Ryan took two steps back, his back pressing against the sink, watching Alice warily.
“Alice, Nella might be really dangerous. We need sothing to defend ourselves.”
She handed Ryan a knife.
Ryan took the knife, gripping it tightly. “Alice, did you ever have a twin sister?”
Alice’s expression shifted for a brief mont.
Her eyes flickered. “Ryan, who told you that?”
Ryan felt a sinking feeling in his chest. “Alice, why didn’t you tell before?”
Alice stared at Ryan in silence.
Ryan couldn’t shake the feeling that she was studying his reaction.
After a long pause, Alice let out a soft sigh. “Ryan, I never wanted to tell you about this. It’s a scar I’ve carried for a long ti.”
“My sister… she was a psychopath. She did a lot of crazy, cruel things.”
“But on the night of the fire, she saved . She shielded with her own body. And she… she ended up as a charred corpse.”
“I always hated her. I was terrified of her. She was supposed to inherit my father’s gang, but in the end, she gave her life to save mine.”
“That’s why, Ryan, I didn’t want to bring up the past.” Alice’s expression was heavy as she spoke.
“Then why didn’t you tell about the fake invoices, the corner-cutting at the construction site, the tax evasion?” Ryan’s eyes locked onto Alice’s.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face, followed by a resigned look. “Nella told you, didn’t she?”
“My guy at the site, Dave—you’ve t him before, the one who seems a bit clueless—I found out a lot of shady stuff was tied to him. I had my people look into it this afternoon. I just hadn’t had the chance to tell you yet.”
“You can check the investigation report my team sent .”
She showed Ryan her chat history with her team.
Sure enough, it was a report about Dave.
Ryan felt more confused than ever.
In the ti they’d been together, Alice had treated Ryan with nothing but care and attention, almost to the point of being overprotective.
Ryan started to question the strange phone calls from today. What was really going on?
Could Alice and Bella really be plotting to kill him?
What if I really do accidentally fall off the building today? Ryan’s mind was racing, almost to the point of shutting down.
At that mont, Alice grabbed Ryan’s hand.
“Ryan, Nella’s trying to drive a wedge between us. I’m feeling really weak right now. There was definitely sothing wrong with that seafood soup.”
“About that kidnapping years ago, I asked the informant I planted in the police departnt. When the police arrived at the scene, only Bella was left. The woman who kidnapped her had disappeared.”
“The police asked Bella a lot of questions, but she couldn’t answer any of them—not even where the woman went. She couldn’t even rember her own parents.”
“It was like she had amnesia, couldn’t recall anything. But don’t you think it’s strange? The way she smiles—it’s eerily similar to the woman who vanished.”
“And Nella… aside from her age, her height and build are almost identical to the kidnapper.” Alice’s face was tense as she spoke.
A cold sweat broke out on Ryan’s back.
Just then, Ryan’s phone rang again.
It was a call from the future Alice.
Ryan glanced at Alice, then, right in front of her, answered the call.
“Ryan, I finally got through again. It’s 10:30 now. In a few seconds, there’s going to be a loud noise from downstairs. For your safety, I’m going to go down and check it out alone.”
“Whatever you do, don’t let go downstairs. Make sure I stay with you!”
Suddenly, the call cut off.
But this ti, it had only lasted thirty seconds.
And Alice had hung up on her own.
It felt like sothing urgent had happened on the other end.
Call count: 2
Just then, a loud crash echoed from downstairs.
It sounded like sothing heavy had fallen to the ground.
Alice frowned. “Ryan, I’m going to check it out.”
Ryan blurted out, “Don’t go!”
But it was too late.
Alice had already rushed out.
In his panic, Ryan dropped his phone.
He bent down to pick it up, but when he did, the screen was on the cara interface. It must have accidentally triggered the cara when it hit the floor.
Suddenly, Ryan noticed there was a new photo in his gallery.
The tistamp showed it had been taken just seconds ago.
With trembling hands, Ryan opened the photo.
It was blurry, but he could still make out the figure of soone hiding under the bed.
It was Nella.
Her face was obscured by the darkness, but Ryan could clearly see her eyes, staring intently at him.
Nella was hiding under the bed.
Ryan and Alice had both been in the bathroom earlier, completely unaware that soone might have snuck in.
Ryan finally understood why the future Alice had insisted that he not let the present Alice leave his side.
His throat felt dry, and he gripped the knife tightly.
“I see you, Nella,” Ryan rasped.
Nella crawled out from under the bed.
Her expression was tense, almost panicked.
“I snuck in while you two weren’t paying attention. The noise downstairs? That was . I left a phone down there on purpose to lure Alice away.”
“Ryan, what Alice told you is true. I was kidnapped once. The woman who took … she was insane.”
