"That's not right, it was me!" Melanie Spencer shouted, then her body went limp and she collapsed, tears streaming down her face. "It was me... I was in the photos she got, after Brookie told me, I wanted to talk to Yvonne Thornton."

　　Quinn Sinclair: "Yanzi!"

　　"Shut up!" Melanie Spencer yelled. "I'm tired, I'm really tired! I can't bear your responsibilities, I just can't!"

　　Quinn Sinclair was stunned.

　　"Yvonne Thornton came to see me, I was very agitated, and so was she. I told her not to do it, but she wouldn't listen. She said if she couldn't get into college, she was finished, and even if she did, she had no money. I said I could give her money, but she wouldn't listen."

　　Melanie Spencer spoke incoherently, her words jumbled, her speech rushed and slurred.

　　"I ran to the side and said, then I'll just jump down. She told me not to push her, then ran over too. I tried to grab her phone, and when I came to my senses, she had already fallen. I didn't mean to... I didn't want to kill her, but I was so scared, so I went to them and asked what I should do."

　　Melanie Spencer was almost out of breath, sobbing sharply twice before continuing: "They said they'd help me handle it, told me to behave and not say anything. But in the end, Nathan Sanders still found out. I never meant to drive her to her death! I thought it was all over."

　　Melanie Spencer lifted her head, her eyes bloodshot, and knelt straight down in front of the two of them.

　　Julian Grant was startled and tried to help her up, but Melanie Spencer pulled her hand away in agitation.

　　"Why? I don't understand, I just wanted to study well. But that beast, he tricked me out, drugged me, and threatened me with photos!" Melanie Spencer cried, "He didn't just harass me, he wanted to harass Brookie too. I had no choice, the rules were set by them, I never had any say. This was all I could do. Since I did it, why couldn't I get something out of them? I just wanted everyone to have it a little easier."

　　She pounded the ground with her fists in frustration: "It was so hard, so hard for me to finally reach my senior year! I could finally leave! But he just wouldn't let me go! That beast, he'll never stop, he went on to hurt other girls, that's why so many things happened!"

　　Quinn Sinclair stepped forward and hugged her. Melanie Spencer leaned on her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably: "I want to grow up, to graduate, to go to Ashford Medical School, I want to be someone respected... not to... not to become a murderer because of some scum—! Where did I go wrong? How did it end up like this..."

　　The Vault pulled a few tissues from the table and placed them in front of Melanie Spencer. Quinn Sinclair patted her back, gently comforting her.

　　No one else in the room spoke, letting her vent as much as she needed.

　　When Melanie Spencer finally calmed down, Julian Grant said, "I want to go up to the rooftop and take a look."

　　Melanie Spencer nodded, holding back her sobs.

　　She and Quinn Sinclair supported each other, climbing the side stairs up to the rooftop.

　　Pushing open the iron door to the rooftop, Melanie Spencer stopped at the doorway, unwilling to go any further. So Quinn Sinclair led the way, guiding the other two to the edge.

　　Quinn Sinclair pointed to a spot ahead and said softly, "Yanzi and her struggled here. Both were very agitated, but she really just wanted to get her phone back."

　　The Vault looked down at the spot, his voice drifting in the wind: "Are you sure it's this spot?"

　　"Yes." Quinn Sinclair nodded. "The phone flew out, toward the middle. Yanzi and I ran to get it, not paying attention to that side, and then we heard a loud crash. When we turned around, Yvonne Thornton was already gone."

　　Quinn Sinclair covered her face, her voice hoarse: "We didn't mean for it to happen."

　　Julian Grant listened to her, standing at the edge of the rooftop for a long time before saying, "The surface isn't smooth, and at this distance, there's a short railing at the end as a barrier. With the strength of a high schooler, it's impossible to accidentally push someone off."

　　Quinn Sinclair protested, "It's true! I'm not lying! It was just an accident, Yanzi—Yanzi..."

　　As she spoke, she suddenly realized something, her chest heaving violently before she held her breath, her gaze growing distant.

　　"Yvonne Thornton..." Quinn Sinclair's lips moved, "So..."

　　The Vault finished her thought: "So, she jumped herself."

