Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Hailey froze, narrowing her eyes as her expression turned serious. “Dad, how do you know my biological mother’s name?”
Greg lowered his head, taking a deep breath as if preparing to reveal a long–hidden secret. “Hailey,” he began, looking up with tears streaming down his face, the Brown family has never been able to make things right with you. It was my fault about Valerie’s car accident all those years ago”
Hailey’s mind buzzed with disbelief, her eyes wide with shock. She opened her mouth, struggling to find her voice. “Dad. what are you saying?
Greg sighed deeply, his voice heavy with regret. “You were young when sent to the Brown family, not because of any family ties between the Browns and the Daltons, but because, from the very beginning, we were all connected to your biological father, Aiden. He took a moment to collect himself before explaining the events of that year in detail.
“I was young back then, just married to your adoptive mother. We were poor, and she was pregnant. Somehow, Aiden found me and offered me three hundred thousand dollars if I helped him with something What he wanted me to do was orchestrate an accident that would kill Valerie.”
Hailey lowered her head. “Why did he want to do that?” She thought, ‘Hadn’t Mom already agreed to the divorce? Why couldn’t he just let her go?”
“I don’t know the exact reason, Greg said, his face filled with pain and regret. “But at the time, I was desperate for money. 1 agreed.”
“So all this time, the murderer I had been searching for was right beside me,” Hailey said with a bitter laugh, her emotions breaking down. Tears streamed down her face as she was overwhelmed with pain.
The ward’s door was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang. Hailey’s adoptive mother, Lucia, rushed in in a panic, waving her hands at Hailey. “No, Hailey, Greg isn’t the real murderer.”
“He already admitted it himself, Hailey said, her voice shaking.
Lucia, anxious, pushed Greg. “Hurry up and explain, you blockhead”
Hailey was confused. “What’s going on?”
Greg struggled to look at Lucia, as if finding it hard to speak. “If you won’t say it, I will!” Lucia, being impatient, cut straight to the point. “You can’t be with Owen.”
Hailey was even more confused now, wondering how this matter related to Owen. “Let me explain, Owen said as he pushed open the door. His expression was calm and indifferent as he stepped inside. Still in his patient gown. Owen exuded a cold aura. He was tall and elegant, like a gentleman.
“Hailey,” he called softly, his voice steady. The day your mother had her accident, June 18th, was also the day my parents were involved in an accident.” He paused, then asked quietly, “Have I ever told you that my parents died in a car crash when I
was six?”
Hailey replied. “I knew your parents passed away in a car accident, but I didn’t know you were only six at the time.”
“It was when I was six,” Owen said softly. “And the place where it happened was the same as your mother’s accident-
Crescent Street,”
Hailey’s mind felt like it had exploded. “What do you | mean?”
Owen lifted his head, his gaze complicated as he looked at her. “Hailey, I’ve looked into it. My parents accident happened because their brakes failed, and they crashed into a car that had already been in an accident. It was a chain collision. The first accident was your mother’s, and then my parents‘ followed.”
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Chapter 96
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After a pause, be continued. “If my parents‘ car hadn’t collided, maybe your mother wouldn’t have died. It was an accident, but Hailey, it was because of my parents that your mother died
Hailey’s that felt dry, and she couldn’t find the words. Her eyes sting with tears as she shook her head repeatedly. “No, it’s impossible, it’s impossible…” She thought, ‘What does he mean it’s because of his parents that Morn died?
Such an event was something no one would want, and Owen’s parents had also lost their lives in the accident. They were all victims in this tragedy. “Owen, we’re all victims here,” Hailey said, her voice steady. She wasn’t someone who would fail to see the bigger picture.
Owen took a deep breath and pulled Hailey into his arms. Hailey rested against him, seeking comfort. Meanwhile, Lucia seemed to want to speak, but was quietly pulled out of the room by Greg
Hailey cried for a long time, eventually falling asleep in Owen’s arms. She woke up two hours later, at eleven in the morning Owen wasn’t there, and just as she was about to call him, she noticed a few voice messages from Miles, the hacker, sent half an hour ago.
“Hailey, I’ve been filming but finally had some time off. I looked into the car and your mother’s relationships before she passed.”
“The car was a second–hand vehicle. I traced its history from the beginning. Two months before the accident, it was owned by a Mr. Weiss, who was planning to immigrate and sold it at a low price to Alden Grimes. Later, the car changed hands again and ended up with a man named Mr. Brown.
“I also discovered that Mr. Brown had been in contact with Aiden. So, there’s a high possibility that this accident was intentional. But aside from this, there’s another suspicious person involved. Your mother’s car first collided with that vehicle on Crescent Street, leaving her unconscious but still breathing”
“However, it wasn’t until another car came speeding toward her that she lost her life. After investigating, I found that this second car belonged to Wyatt Calhoun, the then–president of Calhoun Group, and his wife, Layla Lane. I also looked into the grievances your mother had with them before her death
Miles added. “The details are all in the files.”
Hailey opened the file. It was a diary, documenting the author’s journey of meeting and falling in love with someone, capturing every moment of affection and every encounter leading up to their marriage.
Hailey stared at her phone for a long time. It wasn’t until the sun began to set that she finally closed the screen and rubbed her tired eyes. She had no idea where Owen had gone–there hadn’t been a single word from him all day.
She lay sprawled on the bed, her gaze lost in the void. She didn’t know how much time had passed when the door creaked open. Hailey didn’t bother looking to see who it was, but she could tell from the sound of the footsteps–it was Owen She had fallen so deep that she could recognize him just by his footsteps.
“Hailey, what’s wrong? Owen looked at her with concern and explained where he had been all day. “Your sister broke up with that man–it was messy. I went over to help.”
Hailey looked at him, thinking, “As Layla’s son, had he never read her diary? Did he not know that Layla and Mom had been romantic rivals? Then, was that second collision truly an accident, or was it intentional?
Owen sensed that something was off with Hailey at that moment. Feeling a bit uneasy, he called, “Hailey.”
Hailey asked softly, “Owen, did you know my mom and your parents knew each other when they were young?”
Owen paused momentarily, lowered his head, and nodded after several seconds of silence.
“Then
you also know that my mom and your mother were romantic rivals many years ago?” she asked again.
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