He Jueyun asked hoarsely, “Just because he’s not your child?”

“Yes!” Sylvia Shaw said quickly, “Because he came into my home without my permission! Because he got along so well with everyone that I became an outsider! An outsider! My whole life was ruined by him!”

The interrogation room, as well as the screening room, fell into complete silence.

Quinn Shelby heard a heavy breath, and only after coming back to his senses did he realize it was from himself. He hurriedly shut his mouth.

For some reason, these words filled him with a sense of panic. The Vault had also come to his home so suddenly back then, but they hadn’t gotten along well.

That period of time already felt so distant, almost unfamiliar. After all, The Vault had only stayed at his house for a short while.

Quinn Shelby was lost in thought when he noticed Henry Harris glance back at him. He met the gaze, and that penetrating look made his whole body tense up. He swallowed hard.

Henry Harris said, “Many people’s emotions are irrational. That’s why, in many cases, you can’t determine the culprit just by looking at motive. Behind every case, there are all sorts of absurd reasons. Being able to control your emotions and stay calm isn’t necessarily a flaw. If Xavier Daniels had received proper guidance from a young age, maybe he would have become an excellent criminal investigator or legal professional. Of course, being sensitive to emotions is also a kind of talent… Well, being willing to work hard is a talent too.”

Quinn Shelby: “……” Why does it feel like that last sentence was something she tacked on, racking her brains just to comfort me?

·

Julian Grant waited until Sylvia Shaw had cried herself out and gradually calmed down before continuing to speak with her.

“What did you say to Xavier Daniels back then?”

At the mention of her son, Sylvia Shaw sank into gloom again. She seemed to sink to the bottom of a valley, her voice turning ethereal.

“A long time ago, I already knew Xavier was different from ordinary children. He rarely cried, and wasn’t much affected by others’ emotions. He was especially smart, sensible, and independent. I thought these were strengths, that I had raised him well. I thought he was very mature—by his teens, he was already like a little adult.”

“When Shane Donovan first appeared, I was completely stunned. Xavier had to go to school, Thomas Daniels wasn’t home during the day, and Shane Donovan hadn’t finished his paperwork, so he couldn’t go to kindergarten. Even with a nanny, I still saw him often. He had a lot of bad habits. His mother was in poor financial shape, barely able to take care of herself, let alone teach him well, and she often hit and scolded him, but…”

Sylvia Shaw lowered her head, tears choking out again.

“But he was completely different from Xavier. He was especially sensitive to others’ emotions, always so cautious when he saw me. Even though he knew I disliked him, still…”

Sylvia Shaw pressed her lips together and let out a bitter laugh.

“When he saw I was upset, he would still come over to comfort me. He would smile at me, hug my leg, bring me food. I never expected that, in this family, the one who truly cared about me would actually be him.”

Shane Donovan was always buzzing around her like a little bee, wearing a cute face and grinning foolishly. He called her Mrs. Daniels, said she was pretty, and even said his own mother was a good person, that he missed home a little.

How was his mother good? She was just as irresponsible as herself.

Because of his mother’s instability, he learned from a young age not to do things that would make people sad, to please those unfit adults. Only after meeting him did Sylvia Shaw realize what true maturity was.

Julian Grant asked, “Then why did you still…”

“I didn’t actually dislike him, I just hated Thomas Daniels. Thomas Daniels liked this son, so I deliberately said the things that would hurt him most.” Sylvia Shaw covered her face with both hands, her voice choked and barely audible, “Thomas Daniels wouldn’t answer my calls. Xavier was mature—he thought he was grown up, so I would talk to him, ask him to pass messages to his dad, and hoped he could help persuade him. I would complain to him, and when I was impulsive, I’d say things without thinking. I thought he wouldn’t take it seriously.”

Sylvia Shaw looked dazed: “At that time, Xavier asked me several times, if Shane Donovan disappeared, would our family go back to normal. I always said yes. I said your dad’s heart is with him now, you can’t treat him as your brother. Then…”

Julian Grant saw she couldn’t go on, so he finished the sentence for her: “Then not long after, he died.”

Sylvia Shaw nodded.

Sylvia Shaw would never forget, when she and Thomas Daniels rushed to the riverside after hearing the news, Xavier Daniels was standing on the bank, coldly watching everything unfold.

