âHeâs good at brainwashing. Heâs talented. Heâs skilled in psychology, hypnosis, and using chemicals,â
Steven whispered.
I gasped and grabbed Stevenâs wrist in fear.
âYou shouldnât have messed with himâ¦â
He continued in my ear, âBut I found his weakness. His daughterâ¦â
I glanced at Steven. âHis daughter?â
âDuring my time in the asylum, I observed that Peter, despite being obsessed with studying his patients, disrupted the consultation sessions three times because of a phone call.
âEvery time, heâd smile. The caller ID was âSweetheart, and judging from the volce, it was a little girl who should be under 13 years old. She would call him âDaddy,â Steven whispered, his voice gradually turning cold.
âStephie⦠Iâve investigated Peter. His exâwife gave birth to his eldest daughter two years before you were born. She was born with a serious genetic mutation and was a special child.
âAfter a few years, there was no news about her. Rumor has it that she died.
âMeanwhile, his youngest daughter was born after he married his current wife. She should be 13 years old now.â
Steven stood up straight and looked down at me. âStephie, somethingâs off about Peter.â
I looked up at Steven for a long time before saying, âBefore I lost my memories, was there something that I came to find out? Did I tell you about it?â
Steven avoided my eyes and looked downward.
âPeter may be related to the mutilation case. I suspect heâs trying to kill the witnesses.â
He was trying to get someone else to do the dirty work.
Thus, Steven had been tracing the clues.
âWhen did you begin suspecting Peter?â I asked as I looked at Steven warily.
It seemed like Stevenâs understanding of Peter was built over time. It was as if he had planned to be admitted into the asylum as an opportunity to investigate Peter.
Meanwhile, Peterâs interest in Steven seemed to also be part of the plan.
Steven lowered his head in a panic. He kept avoiding my questions.
I wondered if he was worried that Iâd find out or if I would be upset.
âSteven, there are some things that I must find out. Not remembering and not knowing may not be beneficial to me. It may put me in further danger.â
I believed I deserved to know the truth unless Steven did not trust me.
âAfter your parents died from the accident, Iâve been investigating⦠I Investigated Peter and who was related to himâ¦â Steven finally came clean that he had targeted Peter since long ago.
everyone Under the disguise of being homeless, he had been secretly observing and investigating. He kept putting clues together in the process.
We returned to Stevenâs villa after leaving the hospital.
Ewan summoned the family doctor for our daily treatment and IV drips.
After everyone had left, Steven brought me to the basement.
As the motionâsensor lights came on in the basement, the microcement interiors were almost speckless.
On both sides of the threeâfootâwide walkway were glass display cabinets that had been embedded into the walls. Inside, countless butterfly specimens were on display..
As I looked at the butterflies, my fingers felt numb.
The specimens⦠looked so alive. It was as if they would come to life at any time.
âDo you like specimens?â I asked warily.
I suddenly recalled how Eason said Steven was crazy.
When I died, my body was made into a specimen, after all.
I felt a fear that came from deep within.