Chapter 244: Chapter 244

At first, I suspected that Ewan was secretly some big shot. But then, I saw how respectit he was toward Steven. Later, I suspected that Ewan was using Stever’s position as the Lincoln family’s heir and his mental disability to give himself free rein.

“You’re still young, so you don’t know how evil people can be.” Ewan didn’t really answer my question. He seemed to be changing the topic, but there was an underlying meaning to his words that I didn’t really get.

“My father died in an accident at a construction site when I was a teenager, and my sister was only five at the time. My mother abandoned us and fled after taking the compensation for my father’s death.

“From then on, my sister and I only had each other. I studied and worked at the same time. I had to pick up trash just to make a living. Thankfully, there were kind people in our lives who helped us out of the slums.”

Ewan walked beside me as we headed to the courtyard. He looked at the weeds poking out from the ground and pulled them out with a smile. “My sister was beautiful. Everyone said she was lucky that she could marry James.”

At the time, Ewan’s sister had indeed married above her station by marrying James.

I looked at him in surprise. James had indeed had a wife, but I never expected her to be Ewan’s sister.

“If I wasn’t working as Mr. Lincoln’s assistant, James would have never met my sister.” Ewan sneered. “He married her, but it was likely only because he wanted me to take his side–he thought Mr. Lincoln Senior had high hopes for me. It was too bad that he was a scumbag, though.”

His gaze landed on my belly. “When my sister was six months pregnant, her looks and figure took a turn for the worse because of her hormones. James didn’t like that she was no longer pretty, so he had affairs left, right, and center.

“He became entranced with a popular starlet and insisted on divorcing my sister despite Mr. Lincoln’s objections. She was already six months pregnant–how could they get divorced?”

Ewan’s sister had been pregnant at the time. If she’d refused to get divorced, James wouldn’t have been able to do anything.

Take a guess at the brilliant idea that the starlet placed in James‘ mind.” Ewan smiled faintly.

The look on his face made a chill run down my spine.

“She said… the whips used to train horses at the stables hurt like hell but wouldn’t leave obvious marks. She told James to whip my sister until she agreed to get a divorce. She also told him that domestic abuse was a private matter.

“If my sister died because she insisted on remaining married, it would be her own fault.”

I took a deep breath. The level of cruelty humans were capable of was truly eye–opening.

“And so, James returned home that night after having a bit too much to drink. He whipped my sister, killing her and her baby…”

Ewan’s tone was calm. It was as if he’d already let the matter go. But I knew he hadn’t and wouldn’t. He hated the Lincoln family, James, and Ignatius.

I couldn’t help but think that he’d played a huge role in making the Lincoln family end up like it was today. He wasn’t a simpleton.

“James lied and said that my sister fell from the stairs, and Mr. Lincoln Senior forked out a huge sum of money to cover up the truth. If it weren’t for the nanny being on good terms with me and risking her life to give me the video she’d recorded, I would’ve thought that my sister was just unfortunate…”

Ewan opened the car door. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Lincoln. I shouldn’t have told you these things.”

“What happened after that?” I asked meaningfully.

He faltered, then said with a smile, “After that, I brought Mr. Lincoln back from the asylum. Our situations were similar, so we understood each other. His eyes reminded me of my sister’s, so I transferred all my guilt for her onto him. I tried to make things up to her through him.”

He was saying that he’d later met Steven, but I couldn’t help thinking that there was a hidden meaning in his words.

“Later, James got what he deserved. He’d had too much fun in his youth, so he’d lost the ability to have children. He’d even injured his spine and ended up in a wheelchair…” I said.

And now, Ignatius is a vegetable. I guess it’s what they deserve.”

“Death isn’t a punishment for the most evil of people. Keeping them barely alive… Now, 18 that is a punishment,” Ewan said pointedly.

For some reason, a pain suddenly prickled my heart. Death wasn’t a punishment; keeping someone barely alive was.

Before my death, I’d been stuffed and put on display in that glass cabinet. The murderer had gone to such lengths to keep me alive. Had he been punishing me?

Suddenly, my head started hurting. I leaned against the car door, trying to get past it. It only became slightly better when Steven came to me and held me.

What was it that I’d forgotten?