Mr. Gallagher, don't worry," someone said. "If we're exposed, we'll take the blame and won't tell anyone about you."

Edward shook his head. "Just tell the truth. Don't hide it for my sake. I'm no better than they are now. I'm not a good person, and I deserve to be punished."

They wanted to speak but stopped, eventually driving away in silence.

Edward walked to the storehouse door, sat on the grass, lit a cigarette, and looked up at the night sky. After smoking, he turned on his phone, opened his messages, and entered a number. He typed a message and sent it:

[Evangeline, this is Edward. I've wronged you, but after thinking it over, I don't regret it. Given another chance, I'd do the same. I've always valued profit over family. Since accidentally seeing your confrontation with Grandpa, I realized you're not a good person—colder than I am. One cold-blooded person is enough; more will cause chaos. I knew Meghan set you up; I even helped her sometimes. Initially, I just wanted you out of the Gallagher family. With you here, we'd never have peace. The outcome proves me right. Later, I tried to kill you because I believed you wanted our family bankrupt. To save the business, I tried to get rid of you. I failed, but I have no regrets and accept defeat. I'm contacting you to say George and Meghan got what they deserved. Nothing more. After this message, I'll end my life to atone for harming you. Only Mom, Jas, and Sam were cold to you after being deceived; their suffering is recompense for yours. I hope you won't trouble them in the future.]

He sent a video with the message—George and Meghan, maimed.

After sending the message, Edward pulled a gun from his pocket. Just then, his phone rang—a message notification.

[Where is Meghan's mother!]

Edward considered the message seriously. Evangeline could easily find Meghan's mother, yet she asked. She had a reason. He understood. He smiled and put the gun away. We're all going to hell anyway. One more death doesn't matter. A gift for her, he thought.

It was ten o'clock. Evangeline was still awake, watching the video Edward sent, her expression impassive. George and Meghan's suffering didn't faze her. She didn't read the long text; she remembered actions, not words. What one says may be involuntary, but actions, even unintentional, cause real harm, she reflected.

Around midnight, Evangeline received another text and a video: a burning mansion, a woman trapped inside. She immediately called the fire department:

"Hello, there's an arson, but I don't know the location. I have a video I can send you."

She added a firefighter on WhatsApp and sent the video. The fire department contacted the police to locate the mansion. It took an hour to find it, two hours to extinguish the fire. The people inside perished. Outside, they found Edward's body; he'd shot himself.

Because Evangeline called the police and provided the fire video, she was summoned for questioning the next day. Samson and Bethany were there; Bethany was distraught, Samson's eyes red-rimmed. Evangeline looked at them indifferently and followed the officer into the interrogation room.

After identity verification, the officer asked, "The fire department said you reported the fire and provided a video. How did you get it?"

"Edward sent it to me," Evangeline replied truthfully.

"Give me your phone," the officer said.

Evangeline complied, opening her messages. The officer watched the fire video, then the text message. Seeing the video of George and Meghan, his face changed.

"Edward also sent you a murder video. Why didn't you call the police?"

"I didn't watch it at first. Then he sent the fire video, which seemed more urgent, so I called the fire department. I forgot about the other video," Evangeline said.

The officer's expression was grim. Evangeline tilted her head innocently. "Is it illegal not to call the police?"

The officer's lips twitched. "It's not a crime." He couldn't hold her accountable; she wasn't at the scene. At worst, people would criticize her conscience. He sent the video to his colleagues for investigation.

"Did you deliberately not call the police, leading Edward to kill the housekeeper who swapped lives with you?"

"Our entire conversation is in the messages. Where does it suggest I incited him?" Evangeline asked. The officer was speechless.

Evangeline finished her statement and left. Bethany's cry stopped her. "Evangeline!"

Evangeline stopped. "Mrs. Gallagher?"

Bethany wept. She doesn't even call me Mom anymore. Is she really my daughter? she thought. Samson intervened: "Evangeline, you could have stopped him! Why didn't you tell us?"

"It has nothing to do with you," Evangeline said coldly.

Soon, Hofcaster Police Station released a brief statement about George and Meghan, noting they hadn't been found and that their suffering was too gruesome to publicize widely.

Online, reactions to Edward's death were mixed:

[I can't believe Edward is dead. It feels surreal.] [I felt uneasy hearing about his death.] [He was a murderer. He deserved it!] [I heard he burned someone before killing himself.] [He tried to take someone down with him.] [The Gallagher Group is bankrupt.] [The Gallagher family's karma.] [Evangeline got revenge!] [Evangeline, join new shows!]

Initially, the focus was on Edward, then shifted to Evangeline's return to acting. A screenshot went viral: [Evangeline is joining Xtreme Survival].

[Is this real? Not fake news?] [It's fake. Edited to trick us.] [It's on a foreign platform. It's real!] [Why would she do this? She'll suffer!] [She's overestimating herself. Clusia will be embarrassed!]