Chapter 3

I shut my laptop and walked out of the coffee shop.

I didn't go back to the office, nor did I head home.

Instead, I hailed a cab.

"Riverview Apartments, please."

Midway through the ride, Lily called back.

"Ethan, I got it."

Her voice sounded incredibly grave.

"One minute after you hung up with Chloe, she called Austin."

"They talked for fifteen minutes."

"And for the past three months, they’ve spoken almost every single day, mostly late at night."

My face remained expressionless. "Got it."

"Ethan, what is happening? Do you need me to come over?"

"No, go get some rest."

I hung up and stared at the neon lights flashing past the window.

The bright city lights felt incredibly blinding.

I remembered how Austin used to "care" about me in my past life.

He would pat my shoulder and say, "Ethan, stop working so much overtime. Spend more time with Chloe. It gets lonely for a woman home alone."

He would even joke at bar outings, "If you keep neglecting Chloe, I might have to step in and take care of her myself."

At the time, I thought it was just friendly banter.

Now I realized every single word was a probe, a silent brag.

The cab pulled up at Austin’s apartment complex.

It was a luxury high-rise. Austin had only been out of college for three years; there was no way he could afford to live here on his own.

But now, I knew my hard-earned money had contributed to his lifestyle.

I didn't go up immediately.

Instead, I walked into the property management office.

"Hi, I'm looking for Austin Brooks in Unit 1503. I'm his brother."

The receptionist looked up. "Do you have an appointment?"

I put on a frantic expression. "He’s wasted. He just called me from a bar asking me to help him get upstairs, but I don't have his spare key."

"I've been calling him, but he’s not picking up."

"I'm worried he might have passed out inside. Could you send a security guard up with me? Just in case he gets rowdy, I’d appreciate a witness."

Seeing how genuinely anxious I looked, the receptionist nodded and called a guard over.

"Go up with this gentleman and check on Unit 1503."

The guard and I stepped into the elevator.

"Is he usually a bad drinker?" the guard asked casually.

"Terrible. He gets really loud and messy," I lied smoothly.

We reached the door of Unit 1503.

The guard reached out to knock.

I stopped him. "Wait, let me try the passcode first. He told me he has a backup code."

I walked up to the smart lock.

In my past life, Chloe had let it slip once that Austin’s backup passcode was her birthday.

August 15th. 0815.

I typed in the numbers.

With a soft beep, the door unlocked.

The guard didn't suspect a thing.

But I didn't push the door open immediately.

I pulled out my phone and sent Chloe a Snapchat message.

"Babe, I'm done with work. I bought your favorite takeout. Heading home now."

Chloe replied instantly: "Yay! Thank you, Babe. Drive safe!"

She still thought I was the same blind fool.

I put my phone away and quietly turned on the video recording function, making sure the camera angle was clear.

I turned to the guard. "Buddy, do me a favor and come in with me. I'm worried I won't be able to carry him if he’s completely passed out."

The guard nodded. "Sure thing."

I pushed the door open.

The living room was empty.

But the bedroom door was tightly shut, and muffled, sickening noises were leaking out from inside.

I gave the guard a look.

The guard took it as a cue that a concerned "brother" was about to catch his sibling doing something reckless.

He stepped forward and shoved the bedroom door open.