Chapter 53: The Dead and the Living

“Don’t forget, you’re my student. I have a duty to make sure you’re safe. Let’s go, or it’ll be dark soon.”

Since Jonathan had put it that way, Sierra didn’t argue. She got into the car without another word.

This was her first time in this part of the city. As she looked around at the scattered trash and the homeless people lining the streets, she turned to Jonathan. Just as she expected, his brows were furrowed slightly. Jonathan had a mild case of OCD and a preference for cleanliness. She had noticed it back at his place—everything spotless, arranged with meticulous precision. Even the book she had taken off the shelf, which she had placed back randomly, had been quietly returned to its exact original spot by him. She had no idea how he remembered the placement of so many books, but his level of discipline was borderline terrifying.

“Mr. Jonathan, don’t go in. Just wait for me in the car,” she said.

Then she turned and walked toward the address he had given her. A few steps in, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around—Jonathan was following.

“Let’s go.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. This place made him uncomfortable, but there was no way he was letting Sierra go in alone.

Sierra didn’t argue. She just quickened her pace. She felt guilty, like she was dragging a god down into the mud.

Soon, they reached Daphne’s home. Or at least, what counted as a home. Sierra felt a lump in her throat. This wasn’t even a house, just a flimsy shack put together with whatever scraps were available. She hadn’t expected Daphne to have lived like this.

She knocked for a while, but no one answered.

“Just go in,” Jonathan said.

The door was barely even a door. Sierra nodded. With a little force, she pushed it open. A wave of rancid air hit her face. Her expression changed immediately. She rushed inside.

A minute later, she stumbled out, face pale. Twenty minutes later, the police arrived. As the one who had called it in, Sierra was taken to the station along with Jonathan.

“You again?”

The female officer from the morning recognized her. Sierra forced a weak smile. The officer asked. Sierra’s mind drifted back to what she had seen inside. The body on the bed had clearly been dead for days. The air was thick with the stench of rot. The summer heat had already accelerated the decay—her corpse was bloated, covered in flies and writhing maggots.

She felt a wave of nausea rising. The officer quickly poured her a cup of hot water. “Take a moment.”

“Thanks.”

Sierra took a sip, steadying herself, then spoke. “I had no direct relationship with her. I just… I had a former inmate who used to talk about her sick mother, who had been bedridden for years. She was released two years ago. I suddenly thought of it and decided to check in.”

The officer raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear Sierra mention prison. But there was nothing to hide—it was public record. Since they were just the ones who had reported the body, and since the coroner’s preliminary assessment was that the woman had died of starvation, Sierra and Jonathan were free to leave after giving their statements. They were only advised to stay in the city for the time being.

“Are you alright?”

Jonathan had finished earlier. He handed her a cup of milk tea the moment she stepped out of the station. Sierra took it, smiling faintly. “You expected something to be wrong, didn’t you?”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suggested she check on it today. And he definitely wouldn’t have insisted on coming with her. He’d had a friend look into it. His people said the son hadn’t been home in days, and no one had seen anyone leave the house for a while.

Sierra nodded. She remembered Daphne had a younger brother. It was because he had been hit by a car that she had embezzled funds to pay for his medical bills. According to Shane, Daphne had willingly let Kason use her in exchange for an early release and money—only to end up tortured to death. Even in her final moments, she had been calling out for “Mom.”

Sierra’s fingers tightened around the cup. Then, suddenly, she felt a hand cover hers. She looked up, and Jonathan said calmly, “If you grip any tighter, the cup’s going to break.”

Sierra blinked, then quickly loosened her grip. Jonathan took the cup from her and checked her hand to make sure she hadn’t spilled anything. Then he asked, “Do you want to find her brother?”

“That would be a huge help. Thank you.”

Sierra wasn’t the type to be overly polite. This was something she couldn’t do on her own—so she let Jonathan handle it.

Daphne’s mother was gone. Now only her brother was left.

When the Flame of Love Fades