Chapter 10%
“I’ve never even been to this hotel. So how could the police have gotten my DNA?“>
There was only one explanation. My voice trembled as I said it.
“She and I are identical twins.”
As the words left my mouth, I stepped forward and came to a stop in front of a woman standing quietly in the crowd. I reached up and yanked off her hat and green medical mask.
“Am I right… Sister?”
A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd the moment they saw her face–an exact mirror of mine.”
My parents froze in shock. Their eyes went wide, mouths parted in disbelief. They had never imagined that the daughter they’d never even held in their arms would one day stand before them, alive and breathing.”
But even as her identity was laid bare, my sister didn’t flinch. No fear, no panic–just a steady gaze locked onto mine.”
“As expected of a top university graduate,” she said coolly. “You really are something, Sis.“>
I stared back at her and in that moment, it was like looking into a cracked reflection of myself. Behind her calm exterior, I saw it–pain, helplessness and a bottomless sorrow that mirrored my own in my previous life.
She’d made her fatal move this morning–disguised as an old woman in the park, borrowing my phone when I was out jogging. That must’ve been when she uploaded the video.
Even then, I’d sensed something was off. But she handed the phone back right after pretending to make a call. I hadn’t pushed it. I’d let it go.
Only later did I realize—her hands were rough, yes, but not wrinkled. They didn’t belong to an elderly woman.”
“I already had my suspicions,” I said softly. “A year ago, when Mom and Dad couldn’t return to the village for the ancestral rites, I went alone. Heavy rain had flooded the graveyard. Your grave had collapsed. The coffin was empty–only scraps of old cloth remained.“}
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it. But even then, I didn’t want to believe you would hurt me. I never suspected you. Not even once.”> I took a step closer. My voice shook now.
“I just want to know–if you were alive all this time, why didn’t you come home? Mom and Dad… they never would’ve mistreated you. They would’ve done everything to make up for what happened.“}
“Why do this instead? Why destroy everything? Why make our entire family a target for the world to mock? What did you gain from this?“}
I truly didn’t understand. Even if she’d been a victim of a cruel old tradition, our parents hadn’t known. They were victims too. Why did she hate us so much?!
Her lips curved into a mocking smile.
“Gain?” she said. “Watching you all suffer–that’s my gain.”
“I survived by sheer luck. And you think burning a bit of offering each year is enough to wash away guilt?”
She scoffed. Her eyes glinted coldly.
“That old woman dropped dead after being scared a few times–that was getting off easy. Your father, her bloodline, should’ve carried that punishment.”
“And you… You, the one who got everything that should’ve been mine. You lived the life I was robbed of. Don’t you think you should pay a price too?”
So it was true–hatred could rot a person from the inside out.
Even though I stood right in front of her, breathing the same air, I could hardly recognize the person before me. Her words were twisted, poisoned by years of pain and resentment.}
And still, I didn’t want to give up on her. She hadn’t yet crossed the point of no return. No lives had been lost. Maybe–just maybe–there was still time.
I opened my mouth, ready to say something, anything. But before I could speak, a group of uniformed officers entered the area. After a brief exchange with the team already on–site, they approached my sister.
One of them pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
“Wait-“I stepped forward quickly. “Officer, my sister… she’s confused. This incident stirred things online, yes, but my family and I weren’t physically harmed. If we could just-”
My parents joined in, their voices shaky as they tried to plead. But all words were cut short by what the officer said next.
“Her DNA matches evidence found at the scene of a family massacre. She needs to come with us to assist in the investigation.” He then turned to me.”
“And Mrs. Johnson–since the two of you are identical twins, we’ll need you to come as well. For verification purposes.”
We were taken into custody without resistance.{
And it wasn’t until we reached the station that I finally learned the truth–how my sister ended up this way.
Back then, after our grandmother buried her alive, she was found by a couple from the next village over. They were cousins by blood and had no children of their own.
At first, they treated her quite well…