“I was held captive for three days. During those three days, she tortured in every way imaginable. She forced to eat cockroaches, to eat her… waste. She was a complete lunatic. She’d tornt , then hold close, kiss with her foul-slling mouth, and tell she loved .” Nella’s face twisted in pain as she spoke.
“The trauma was so severe that when I was rescued, I lost my mory. I really don’t rember what happened to that woman.”
“But everyone kept asking , over and over, where she went. They thought I was hiding sothing. It was unbearable.”
“After I regained my mory, I beca cautious, more guarded. I just wanted to forget those three days, to forget that disgusting room.”
“But I was wrong. I can’t forget. No matter how hard I try, I can’t. And people started to distance themselves from . Then, one day, my dorm caught fire. I wasn’t there because I had gone to see a therapist.”
“I’m sorry, Ryan. I didn’t tell you any of this because I was scared. Scared that you wouldn’t like anymore.”
“That filthy experience is my most shaful mory. I didn’t want you to know. Not even a little bit.” Tears stread down Nella’s face as she spoke.
Hearing this, Ryan felt a pang of sympathy.
At that mont, Alice’s footsteps could be heard coming back up the stairs.
Nella quickly darted into the bathroom and locked the door.
Her expression was serious and tense.
“Ryan, I’ve always been good at reading people. From the mont I first saw Alice, I could sll sothing on her.”
Nella’s face twisted in disgust.
“It’s the sa sll as the woman who kidnapped . They both reek of rot. It’s the stench of a decaying soul. So I started investigating Alice on my own, and I actually found so useful information.”
“Alice has a twin sister with antisocial personality disorder, doesn’t she?” Ryan asked, looking at Nella.
Nella shot Ryan a surprised glance. “You already know? Have you been investigating Alice too?”
She took two steps closer to Ryan. “I suspect the real Alice is dead. The one who survived is the psychopathic twin.”
“I don’t have proof yet, but I’m sure if you give ti, I’ll find it.”
“Ryan, you have to believe .” Nella’s voice was full of conviction.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Alice?” Ryan heard her voice from outside the door. “Why is the door locked?”
Nella quickly put a finger to her lips, signaling Ryan to stay quiet.
With her eyes, she motioned for him to open the window.
Ryan complied, pushing the window open. Cold raindrops splattered against his face.
Outside, he saw a ladder propped up against the window.
“We need to get out of here. Staying here will only give Alice a chance to take us out. I’ve already set up the ladder. You go first, Ryan,” Nella urged, her voice tense and hurried.
Ryan, heart pounding, prepared to climb out the window. But as he looked down at the three-story drop, his stomach lurched. His fingers, gripping his phone, trembled slightly.
A wave of unease washed over him. Just as he was about to turn back, Nella suddenly shoved him out the window!
“What?!” Ryan gasped, but it was too late to grab the windowsill. His body tipped over the edge, and gravity took hold.
Cold rain slapped his face as the wind howled in his ears.
The world outside the window flipped upside down, his vision blurred by the chaotic downpour.
His head slamd into the ground with a sickening thud. Pain exploded in his skull, and he felt sothing rupture inside his head. His brain matter mixed with the rainwater, trickling down his face.
Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth, and his consciousness began to fade in the final few seconds.
[Ding! Main Quest Progress: 3/5 – Killed by Nella (100%)]
…
Suddenly, Ryan’s eyes snapped open. He found himself standing by the bathroom window again.
It was as if ti had reset. The mont he was about to escape through the window had replayed itself.
Ryan was back, just before his death…
Nella was still standing beside him, calmly watching him, as if nothing had happened.
Ryan’s heart pounded in his chest. He realized that death wasn’t over yet. If dying was part of this, it seed he still had to die two more tis.
Suddenly, his phone rang again.
It was a call from the future Alice.
Ryan hesitated but decided to answer.
“Ryan, are you not with right now? Your death has been moved up, and it’s happening in five minutes. The location has changed too—you’re going to fall out of the bathroom window.”
“Get out of the bathroom imdiately! You’re not with Nella, are you?”
“I’ve found the proof. She’s not the real Bella.”
“Ryan, my contact at the police station just told they found Bella’s real body. It’s nothing but bones now. She died on the third day after she was kidnapped.”
“The person in front of you isn’t Bella. It’s the kidnapper, wearing Bella’s face. She changed her na to Nella!”
“If you’re with Nella right now, you need to kill her. Use the knife I gave you.”
“She’s a dangerous criminal. She’s already planning to kill you. Killing her is just self-defense.”
“Ryan, you have to survive.”
The call abruptly ended.
Call count: 1
“Ryan, open the door!” Alice’s voice was frantic from the other side.
The doorknob rattled violently as she tried to get in.
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