Chapter 3 It Took Him This Long

• Luke's stepmother, Sheila Bolton, had once had a daughter with Adam, but the child passed away when she was very young, leaving behind a deep sadness. Later on, they adopted Anna, a twist of fate that brought her into their lives.
• Three years after Luke's mother passed away, Adam welcomed Sheila into the family, and she became Mrs. Bolton.
• From the start, Sheila never liked me because of Anna's presence.
• When Anna saw Sheila, she sweetly called out, "Dad, Mom."
• Adam's gaze turned sharply to Luke. "You ungrateful fool, so you finally decided to come back. You've embarrassed the Boltons beyond repair!"
• At yesterday's wedding, just as Luke and I were about to exchange rings, Anna called, claiming she was having severe chest pains. Without a second thought, Luke rushed out, leaving me as the subject of ridicule throughout the city.
• Anna immediately went up to Adam, teary-eyed. "Dad, it's all my fault. I thought I was having a heart attack and called Luke. I didn't expect it to turn out like this. If you're angry, blame me, not Luke."
• Sheila gathered Anna in her arms. "Anna only developed this heart condition because Chloe pushed her into the water years ago. Besides, our in-laws didn't complain. Why are you so upset? Anna, dear, it's okay. It's not your fault."
• This scene had become a familiar occurrence over the past two years. Whenever Anna and I clashed, Adam would make a fuss but quickly move on.
• In the end, Anna always walked away with the advantages, leaving me with only bitterness.
• Luke scanned the room, not finding the person he was looking for. He asked, "Dad, where's Chloe?"
• "How dare you mention her! Yesterday, you left her at the wedding, leaving her to face all the blame. She calmed the guests, said she was going to change out of her wedding dress, and then never returned. She saved face for the Boltons, while you trampled all over her dignity!"
• Luke's expression changed slightly. "You say she hasn't come back. Where could she have gone? She sent me her location last night!"
• Luke pulled out his phone, his fingers tense. "The police called me today saying they found Chloe's wedding dress at Silver Shore ... "
• Ha.
• I laughed. It took him this long to realize I was dead?
• "Where did she go? How should I know! Did you even think about her when you ran away from the wedding? Now, what are you pretending for?"
• "Dad, I'm going out."
• "Luke, I'm coming with you."
• Watching his slightly panicked back, I found it almost amusing.
• Wasn't it a bit late to be panicking now?
• At the police station.
• Luke cut straight to the point. "Officer, what exactly happened?"
• "Mr. Bolton, this morning, a wedding dress was spotted drifting on the river. A jogger thought it was a body and reported it. After retrieving it, we confirmed it was the same high-end dress your wife wore at the wedding ... "
• Anna interrupted, "Was there anything else found besides the wedding dress?"
• "No," the officer glanced at Anna and replied.
• "Officer, Chloe wouldn't have thrown the wedding dress into the water just to upset you, would she?
• "Chloe often plays these kinds of games, but we don't have time to indulge her."
• Anna's nonchalant attitude made the sheriff, Nelson Tucker, raise an eyebrow. "And who might you be?"
• "I'm Chloe's younger sister. Chloe has always been deceitful. When I was just five, she tricked me into leaving the house and then pushed me into the river, trying to drown me. Even when I managed to get back home, she continued to scheme against me in every possible way. She excels at playing the victim to manipulate others."
• Hearing these accusations, I wanted to defend myself and tell them that it wasn't me, and I didn't do any of that.
• I had repeated this explanation numerous times, but everyone seemed to view Anna as the perpetual victim. My protests always sounded like mere excuses.
• I hoped Nelson might see through Anna's lies, but his expression remained impassive.
• "We discovered traces of blood on the wedding dress. After conducting tests, we confirmed it matches Ms. Chloe's DNA. There are also two puncture marks on the dress, likely from a sharp object. If Ms. Sander was wearing this dress, she would have sustained injuries from a sharp object in both her abdomen and back.
• "So, we suspect Ms. Sander may have been harmed."
• Luke's face turned ashen. His hand, holding a disposable cup, shook uncontrollably, causing water to spill all over the table.