Chapter 448

“Yeah, Uncle Bowen, thanks for taking care of me all these years. If Mom and Dad were still here, I bet they’d be delighted too, right?” Alvin said, giving a rare, genuine smile.

Bowen froze for a second, then quickly looked away, a deep-seated guilt flickering in his eyes.

That night, Aubree returned to Ellis Heights with Bowen. In the middle of the night, after Aubree had fallen into a deep sleep, Bowen sat up beside her. He turned to look at her serene face and gently brushed his fingers against her cheek. “I’ve let Alvin down, but I don’t regret it. I just can’t be sure how he would react if he ever found out the truth,” he muttered.

Bowen got up, changed into a different outfit, and drove away alone, heading towards the cemetery.

At the entrance of the cemetery, Bowen walked in, dressed in black. Not far away, concealed from sight, a black car was parked. The car door opened, and a tall, slender man wearing a baseball cap stepped out. He lifted his head slightly, revealing a well-defined jawline—it was Alvin.

Uncle Bowen, you better not be doing what I think you are, Alvin thought.

Everything had gone surprisingly smoothly for Alvin this time, so much so that it almost raised suspicion. Whatever he set out to do seemed to fall into place effortlessly, a stark contrast to the difficulties he’d faced during earlier investigations. The difference was night and day.

He had already begun to suspect that Bowen was hiding something from him, and this trip only confirmed those suspicions. The list seemed explicitly tailored for him, and every person he approached acted as if they were expecting him—none of them seemed surprised, almost as if they had known this day would come all along.

At dinner that day, he had deliberately mentioned his parents to see if Bowen would show any sign of guilt. In his mind, he told himself that if Bowen had truly done something, he would have come to the cemetery to apologize to his parents.

With a serious expression on his face, Alvin followed Bowen inside. So preoccupied was Bowen that he didn’t even realize he was being followed.

“Brother…” Under the moonlight, Bowen’s face bore a seriousness that no one had ever seen before. His back, usually so straight, gradually bent as he sank to his knees. After a long moment, he finally stood back up.

Alvin was hiding just far enough away that Bowen wouldn’t spot him, but close enough that he could still catch bits of what Bowen was saying. ‘Uncle Bowen, please don’t let things be what I’m thinking…’ Alvin thought.

He didn’t want to end up on opposite sides with either Bowen or his best friend, Aubree.

“Brother, sister-in-law, I’m sorry. I know I was biased in how I handled this,” Bowen said. “I promised I’d take care of Alvin, but I kept something from him—something that’s been weighing on his mind all these years.” Not only did he conceal the truth, but he also manipulated events behind the scenes.

Reflecting on the smile that Alvin had given him at dinner, Bowen felt a weight settle in his chest. Both Alvin and Aubree were the most significant people in his life, and he found himself unable to choose between them. The thought of either of them getting hurt was unbearable. All he could do was strive to prevent any potential conflict between them from ever arising.

“If you hold this against me, then… When the time comes, I’ll seek forgiveness,” Bowen said.

Though Bowen’s words were a bit vague, someone as sharp as Alvin had no trouble connecting the dots; his heart turned cold, as if a bucket of ice water crashed through his body and poured straight into his chest. ‘Could it be Aubree for real?’ Alvin wondered.

Alvin still wanted to struggle against the truth. ‘What if, just maybe, I’m wrong?’ he thought desperately.

“Come to think of it, I should thank you both for saving Bree…” Bowen murmured at the grave.

It felt as though something inside Alvin shattered completely, with the pieces scattering everywhere. He couldn’t even recall how he had left the cemetery; all he knew was that he departed shortly after Bowen, his entire body rigid with tension. This feeling was reminiscent of the moment he first learned about his parents’ deaths.

The person he had always trusted had chosen someone else, and the one individual he had truly considered a friend turned out to be his enemy. Alvin lifted his head, blinked once, and felt his eyes welling up with tears.