　　Julian Grant said, "According to the photos taken at the scene, there were no skid marks near the rooftop. If it had been a fall, the forensics experts wouldn't have missed any relevant footprints. And when she died, she was wearing an old pair of shoes, the soles were dirty, and any scuff marks would have been obvious. That's why the police ruled it a suicide."

　　The Vault stepped onto the raised edge, standing at the windy spot and looking down.

　　Below, everything was empty and small as far as the eye could see, and standing here, one could feel an unprecedented sense of peace.

　　"You must have felt exhausted. The family you were born into, the school you grew up in, none of it ever went your way. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape those burdens. The truly evil never get punished, and the only way to get revenge is to sacrifice other innocent girls, even her own friends. She probably wouldn't want to see you suffering like her." The Vault lowered his head, his words seemingly emotionless, yet carrying endless sorrow.

　　"Maybe it was just a second or two, the thought flashed by: if I jump from here, I can escape all this pain. Just one step away. Then the mind goes blank, nothing else matters, and she just did it."

　　Melanie Spencer heard this from afar, swayed, and collapsed to the ground. Quinn Sinclair went to her side, and the two of them hugged each other, crying their hearts out.

　　A mix of relief, release, and lingering sadness filled their hearts.

　　Although they felt guilty toward Yvonne Thornton, at this moment, the heavy shackles on them were mostly lifted, allowing them a moment to breathe amid their constant self-reproach.

　　The Vault walked a little further forward, feeling the wind blow away all the heat and restlessness from her body and mind.

　　Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her clothes tightly and yanked her back.

　　The Vault turned around and asked blankly, "What are you doing?"

　　Julian Grant said, "I'm afraid you'll jump."

　　"I told you, I wouldn't choose to jump. Even if I were to commit suicide—" The Vault took a deep breath, "I'd pick a way that wouldn't actually kill me."

　　Julian Grant: "Would that even count as suicide?"

　　The Vault was puzzled: "Why wouldn't it?"

　　Julian Grant was at a loss for words for a moment, then pulled her along toward Melanie Spencer.

　　Melanie Spencer kept wiping her tears with her sleeve, muttering, "I'm sorry, if only I'd been braver back then, Nathan Sanders wouldn't have died."

　　The Vault and Julian Grant exchanged a glance, both unsure how to comfort this girl.

　　They had no doubt that among the last two suicides, one was Melanie Spencer.

　　The Vault squatted down in front of her, kneeling on one knee, cupped her face, and made her look up. Word by word, she said, "You did nothing wrong. From now on, you can live with a clear conscience, upright and honest. Even if we're talking about responsibility, there's a whole line of people ahead of you—it's nowhere near your turn."

　　Melanie Spencer gave a self-mocking laugh: "Me, with a clear conscience?"

　　Julian Grant interrupted loudly: "Why not? The dirty ones are them, that's why they're always trying to whitewash themselves."

　　Melanie Spencer turned her eyes to look at him.

　　Other than Quinn Sinclair's comfort, no one had ever told her so seriously that it wasn't her fault. Those people only ever told her, 'You're finished,' 'You won't get away with it,' 'You're just someone who sold your body,' 'Your past is disgraceful.'

　　Melanie Spencer sobbed, her body trembling, but it was as if she had grabbed onto a lifeline.

　　Julian Grant took off his jacket and gave it to them, patting their shoulders in encouragement: "It's windy up here. Quinn Sinclair, help your friend downstairs, let's rest for a bit, then take the evidence to the station for a detailed statement. We'll go through everything carefully and see how to bring them to justice. Don't worry, trust me, we won't reveal any witness's privacy to anyone."

　　Quinn Sinclair asked, "Those photos..."

　　Julian Grant: "Law enforcement will keep the victims' information confidential. Especially for minors and students, the public won't know who you are."

　　"In sexual assault cases, witnesses don't have to appear in court. Even if you do, the trial won't be public. Audio can be altered for anonymity," The Vault said. "Worst case, even if the public finds out, the victim is still the victim. It's not the victim who should feel ashamed. People aren't as harsh as you imagine."

　　Quinn Sinclair murmured, "Really?"

　　"Really." The Vault nodded. "Negative emotions can make people make extreme choices and wrong judgments, but in reality, when you look back after some time, you'll realize it wasn't such a big deal. Right now, both of you are under the influence of negative emotions, not in the right state to make decisions. Leave the rest to the police."

　　Melanie Spencer nodded.