The winter dawn arrived slowly, and Josie couldn’t resist falling asleep. When she woke up, she found herself unexpectedly in the master bedroom.
That place was once filled with countless remnants of their lives.
She furrowed her brow and got up to open the door, only to find Dexter waiting outside. He had already taken a bath, but his complexion didn’t look good, as if he hadn’t slept.
The two met, their politeness creating such a distance between them that they didn’t know what to say.
“I…”
Dexter nodded. “I’ll take you there now.”
Rachel was being held captive by him in a secluded location. After taking numerous turns, they finally arrived in a dilapidated old residential area, which was heavily guarded by dedicated personnel.
Josie asked, “Did you also confine Edward here?”
Dexter did not respond.
He moved through the darkness, making his way down the corridor until he reached the end, where he instructed his bodyguard to open the door.
Rachel had been confined for a long time, and her mental state had deteriorated somewhat. Upon hearing the sound of the door opening. she immediately shouted, “Let me out! Dexter! Let me out!”
She was seated, her wrists and ankles bound, surrounded by dried bloodstains. Josie recognized the scene instantly. It mirrored the circumstances of her own past captivity. Dexter was doing the same thing to Rachel.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes sagged with bags underneath, no longer possessing the radiance she had before. Her crazed gaze became even more frenzied upon seeing Josie, and she was about to rush at her. “You b*tch!”
Josie took a step back while Dexter stepped forward to block Rachel. Their movements were perfectly synchronized.
He said, “Let’s talk at the door. She could hurt someone. Josie glanced at Rachel, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s all right. Have someone keep watch. I’ll go in and talk.”
Dexter furrowed his brow, revealing his worry.
Josie had already brushed past his arm, heading straight inside.
Fortunately, there was nothing there that could be used to harm others. Josie and Rachel stood facing each other, the latter’s eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions, brimming with jealousy.
Rachel gritted her teeth. “I can’t believe Johnny didn’t kill you.”
“He almost did,” Josie quickly responded. “You almost succeeded.”
“I don’t understand. How am I any less than you? I had everything you had and even more. I could be a good wife and a good daughter! But you couldn’t!”
“It was precisely because you were too perfect. Indeed, you played your part very well. Arnold trained you successfully, too. For a long time, I never doubted your identity, Josie said.
At that moment, Rachel’s face showed the effects of neglect.
“Your downfall was your excessive meticulousness. You may have deceived everyone under the heavens, but I am the real Liana. How could you possibly deceive me?” Josie leaned in slightly. “You even went as far as tattooing a birthmark identical to mine on your back. Unfortunately for you, I saw it.”
Rachel had a sudden realization, and she remembered something. “You knew all along and had been planning for so long.”
Josie didn’t deny it. “Yes. I’ve been watching you act like a clown!”
“Why didn’t you expose me from the start?”
“Because I wanted to see how far you could go. While gathering evidence, I also wanted to see how others would react.”
When Josie mentioned “the others,” she meant many people, but the most crucial among them was Dexter. Yet, every move he made exceeded her expectations.
To her, that was the greatest harm.
“You endured all this time, holding back until the day I married Dexter. Your goal was to let everyone witness that I am a fraud,” Rachel recounted in disbelief. Her expression was fierce, unable to imagine that Josie could be so ruthless.
“Indeed,” Josie readily admitted. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity you’ve given me.”
