Chapter 91
The police had received a tip from a concerned citizen: someone had found a cell phone and a pair of shoes by the river.
By the time Briony and Stella arrived at the station, the officers were already reviewing security footage.
A young female officer handed Briony a sealed evidence bag. Inside were the phone and the shoes, and she asked Briony to identify them.
The phone was Julia’s.
And those shoes… Briony recognized them instantly. She’d just bought them for her mother on a shopping trip a few days ago.
Briony’s heart dropped, but she shook her head in denial. “These aren’t my mom’s. They’re not…”
“Bryn, please,” Stella said, choking back tears as she tried to comfort her. “We have to cooperate with the police–maybe Julia just went somewhere else afterward, okay?”
Briony stared at the phone and shoes before her. After a moment, she closed her eyes in despair. “They’re my mom’s.”
The officer offered a gentle reassurance. “Don’t panic. We’re reviewing all the security footage along the river. As soon as we know something, we’ll tell you.”
Briony nodded numbly, her hands clenched together so tightly they had turned white.
There were several cameras installed along the riverbank, and the police soon confirmed what they feared: Julia had jumped into the river at 7:19 p.m. the night before.
The footage showed Julia standing at the water’s edge for over an hour before she finally climbed over the guardrail.
It was getting dark; the camera couldn’t capture her expression.
Briony watched her mother on the screen.
She wondered, in that endless hour, what had her mom been thinking?
No one could give her an answer.
And what about herself? While her mother had been wandering the riverbank, what had Briony been doing?
She’d been looking up flights, planning an itinerary. She had meant to take her mom on a little getaway to Sunwave Bay after her upcoming surgery–a change of scenery to help them both heal.
But before she could even buy the tickets, Gina had called.
Briony watched the footage as Julia climbed over the railing, arms outstretched, and leapt into the river-
There was a splash. The water rippled, then stilled.
Just like that, Julia was gone.
Briony shut her eyes, clutching her chest as she slowly sank to the floor.
She didn’t cry. The world was silent around her.
Stella knelt down and threw her arms around her. “Bryn…”
She couldn’t say anything else. What comfort could she offer? Tell her not to grieve?
But this was her mother–the only person in the world who had truly loved and cared for her.
1/2
09:59
Chapter 91
When Briony finally opened her eyes, her gaze was vacant and hollow, as if her soul had slipped away.
Stella heard her whisper, barely audible.
“The water’s so cold. She hated the cold. Star, I have to find her. I have to bring her home.”
Stella felt Briony breaking apart in her arms. Sobbing, she hugged her even fighter. “Okay, okay. Pll help you look. I promise. I’ll stay with you…”
Following protocol, the police organized a search along the river, even though they all knew the odds of survival in these conditions were next to nothing.
An officer explained gently to Briony that, since the river flowed out to sea, if the search turned up nothing in the first three days, the chances of finding her mother would drop sharply.
Everyone used the phrase “find her,” but no one really believed Julia would be coming back
When they left the station, Briony was still silent.
She cradled her mother’s phone and shoes, walking forward step by mechanical step, like a marionette with its strings cut.
Stella supported her toward the car parked by the curb.
A black sedan pulled up; it stopped nearby.
The car door opened, and Stewart got out with Dr. Cedric Clarke.
Stella scowled at the sight of Stewart. Wiping her tears away, she turned to Dr. Clarke accusingly. “Why did you bring him here?”
Cedric Clarke, who had only just learned the truth himself, wanted to speak up for Stewart. But when he met Stella’s anguished gaze, he fell silent.
