Travelling Time in Search of Honesty and Trust

Right on the third year of my brother's disappearance, eighteen skeletons were dug up underground in Everbloom. One of them was the worst -- 180 stab wounds, each one piercing the bone.

In his hand, he held a slip of paper tightly.

[Don't be afraid, I'm just going home. If you can't hold on, go back home too.]

The system sounded an alarm in my head.

[The value of family and affection strategy has dropped to 10%. Host, please perish and return to the original world as soon as possible.]

That evening, I put on my wedding suit and sent the suicide note to the family group chat.

My fiancée, who accompanied my adopted brother, replied, "Are you out of your mind?"

My mother, Miranda Muller, a movie queen, kept calling me, urging me to take off my suit and go over to apologize to my adopted brother, Santiago Muller.

My older sister, Megan Muller, who was a police officer, also scolded. "You knew, Santiago couldn't accept that you were going to marry Briella after he lost his memory, yet you still wore your wedding suit to irritate him, trying to make him sicker, didn't you?"

No one cared about the suicide note. No one knew I put on the wedding suit not to marry Briella, but -- to bring out the serial killer who murdered my brother, to completely break free from this world that had trapped me for twenty-five years.

Only my younger sister, Margot Muller, a lawyer, sent several voice messages.

"Sergio, do you know anything?"

"Is that corpse Timothy? Is the note left behind meant for you?"

I didn't reply to any of them, just holding my brother's photo.

Under the escort of numerous plainclothes police officers, I headed toward the hotel.

——

I sat in the wedding car and the policemen disguised as bridesmaids and groomsmen had complicated expressions.

"Have you really made up your mind? To lure out the psychopath, you might end up losing your life."

"Although this case concerns whether Ms. Muller will be dismissed, you don't have to gamble your life ...."

I responded softly, "I did this and Megan has nothing to do with it."

They had no comment and just assumed I was still angry with Megan.

Someone said, "I'll call Ms. Muller. She should be there to watch over you in such a dangerous situation."

I watched him start dialing and just curled my lips.

As soon as the call was connected, he said, "Ms. Muller, Sergio Muller is going to be a bait to catch the psychopath right away, I'm afraid it's going to be a dangerous mission, you ...."

Before he could finish his words, the call was abruptly disconnected.

And right at that moment, my phone rang. I pressed the answer button with a blank expression and Megan's angry curses were heard from the other side.

"I originally thought you were just selfish and ignorant because we spoiled you."

"I never thought you would even abandon your bottom line in order to force a marriage."

She gritted her teeth and questioned me word by word.

"Not only have you driven your own brother's condition worse, but now you're shamelessly having my colleague lie and say you want to be the bait. Do you want to deceive us into pitying you and softening our hearts to agree to your marriage with Briella?"

"Sergio, you're just like your adoptive father, a shameless bastard who dares to use such a big case to satisfy your selfish desires!"

Her words were harsh and sharp like a knife.

"Get over here and get down on your knees to apologize to your brother!"

"Make it clear in front of everyone — Briella has nothing to do with you and it's you who's being shameless and foolish, trying to steal your brother's wife!"

I listened as my grip tightened bit by bit.

When she compared me to my adoptive father in that tone, I went blank.

When she investigated the records, she found that my adoptive father had drugged me to please his lover and sent me to her bed.

I was struggling to escape, but he struck me on the head with a vase, leaving a permanent scar on my forehead.