?Chapter 1781:


    Brook’s jaw tightened. “It’s not going to be easy. We have to keep the truth about Corrie and Uncle Jordy under wraps—for now.”


    Jayden nodded. “Exactly. You should go talk to her.”


    Brook’s eyes widened. “Me again?”


    Elyse instinctively stepped closer to Jayden, silently making it clear she wasn’t volunteering.


    Brook sighed, running a hand through his hair before reluctantly heading inside.


    Elyse and Jayden remained in the hallway. She nced up at him, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “Where do you think Corrie could be hiding? She hasn’t gone home, she’s not with anyone we know, and she doesn’t have a car. Where could she possibly be?”


    Jayden stroked his chin thoughtfully. “That’s the real question, isn’t it? Where would she go?”


    “She’spletely alone,” Elyse pointed out. “No car and no friends willing to take her in. Do you think she’s sleeping on the streets? Maybe hiding out in the woods somewhere?”


    Jayden hesitated. “There is one ce she might have gone.”


    Elyse’s eyes lit up with urgency. “Where?”


    Jayden shook his head. “It’s a long shot—practically wishful thinking. I doubt she’d actually go there.”


    “Then let’s check it out anyway,” Elyse insisted.


    After a brief pause, Jayden exhaled and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”


    Corrie stepped off the bus, empty-handed. Every cent she had was spent on the ticket.


    After a long, restless journey, Corrie finally returned to Watscar. The morning sun cast a golden glow through the trees, but its warmth did nothing to ease the cold hollowness inside her.


    Pale and exhausted, she set off up the winding road. The tram fare had drained herst coin, so she had walked for hours. Atst, she reached her destination—a quiet cemetery. Tears stung her eyes; she brushed them away with trembling fingers and let memory guide her between the gravestones until she stopped before one in particr.


    The photograph on the headstone remained untouched by time. A young man’s face stared back—handsome, with boyish features that still held the promise of youth. Corrie crouched down and traced the engraved lines of his face with her fingertips.


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    “Louis, I came to see you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Slowly, she sank onto the grass and stared nkly at the sky.


    “Louis, I killed someone. An old man. He promised he’d help me secure my engagement to Brook. But yesterday he reneged—and then he called me a whore.” Her voice cracked as the word fell from her lips. “Maybe he wasn’t wrong. I let myself be used. I slept with him just to win a marriage. And when I realized how filthy I’d be, I… killed him.”


    Corrie pressed her back against the cold stone, as if she could lean on Louis himself. The confession tumbled out in a flood. “Why was I so blind, Louis? You chased after me. You were good to me—you even said you wanted to marry me. And I…” She swallowed hard. “I turned my back on you. I looked down on you. I was such a fool.”


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