Chapter 5: The Bracelet That Changed Everything

The silver bracelet rested inside the evidence bag, its tiny wolf-shaped charm glinting beneath the basement lights.

Detective Marcus stared at it for several seconds before turning toward the family.

"Does this belong to Miss Sophie?" he asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"I've never seen it before," Dad answered hoarsely.

Ryan's gaze remained fixed on the bracelet.

Something about it seemed familiar.

Before he could remember where he had seen it, Ella hurried down the basement stairs.

The moment she caught sight of my body, she let out a piercing scream.

"Sister!"

She covered her mouth and burst into tears.

"No... this can't be happening..."

She staggered forward as though her legs could barely support her.

If I hadn't known the truth, I might have believed every second of her performance.

Marcus stepped in front of her.

"Miss Ella Carter?"

"Yes..." she sobbed.

"Please don't let me see her like this..."

Marcus held up the evidence bag.

"Do you recognize this bracelet?"

For the briefest moment...

Her crying stopped.

Her pupils contracted.

Then she quickly shook her head.

"No."

"I've never seen it before."

Marcus quietly observed her reaction before sealing the evidence bag.

"We'll verify that."

Ella lowered her eyes, forcing fresh tears to fall.

"Who could have done something so horrible to Sophie?"

"She was my sister..."

"We loved each other so much..."

Standing beside her, I almost laughed.

Loved each other?

Only yesterday she had texted me that she wished I would die.

Fortunately for her, everyone believed the version she had shown them.

Everyone except me.

The investigators continued processing the crime scene.

One officer carefully photographed the bite marks on my neck.

Another collected strands of hair trapped beneath my broken fingernails.

"Looks like the victim fought back," he reported.

"Good," Marcus replied.

"That means the attackers left us DNA."

Ryan slowly stood, his eyes swollen from crying.

"Detective..."

"Will you find whoever did this?"

Marcus met his gaze.

"We'll find every single person responsible."

"No matter who they are."

Those words caused Ella's fingers to tighten around the hem of her dress.

She immediately hid her hands behind her back.

Ryan noticed.

"Ella?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just scared," she answered softly.

"I've never seen anything like this before."

"I can't stop shaking."

Ryan nodded sympathetically.

Even now...

He still believed her.

Several hours later, my body was finally lifted onto a stretcher.

As the white sheet covered my face, Mom collapsed once again.

"Please..." she cried.

"Don't take my daughter away."

"I haven't apologized yet."

The medical team remained silent.

There was nothing left to save.

I followed the stretcher as it was carried toward the ambulance.

This house had been my home for twenty-four years.

Yet I was leaving it for the last time without hearing a single goodbye while I was alive.

Outside, dozens of neighbors had gathered behind police barriers.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"That's Sophie's body..."

"She was one of the pack's best warriors."

"Who could have done this?"

"Didn't her family know she was here the whole time?"

Each question became another knife twisting inside my parents' hearts.

Dad couldn't lift his head.

Conner stared at the ground in complete silence.

Ryan watched the ambulance doors close.

Only then did he realize something.

Yesterday...

I had died alone.

Waiting for him.

His knees weakened once again.

"Captain."

Marcus handed him a transparent evidence bag.

"We recovered this from the victim's phone."

Inside was my cracked cellphone.

"The forensic team copied the messages before powering it down."

"I thought you should read them."

Ryan hesitated before opening the report.

The first messages were the ones I had sent him.

[Ryan... please answer.]

[They're hurting me.]

[I'm bleeding.]

[Please... I don't want to die.]

His hands began shaking uncontrollably.

Then he reached the final conversation.

A message from Ella.

His breathing stopped.

[Hope you enjoyed getting marked up by those rogues.]

[The party was amazing.]

[It would be so much better if you'd just drop dead.]

Ryan stared at the screen.

He read the words once.

Then again.

Then a third time.

"This..."

"This can't be right..."

Marcus frowned.

"What is it?"

Without speaking, Ryan handed him the phone.

Marcus carefully examined the deleted-message recovery log.

His expression instantly hardened.

"Interesting..."

"Very interesting."

"This message was deleted from the sender's device... but remained stored in the victim's phone memory."

Ryan looked toward the house where Ella sat wrapped in a blanket while Mom comforted her.

"No..." he whispered.

"Ella would never..."

Yet another memory suddenly surfaced.

Yesterday morning...

Ella had insisted Sophie didn't need anyone attending her ceremony.

Yesterday afternoon...

Ella had constantly kept him beside her.

Yesterday evening...

She had stopped him from checking the basement.

One coincidence after another.

Ryan's heartbeat accelerated.

Marcus quietly slipped the phone back into its evidence bag.

"Captain Ryan..."

"Until this investigation is complete..."

"Trust no one."

Ryan slowly turned toward Ella.

For the first time in six months...

He wasn't looking at her with affection.

He was looking at her with suspicion.

Watching from beside the ambulance, I felt something I hadn't felt since dying.

Hope.

The lies protecting Ella were beginning to crack.

And once the first crack appeared...

The entire truth would soon come crashing down.