Chapter 174: The Pianist

By the end of it, Layla was sobbing uncontrollably. In a cathartic release, she narrated her lifelong journey of how she and Jeremiah depended on each other from childhood to adulthood. Raylee listened silently, her emotions incredibly tangled. Human nature is inherently good. Even the worst of people may have done good deeds. Likewise, even the best of people may have committed wrongs. Jeremiah was forced into malevolence by his circumstances. One could only say that he wasn’t truly wicked. In fact, given his nature, he could have feigned goodness his entire life.

As Layla sobbed, she lovingly gazed at everything within the room. “We didn’t grow up in Lorimer Estate when we were kids. This courtyard house is where Jeremiah and I lived since we were young. It’s quite modest, but it’s filled with warm memories. Back then, we were really poor, but Jeremiah had a special fondness for the piano. He said he wanted to learn because the person he admired was exceptionally good at playing it.”

It was then that Raylee understood why Layla had arranged to meet there. It was the place where they, as siblings, had grown up together.

Layla pulled out a tin box from the drawer and handed it over to Raylee. “What’s this?” Raylee was puzzled. “Just open it. You’ll see.”

Brimming with questions, Raylee opened the box, only to discover a jumble of photos lying messily inside. There were at least twenty to thirty of them. The subject of the photograph was consistently a little girl, around seven or eight years old, playing the piano. There were various occasions and styles. Raylee was instantly stunned: Aren’t these photos of me from my childhood?

Layla let out a disbelieving scoff. “Do you recognize the girl? It was only in the past few days while sorting through his personal effects that I discovered that the talented pianist Jeremiah admired so much was a little girl. This person looks a lot like you, so I guess Jeremiah must have had feelings for you since he was a teenager.”

Raylee’s mouth slightly opened, yet she found herself at a loss for words. Confusion and shock filled her mind, pervading every single nerve. Was our encounter never because of a blind date? Even if we hadn’t met through a blind date, would Jeremiah have gotten to know me through other means? After all, he had been paying attention to me since I was a child. The sensation of having been intensely observed by a stranger made Raylee somewhat unsettled. That’s something only a psychopath would do! However, this is indeed in line with Jeremiah’s character. He was a psychopath.

“Do you know why Jeremiah killed for the first time?” Layla asked, her voice tinged with melancholy.

Bewildered, Raylee shook her head. Could it possibly be connected to me in some way? However, I don’t have any recollection at all.

“In order to protect a girl from harm, he killed those bastards with a flurry of stabs,” Layla said as she stared at her. She then asked in a stunned manner, “On the night of your thirteenth birthday, did you go to a bar?”

Kaylee found herself lost in memories. Could it be? That year, it seemed she had gone to a summer camp abroad. She was in her teens, a time typically marked by adolescent rebellion. She sneakily slipped out of her condominium, escaping to a bar in the neighboring district to celebrate her birthday with her disreputable friends. That day, she was harassed by a few gangsters and was even forced to drink spiked alcohol.

After that, she remained unconscious for several days. By the time she woke up, Samuel and the rest of the Goodridge family were by her side. They informed her that a kind stranger had saved her. In any case, she hadn’t sustained any harm. Afterward, she did not make a deliberate effort to find her savior. She merely considered that incident as an accident.

“Was it Jeremiah who saved me that time abroad?” Raylee exclaimed in astonishment, her face full of disbelief.

Tears streamed down Layla’s face as she nodded. “Yes! He killed a wealthy young man in a frantic attempt to save you and ended up in a foreign prison. My father had to pull some serious strings to get him out. Afterward, to avoid retaliation, my father exiled him to East Aploth, forbidding him from returning to the country. During those years in East Aploth, he had to resort to unlawful means to make a living and survive! Once, he fell into a trap set by the mafia, landing him in the infamous devil’s prison. During those two years, I didn’t hear a thing about him. I tried everything to find out what had happened, and I didn’t even know if he was alive or not! Do you know, Raylee? The blood on his hands, the lives he took, it was all because of you.”

Pointing at Raylee in anger, Layla thundered, “Had it not been for rescuing you, he would never have encountered the misfortune that followed. Therefore, you’re the one who started it all! You never deserved Jeremiah’s affection. You’re nothing but a jinx, and you’re the reason Jeremiah is dead!”

“I…” Faced with accusations, Raylee found herself at a loss for words. At that moment, Kaylee felt like she was an innocent victim. One who wishes to find fault will have no trouble finding a pretext. However, if Layla is telling the truth, I undeniably bear an inescapable responsibility.