Chapter 199


    Just when I was overtaken by nerves, a crisp chime of the doorbell made my heart leap into my throat.


    I instinctively nced at the time on my phone - it was already past nine in the evening. It had to be a


    stranger!


    I quickly got up and hurried downstairs. Anyoneing at this time certainly had some urgent


    business.


    As I rushed downstairs, Hannah had already gone to open the door. My eyes were glued to the


    entrance, curious to see who it might be.


    Soon, Hannah brought in a slender woman, and I cried out in surprise, "ra!"


    ra stood there, her face pale and unsmiling. She looked like she had a lot to say but seemed


    hesitant to speak.


    I hadn’t seen her in only a few days, but she seemed thinner and her skin had lost its glow.


    I walked over to her, extending my hand. "What brought you here?"


    As soon as I said it, I realized my blunder. She instinctively stepped back, pulling her hand away before


    I could touch it.


    My hand froze mid-air, and she nced at me, her lips twitching. "I''m dirty."


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Her soft-spoken words struck me like a bolt of lightning. I was stunned, of course, I knew what she


    meant.


    ra continued to gaze at me, a self-deprecating smile ying on her lips, "Mrs. Dawson, I have


    something important to say. I''ll leave as soon as I''m done."


    Her tone suddenly turned cold. She was smart enough to guess what I was thinking.


    I stepped forward again, grabbing her hand and pulling her with me, "Come with me!"


    She struggled lightly, but I held on firmly, leading her to the couch and making her sit next to me.


    I looked at her, my voice trembling as I asked, "Is it true that you..."


    "Yes, none of us escaped. We''re all infected!" she replied, a hint of sadistic pleasure in her voice.


    I tightened my grip on her hand, an indescribable emotion welling up inside me.


    To be honest, I felt guilty. But she justughed mournfully, as if she could see through my mind. "It


    doesn''t matter, and you''re not to me. My life was already a mess. Without Jan, it wouldn''t be any


    better. I''m a piece of trash, tainted beyond redemption. It has nothing to do with you."


    "I''m sorry," I whispered, feeling helpless.


    "There''s only one person in this world who owes me an apology, but she refuses to say it," ra said


    stubbornly, "So even if it costs me my whole life, I won''t let her go."


    "Is it worth it?" I asked, looking at ra''s youthful face with pity.


    "There''s no question of worth. I''ve never nned on living a long life since I was 15. I''m just living day


    by day," raughed, surprisingly carefree.


    I didn''t know what to say. I didn''t know how to face ra. Should I hate her, pity her, or feel sorry for


    her? She was still in the prime of her life, but her fate was so tragic.


    Before I could gather my thoughts, ra changed the topic. "Mrs. Dawson, it’s Jan taking Marissa''s


    kid."


    "What did you say?" I couldn''t believe what I had heard, "You mean, Jan took Evan?"


    This was beyond my expectations. I had thought that Jan would let all clues point towards the kid so


    that he could use the kid to divert the attention of those people online and divert the traffic.


    However, ra''s revtion about Evan''s whereabouts was certainly not what I had expected.


    Sure enough, ra nodded affirmatively. "Yes, he asked Zora to take him."


    "Zora?" I stared at ra in surprise. Of course, I believed her, but I was a little slow to react. Why


    would Jan do this? Moreover, involving Zora changed the nature of the whole thing.


    "Where''s the kid now? Is he in danger? He''s just a kid, this is..."


    ra grinned at me, her smile radiant. "Mrs. Dawson, you''re too kind-hearted!"