all


    my fault. I let things get out of hand, and now she has paid the ultimate price. She’s dead!"


    Boyd''s eyes suddenly widened in shock.


    "What are you saying?! Dead? Yasmine can''t be dead!"


    Bryson''s face was streaked with tears as he looked at the young man who was desperately


    clutching at his clothes and gently pushed him away.


    "The cliff was so steep, and to survive a fall from that height would be a miracle."


    With those words, Bryson shakily turned and walked away.


    Boyd stood frozen for a moment before springing to his feet and dashing after him, but Bryson had


    already driven off.


    Ava stood at the orphanage entrance, just as disheveled, caked in mud, her wet hair tangled in


    knots.


    Like grasping at a lifeline, Boyd suddenly seized Ava''s shoulders with such force that she cried out


    in pain. But Boyd seemed not to hear, "Is Yasmine found? She is, isn''t she?!"


    Ava, startled, managed to reply, "We found her."


    Boyd paused, "How is she?"


    Ava twisted her hands together, and after a long moment, she shook her head. "She''s covered in


    wounds, not a single part of her unharmed. When we found her, her body was already cold."