chapter 4

“She’s still not here. Is she planning to stay locked in there forever? Or is this just some childish game to get my attention?

“Sadie, if you want to act tough, then go ahead. Stay that way.”

I watched Colton grow more and more irritated as he held Camille in his arms. There was even a flicker of panic in his eyes.

“Camille, wait here. I’ll go see what that bitch is doing. Don’t worry, I’ll make her kneel and apologize.”

He gently set Camille down, pushed the door open, and walked toward the walk-in freezer.

But as soon as he reached the entrance, he gagged.

“What the hell is that smell?” he muttered, his face twisted in disgust.

Jared appeared behind him and spoke quietly, “Mr. Blackwood... you’d better take a look for yourself.”

My nerves tensed. That familiar wave of suffocating despair crept in again.

It took real courage to look at my own dead body.

The four padlocks on the freezer bin were stained with dried blood, and the lid sat crooked on top.

Colton stood there, staring at the bloodstained freezer bin. His eyes went cold.

“Sadie, what the hell are you doing? I was just about to let you out, and you’re still hiding? Planning to live in this damn bin for the rest of your life?”

I didn’t know what to feel anymore. All I knew was that I fought. I fought until the very end. I just couldn’t make it.

“Come out already. Camille’s waiting for your apology. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

He stomped over to the freezer bin and yanked the lid open. The stench of death hit him so hard he had to squeeze his eyes shut.

He kicked the bin over. Blood spilled across the floor.

The ice had melted into water, soaking my corpse.

I came face to face with the horrifying state of my own death, without any warning.

The corpse inside the freezer bin looked grotesque. My arms and legs were broken, and so was my neck.

Terror was still frozen on my face. My eyes were wide open, the eyeballs bulging out. My skin had soaked in water for so long it had started to rot and deform.

From the waist down, the blood had turned a bright, eerie red. Soaked and diluted by the water, it spread in strange, circular patterns that looked disturbingly unnatural.

Colton sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled back a few steps. Then he pointed at the corpse and shouted, “Where's Sadie? Tell her to come out! Who put this terrifying thing here? Who the hell is she trying to scare?”

His voice was shaking. “Sadie, I know you’re here. Stop hiding. I don’t believe this. You can’t fool me. I will find you.”

I started to cry. And I laughed, too. I couldn’t help it.

How pathetic was this? My rotting body was right in front of him, and he still didn’t believe it.

Where did he think I went?

“Mr. Blackwood... Mrs. Blackwood is gone. Please... try to get a grip. Her body’s already started to rot.”

Colton shot Jared a glare and snapped, “Don’t talk nonsense. People like her don’t die that easily.

“What, you’re on her side now too? She got to you, didn’t she? What did she give you? What kind of deal did she make to get you to lie for her? That thing in there is just some ugly, creepy fake. I don’t believe she’s really dead. I don’t care if I have to search the ends of the earth… I’m going to drag her back myself.”

He walked out without a trace of emotion, ordered the walk-in freezer to be sealed, and launched a full search to track me down.

Camille saw his dark expression and rushed into his arms, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Colton, what’s wrong? Did Sadie make you angry again? It’s okay. I’m here now. Don’t be upset, alright?”

Colton picked her up and sat on the couch, his tone colder than ever.

“Sadie is shameless. She actually faked her death to run away this time. But don’t worry, Camille. No matter where she goes, I’ll find her. She’s still going to kneel and apologize to you. I’ll make her add ten more pages to that confession letter. I refuse to believe I can’t break those disgusting habits of hers.”

He had just seen my corpse. He knew exactly what it looked like. But even then, he still refused to believe I was gone. He didn’t want me alive. He just didn’t want me to disappear before apologizing to Camille.

That was when I finally realized how pathetic I really was.