His brows were tightly furrowed, but not out of grief—out of confusion. The other children his age were already panicking, unable to speak clearly, and several girls were crying so hard they nearly fainted.

Looking at Xavier Daniels, Sylvia Shaw understood almost instantly that it was her own son who had killed Shane Donovan.

In that moment, she felt an icy chill envelop her whole body. She tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out.

She slapped herself hard, realizing what a terrible mistake she had made, but she didn’t dare say it aloud.

Sylvia Shaw said, “Shane Donovan always listened to him. He took him to a relatively secluded spot, but was still seen by a villager who came to fish nearby.”

“Thomas Daniels had no choice—this was his only son left, so he had to protect him. He had a lawyer bribe the villager. Since Xavier was under fourteen, even if the truth came out, he wouldn’t bear criminal responsibility, and besides, that person had no evidence. So, the villager took the money and left.”

At the time, Xavier Daniels held her hand and asked, “Why did that person look at me like that?”

His indifference and confusion made Sylvia Shaw feel a little afraid. This boy had no idea what it meant to kill, what death was. As an adult, she knew, but she didn’t know how to explain it to Xavier Daniels.

She grabbed Xavier Daniels’s shoulders and told him he had to pretend to be very sad, to act as panicked and lost as his classmates, to play the part of a normal person, and to bury this matter in his heart forever, never telling anyone.

Xavier Daniels asked her, “Am I not a normal person?”

By then, Sylvia Shaw was nearly losing her mind. She felt like she was half a murderer herself—every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Shane Donovan’s face. She couldn’t believe Xavier Daniels was capable of such a thing.

She never had much resilience, and her voice slipped out of control as she blurted out, “You’re not!”

She had forgotten how Xavier Daniels reacted—probably very disappointed, very sad. He did as she said, mourned Shane Donovan, and never mentioned it again. Like Shane Donovan, he learned to read people’s moods and to please others.

“I hoped we could all forget these things, as if nothing had ever happened.” Sylvia Shaw’s gaze was unfocused. “But it’s so hard, I can’t. He sensed my wariness toward him.”

That’s why Xavier Daniels kept so many photos in his room—because his normal family now only existed in pictures.

Clearly, his original intention was to make amends, following his mother’s advice.

Sylvia Shaw slumped softly over the table, whispering, “I don’t dare say those things to him anymore, I don’t even dare talk to him casually. Luckily, he started living at school most of the time. I finally managed to move on, it was all in the past… twelve years… I never thought it would start all over again.”

Julian Grant took a deep breath and couldn’t help but shake his head. “He learned the worst things from you all.”

Hatred, malice, lies, indifference, selfishness, irresponsibility…

It was as if he’d been used by his mother and then heartlessly abandoned, losing the family he might have been able to hold onto, and losing his chance to fit into the world.

Maybe it was through this that he realized killing with his own hands wasn’t the best option—manipulating people’s hearts was even more satisfying. He could find compensation for his own youth in the pain and obsession of others.

Julian Grant looked down to check the time, and found that Shane Donovan’s time of death was just two days before Thomas Daniels blocked the ambulance, causing Justin Hall’s wife to miss her chance for rescue.

Thomas Daniels, having lost his son, heard the ambulance driver shouting about an emergency with a pregnant woman, and suddenly felt a vile urge, so he didn’t give way, leading to yet another tragedy.

Julian Grant put down the file, his feelings mixed. “Sylvia Shaw, like this, you really aren’t fit to be a mother.”

Sylvia Shaw sobbed, “I know I was wrong, but I don’t know how to change. What do you think I should do?”

“And what about Thomas Daniels? You killed him too.” Julian Grant said, “Do you really want to repent? Or are you just always looking for excuses to escape?”

Sylvia Shaw lifted her head, looking at him through misty eyes.

Julian Grant’s low, gentle voice seemed to hypnotically stir her nerves.

“You killed his son, and then killed him. In the end, you didn’t even leave him the truth. Sylvia Shaw, can you really bear that kind of burden?”

·

In the other room, The Vault and Xavier Daniels stared at each other for a long time. After their initial greetings, neither spoke again.

Xavier Daniels asked, “Aren’t you going to talk to me?”