Chapter 4

"Rachel."

I suddenly spoke, my voice cutting through their laughter.

"You just said this child died because he was cursed, better to die early and be reborn early, right?"

Rachel, holding a large lobster, turned back impatiently.

"Yeah! What about it? You want to back out? The agreement is signed!"

I shook my head and walked toward the child on the ground.

"I don't want to back out. I just think that since you gave so much money, as a family member, I should let you take one last look."

I crouched down beside Logan.

Rachel wrinkled her nose.

"Look at what? A pile of rotten flesh? Am I sick?"

I pulled out Rachel's remaining wet wipes, placed them on the blood-covered face, and began wiping.

The sludge and blood were wiped away, the features gradually becoming clear.

Though swollen and deformed, these eyes, this nose, this mouth...

The black mole on the left eyebrow was revealed.

I stood up and stepped back.

"Rachel, now, can you see clearly?"

Raymond's cigar dropped to the ground.

My mother-in-law's mouth hung open.

Derek froze in place.

Rachel's hands, holding the lobster, trembled violently. The large lobster fell to the ground with a splat.

Her eyeballs bulged as she stared at the face on the ground.

That face, she recognized.

"Lo... Logan?"

Rachel's voice trembled and shrilled.

She swayed forward two steps, her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees.

"Impossible... this is impossible..."

She shook her head frantically.

"Logan was inside... Logan was inside watching TV! He was eating jelly! He was still wearing the new shoes I just bought him..."

Her gaze fell on that foot.

That foot with half a destroyed AJ sneaker.

"AHHHH!!!!!!"

Rachel crawled over and grabbed the corpse.

"Logan! Logan, what's wrong? Say something! I'm your mother!"

She shook Logan's body desperately, frantically wiping the blood from his face.

The more she wiped, the more blood there was.

"How could it be you? How could it be you?! Weren't you inside?"

My mother-in-law let out a wail and fainted. Derek caught her.

"Mom! Mom, don't scare me!"

Derek roared.

"Nina! It was you! You did this, didn't you?!"

"You knew it was Logan all along! You deliberately didn't say anything, right? You deliberately watched us make fools of ourselves, right? You venomous woman!"

Wind blew through my hair.

I unbuttoned my coat and turned slightly.

Daniel, whom I'd been protecting behind me all along, carefully poked out his little head.

His face was clean and unharmed.

He blinked his big eyes.

"Mom, why is big brother sleeping on the ground? Why is auntie throwing money on him?"

Rachel jerked her head up, staring at Daniel, her eyes frighteningly red.

"Daniel... Daniel isn't dead?"

She froze.

If Daniel wasn't dead... then all those words I just said, those kicks, that spitting... were all directed at my own son?!

"NO!!!"

"I'll kill you! Nina, I'll kill you! You killed my son!"

She tried to lunge at me but couldn't lift the child or stand up.

Raymond snapped back to reality.

"Quick! Call an ambulance! What are you all standing there for!"

"No need to call."

I pulled out that stack of bills.

With a flick of my wrist.

The bills scattered, falling on Rachel and the corpse.

"Rachel, this is the price you set yourself."

I looked at this woman with her twisted face.

"Fifty thousand dollars to buy out your son's life."

"Just now, you were the one who said not to call an ambulance, and you were the one who said to just have another one if he dies."

I pointed at the ground.

"Don't ruin everyone's holiday mood, right?"

Rachel looked at the money, looked at that "consequences borne by her" agreement.

She opened her mouth wide, making gurgling sounds in her throat.

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, splashing on the money.

"Karma... this is all karma..."

Her eyes rolled back, and holding the corpse, she fell backward.