Chapter 6
I asked a junior for the campus forum’s website. After logging in, I searched for the post from back then.
The first thing I saw was photos of Laurel. She was sprawled drunkenly at the entrance of a bar before a group of men carried her away.
Kendrick stared at the picture in disbelief, zooming in again and again.
“That night, you drank too much and passed out in front of the bar. Four men picked you up and took you to an abandoned building. Later, your parents caused a scene at the school. The administration had no choice but to expel all five of you.”
I added, “You should know when to stop. Did you honestly think that I’d let you pin something this vile on me?”
Laurel’s face turned pale at my words. She stood frozen. She hadn’t expected me to have photos from that night.
Meanwhile, Kendrick’s hands trembled as he pressed her for answers.
“1-1 just forgot. Maybe it wasn’t Roxanne’s doing…” Laurel stammered.
She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks as she pleaded, “Ken, you have to believe me!”
But the truth was right in front of us.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Evelyn strode in with police officers close behind.
“Laurel Miller, you are under suspicion of attempted murder. You need to come with us.”
The room immediately fell into stunned silence.
A beat later, Evelyn handed me a phone. On the screen was undeniable evidence against Laurel.
“This is a lie! The ship sank to the bottom of the ocean. What does any of this have to do with me?” Laurel shrieked.
She had been so sure that no one would go to the trouble of salvaging the wreckage, and that confidence had made her reckless. She hadn’t even bothered to avoid
the cameras.
However, she had overlooked one thing.
After Evelyn and I were rescued by a nearby vessel, we returned to the wreckage and retrieved two life buoys.
The vast ocean stretched endlessly, with only the ship’s bridge still afloat. The captain, who had risked his life to save us, had also managed to recover the
surveillance footage.
Laurel’s face drained of color. Without hesitation, she lunged for the phone, but Evelyn blocked her.
The video began to play. I watched myself walk past the life buoys, heading toward the bridge.
There, I stood beside Kendrick
Seeing that, he hurriedly said, “See? I told you! This had nothing to do with Laurel! Roxanne was behind it all!”
I shot him a look, marveling at his stupidity. He hadn’t even grasped the whole picture, yet here he was, scrambling to defend Laurel.
How pathetic.
Then, the footage shifted. On the screen, Laurel’s hand brushed over the life buoys.
I zoomed in three times, and there, in her grip, was the unmistakable glint of a razor. She slashed the life buoys and tossed the blade into the sea.
Kendrick’s breath caught as he fixed his gaze on the screen. For a long moment, he couldn’t utter a single word.
This was only the beginning. The real bombshell was yet to come.
Moments later, the footage cut to another scene.
Laurel stepped onto the bridge and threw herself into Kendrick’s arms. Their lips met in a passionate kiss.
Lost in each other, they were completely oblivious to the ship’s course.
After that, Kendrick lifted Laurel onto the control panel. Alas, her right hand slipped, knocking the controls.
The ship jerked and veered off course. Almost immediately, a deafening crash rang out.
Panicked, Kendrick scrambled to regain control of the vessel while Laurel bolted for the deck.
Just like that, the moment of my rebirth played before my eyes.
“You two really couldn’t bear to be apart, could you? A pair of star–crossed lovers in the middle of a disaster,” I mocked.
Right then, Laurel turned to run.
However, Kendrick caught her wrist. His face burned red with rage as he roared, “You lied to me! You made up everything about Roxanne, and you caused the accident! Why did you cut the life buoys? You killed my child!”
The two of them fought with everything they had. In the end, the police officers had to pull them apart.
Laurel let out a derisive laugh. “So what if I lied? You ate up every word. You have no one to blame but yourself. And don’t try to pin your kid’s death on me. You were the one who left Roxanne behind!”
Kendrick’s body went rigid. Yet, all he could do was lower his head in defeat.
Laurel was right. Indeed, she was the one who had spread the rumors and slashed the life buoys.
But when it truly mattered, Kendrick had made his choice. He chose to abandon me and save her instead.
