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Ingrid exploded on the spot. Eventually, she ran off with reddened eyes, making Eli rush over and confront me.
I yanked his hair and hissed coldly, “You're into Ingrid, aren't you?”
Eli glanced away guiltily.
I tugged a few strands of his hair to snap him out of it. “What about Iris? She loved you for real. How could you be so cruel? Ingrid killed her, and you helped cover it up!”
Eli's face went pale. He stared at me like I was some kind of demon, then yanked his hair free and stumbled away.
Now it was just Liam and me.
Liam flicked his cigarette and looked over calmly. “You sent them away. What do you want?”
I crossed my arms and looked down at him. “Liam, you killed Iris.”
Liam paused, then sneered. “You're insane.”
“You're the insane one. You had a crush on Iris, but she wasn't into you—so you killed her. You're a complete loser. No family money like Eli, no looks like Eli. You're just a disgusting creep!”
BAM!
Liam's face twisted violently. He threw a punch at me.
“Luna, you'rethe one who cheated emotionally!”
“You've always liked Eli—always! You looked down on me. You've alwayslooked down on me!”
Veins bulged on his forehead. He looked like he'd crawled out of hell. I'd never seen him like this.
But it meant I was getting closer to the truth. I kept provoking him.
Liam lost it. “Shut up! Say one more word, and I'll go kill Eli!”
Just then, Mason showed up out of nowhere.
“Liam, stop playing the devoted lover. It's nauseating.”
Liam immediately tried to run.
Mason moved swiftly—in three moves, he had Liam pinned and pulled a knife from his jacket.
I gasped, still shaken. That mad dog really was hiding a weapon. He meant to hurt me.
Good thing I provoked him in time.
Mason handed me the autopsy report. I flipped through it anxiously.
Time of death: 3:10 PM. Cause of death: fatal crush injury, but more importantly, she'd taken a medication she was allergic to.
Iris's asthma inhaler had been swapped.
I stared at the words, feeling sick.
Mason slowly laid out the truth.
Liam had lied about his business trip. He'd been hiding at the bar the whole time. He'd gotten into gambling during some party and owed a huge debt—so he set his sights on taking over the bar.
It all came back to me. No wonder, in my past life, Liam kept asking me for money and even tried to get me to sign the bar over to him.
I wasn't stupid. Of course I refused.
That was why Liam decided to kill me. He'd planned to lure me to the equipment room and finish me off. But he didn't expect Iris to show up early to decorate for my last gig. She got pinned under the equipment instead.
So Liam decided to frame me instead.
But at that moment, Iris wasn't dead yet. Ingrid had heard noises while changing her pad and went to the equipment room. She saw Iris and heard her say Liam's name.
To protect her crush, Ingrid forced her own ibuprofen down Iris's throat. Iris was allergic—that was the final blow.
Then, under the excuse of delivering medicine, Ingrid told Eli she'd killed Iris. Eli chose to help cover it up. They quickly called Ian for backup.
I dug my nails into my palm, wishing I could tear Liam apart.
The second I got out, I took my chance and kicked Liam hard.
“You and your ‘love'—you gambling addict! I was blind to ever fall for you! I hope you rot in hell!”
Liam was taken away by Mason and sentenced to death. Ian was punished for abusing his power and fabricating evidence.
As for Ingrid and Eli: she got the death penalty for intentional murder. He got life in prison for falsifying evidence and false testimony.
With everything temporarily settled, I went to burn offerings for Iris.
This was all my fault. If she'd never met me, she would've lived a long life.
Mason rubbed my head gently. “Iris doesn't blame you. She cherished every moment you two shared.”
I unapologetically used his sleeve to wipe my tears and runny nose.
After a quiet moment, I finally asked the question on my mind: “Mason… you're a reborn too, aren't you?”
The man beside me stiffened. Then he mumbled, “Yeah.”
I poked his arm. “You've got a crush on me?”
“…”
“Yeah.”
