The confused couple could only watch helplessly as the boy disappeared into the crowd.
"Open it and see what's written on the paper," the curious Amelia urged her husband.
Finn nodded and unfolded the small, crumpled note.
The couple leaned in as they read the message together:
> "Do you want to know who's behind your misfortune?
If you want to deal with him, come to Newki Road at 5 p.m. today."
"Husband… should we go?" Amelia asked, torn and unable to decide on her own.
"Why not?" Finn replied with a weary sigh. "I suspect it's Aeris, but I'm not sure. Besides… what can anyone gain from two old, penniless people like us?" His voice carried a bitter, self-mocking smile.
They ate a simple meal, booked a small single room, and quietly waited for the hour to arrive.
Originally, Finn had planned to go alone, but Amelia insisted on accompanying him. Unable to win the argument, he relented, and together they set off toward the meeting place.
Aeris waited at the designated spot for a full two hours, but the couple never appeared.
He had initially intended to deal with them together with Mira. But after seeing their miserable living conditions—and realizing they bore little responsibility for the tragedy of the original owner—Aeris decided to give them one last chance to live an ordinary, peaceful life.
Yet it seemed they had chosen not to come.
Still, Aeris felt no disappointment. Everyone had the right to make their own decisions; whether they regretted them later was another matter entirely.
Since his original plan had fallen through, Aeris decided not to waste the opportunity. He spent the next day touring famous landmarks and trying out the most popular restaurants.
By the time he returned to the hotel—tired and ready to rest—a group of stern-faced people approached him.
"Mr. Aeris," the leading officer said, "we are from Hill Police Station. You are suspected of involvement in a case related to a car accident. Please cooperate with our investigation."
Aeris had no idea how he could possibly be linked to a car accident. Confident he had done nothing illegal, he followed them without resistance.
Only after reaching the police station did Aeris learn that Mira's parents had died in a car accident the previous evening.
The reason he was brought in wasn't because the police had found evidence against him. It was simply because, when they asked Mira if she suspected anyone, she gave them his name.
Honestly, if he were in Mira's position, he might have done the same. But Aeris had neither the motive nor the intent to take their lives.
He even believed that death was a mercy for his enemies. To him, living and facing the consequences of their choices was far more fitting than escaping through death.
Hearing the news of the couple's deaths, Aeris felt nothing except mild surprise. They were merely familiar people to him. Moreover, he had lived long enough to grow accustomed to death—it no longer shocked him.
In truth, he even thought that death might be a relief for them. At their age, with so many burdens, they were unlikely to meet a good end anyway.
Since the police could not find any evidence linking him to the incident—and it was soon confirmed to be a simple traffic accident with no foul play—Aeris was cleared of all suspicion.
When she received the police call, Mira had already reached the neighboring city.
The shock hit her so hard that she went into premature labor.
After four hours of agonizing pain, she gave birth to a son.
Exhausted and barely conscious, she still forced herself to return home to arrange her parents' funeral.
Mira cried bitterly as she held her parents' lifeless bodies.
The memory of their last conversation stabbed through her mind—the trembling plea in her mother's voice, her father's disappointed yet worried tone.
After arranging the funeral, a realization slowly dawned on her—she was completely alone now.
Before, even when she was far from them, she carried a quiet certainty: no matter how badly she messed up, she could always return home.
There would always be a door waiting to open—a harbor in the storm, a safe place she never appreciated until it was gone.
But now, her backbone—her confidence—had truly disappeared.
Thinking of the person responsible for tearing apart her once loving family, she uttered a name, venom thick in her voice.
Aeris.
She wanted to destroy him—to let the world know his ruthlessness and pettiness.
It was all his fault.
If he hadn't forced them into such a desperate situation, her parents would still be alive.
Consumed by hatred, Mira didn't even notice her nails digging into her own flesh.
Her grief hardened into rage. She was determined to destroy the man responsible for her misfortune.
She recorded a video, tearfully recounting how Aeris had targeted them and how it resulted in her parents' deaths.
Then she paid several social-media promoters and small influencers to spread her story. She didn't hide the previous court case either, since it was already public.
It didn't take long for Aeris to notice the commotion.
"You still haven't learned, Mira." Aeris felt a wave of disappointment—not anger, just irritation at her lack of intelligence. This time, however, he had no intention of taking her to court. It was tedious and slow.
Instead, he hired large influencers to promote his clarification post. Unlike Mira, he simply stated the facts: she had emptied her parents' savings before running away, and she herself was responsible for their downfall. He even attached the police's written confirmation that he had no involvement in the accident.
As for how he learned she emptied their savings—it was purely accidental.
Originally, he had contacted the guests staying in the two rooms next to Mira's parents just to get gossip. Unexpectedly, it led to a valuable discovery.
The soundproofing in the cheap hotel was awful; the guests heard everything when Mira's parents argued with her that night.
As soon as Aeris's response spread, the comment section under Mira's video—once filled with sympathy and hatred toward him—shifted rapidly.
The backlash was overwhelming—merciless—until Mira could no longer bear to look at her phone.
Her comment section turned into a battlefield, filled with insults, accusations, and mockery.
Within hours, she quietly deleted the video—abandoning the idea of defending herself.
Afraid someone might recognize her, she retreated to her newly rented, cramped apartment and rarely stepped outside.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.
But reality wasn't something she could hide from forever—especially with her savings shrinking day by day. And with a child who absorbed expenses like a sponge, Mira could no longer afford to keep hiding.
So, with trembling resolve, she finally stepped out into the world again.
She left her son in the nanny's care, kissed his soft forehead, and whispered,
"Be good. Mama will come back."
Then, clutching her worn resume and the faint remnants of her courage, she began desperately searching for a job.
The world waits for no one....