When the Flame of Love Fades

Chapter 66: You Cannot Save Him

The moment Sierra saw the man, she immediately confirmed Dickson’s identity. He looked just like Daphne. The siblings were practically carved from the same mold, with a delicate, almost fragile appearance that made them seem easy to bully.

“Who are you?” Dickson’s eyes were filled with wariness as he looked at the unfamiliar person outside.

“My name is Sierra Xander. I’m a friend of Daphne’s!”

Dickson was about to say that Daphne had no friends when Sierra added, “I met her in prison.”

Dickson froze for a moment, clearly not expecting the girl in front of him to have been incarcerated. When he snapped back to reality, he grabbed Sierra’s arm.

Jonathan, standing nearby, immediately stepped forward, his expression turning cold. “Let go.”

Startled, Dickson instinctively released Sierra, but his eyes remained fixed on her. “Do you know how Daphne died? They said there was a fire in the prison that she burned to death. I don’t believe it.”

Sierra pressed her lips together. Of course, she knew how Daphne died. She could still hear Daphne’s last word as she took her final breath, “Mom.”

No wonder they set that fire in the prison. It was to cover up their sins. A single fire, and all those innocent lives vanished without a trace.

Looking at Dickson, who was visibly agitated, Sierra tightened her lips before saying, “She did die in the fire.”

She had no intention of telling him the truth. It wouldn’t help him. It would only get him killed.

Hearing Sierra’s words, disappointment flickered in Dickson’s eyes.

Sierra continued, “I came looking for you a few days ago, but you weren’t home. Your mom…”

At that, Dickson’s eyes reddened again, filled with deep hatred. “It was my fault. If I had just come back sooner…”

He didn’t finish his sentence.

Sierra pulled out a card she had prepared in advance and held it out to him. “Go live somewhere else. Or leave Maviston.”

She had put 30,000 dollars on the card. Though not much, it was something.

Afraid he wouldn’t accept it, she deliberately added, “Daphne asked me to give this to you.”

But Dickson took a step back and shook his head. “Daphne didn’t have money.”

If she did, she wouldn’t have tried to embezzle funds for his surgery.

Back then, he had been so naive, actually believing there were good people in this world. He had believed Daphne when she told him the money was a loan from her boss.

It wasn’t until she was arrested that he realized where the money had really come from.

He knew Sierra was hiding things from him, but he was still grateful. Her kindness was enough.

“The house is a mess, so I won’t invite you in. Thank you for coming before,” Dickson said.

If it weren’t for them, his mother’s body might have rotted before anyone even noticed. The people in this neighborhood were cold. Even if they sensed something was wrong, they wouldn’t bother meddling.

With that, Dickson turned and walked toward his house. His steps were unsteady, and just as Sierra was about to say something, he suddenly collapsed.

“Careful!”

2:21 PM

She rushed forward to help him up, but the moment she touched him, she frowned. “You have a fever.”

“I won’t die,” Dickson said dismissively. He pulled away from her and got up on his own. As he moved, his oversized T-shirt shifted, exposing part of his back.

Sierra caught sight of bruises and wounds. She froze.

The video she had seen before flashed through her mind, and suddenly, everything clicked. She grabbed Dickson’s wrist. “You’re going to the hospital.”

Dickson was about to refuse when he saw Sierra staring at his back. His face paled, and he suddenly wrenched his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

Sierra stumbled back from the force of his shove, nearly falling. Jonathan caught her, his gaze toward Dickson as cold as death.

Sierra didn’t notice Jonathan’s reaction. She only looked at Dickson, who had become tense and defensive. “Listen to me. You need to go to the hospital.”

When he didn’t respond, she added, “If you agree to go, I’ll tell you the real cause of Daphne’s death.”

Dickson’s entire body stiffened.

Half an hour later, outside the emergency room, Sierra sat with a mask on, waiting for the doctor. Jonathan stood beside her. Watching her anxious expression, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you care so much?”

Sierra didn’t know how to explain Daphne’s story to him. It was too filthy, too disgusting. Someone as clean as Jonathan shouldn’t have to hear it.

After a pause, she simply said, “I knew Daphne. This is the least I can do.”

Jonathan glanced at her, his voice indifferent. “You can’t save him. You can’t save someone who only wants to die.”

When the Flame of Love Fades