Chapter 468

“He said he had no regrets.”

The sunrise that morning was indeed beautiful. As the sun began to crest the horizon, they said their final goodbyes to Mr. Johnson.

After Mr. Johnson was buried, Mrs. Stapleton’s mental state deteriorated sharply.

Mr. Stapleton Sr. had already arranged for a hospital abroad, planning to take his daughter there for long-term treatment.

But just then, another piece of devastating news arrived.

Norton… was dead.

This time, they didn’t need to identify the body; its identity had already been confirmed.

They had to fly to Yaym, where the local police would explain the cause of Norton’s death.

Penelope accompanied Theodore, both of them desperately hoping that, like last time, it was just a matter of identifying a body that would turn out not to be Norton.

Clinging to that sliver of hope, they asked to see the body as soon as they arrived at the police station, but the officer stopped them.

He brought out Norton’s personal belongings for them to identify first.

There was Norton’s wallet, containing his ID and bank cards. A cellphone, which was his, though with a new number. And a black windbreaker, on the back of which Norton had painted several small flowers.

They were his things, but that still didn’t prove it was him.

“Please, have a seat.”

The officer gestured for them to sit and had a colleague bring them water.

“The victim came here with the intention of illegally crossing the border into Tika.”

Theodore scoffed. “If he wanted to visit Tika, he could have just gone legally. Why would he need to be smuggled across?”

“Because he was deceived by a gang.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your brother must have asked some questions online, and this group targeted him.”

“What kind of questions?”

“About… gender transitioning.”

Theodore’s breath caught in his throat. Penelope’s eyes widened in shock.

Gender transitioning?

Penelope suddenly remembered chasing after him at the film set, how he’d said he

had found a way to make his mother love him.

Oh my God, this is what he meant!

A sharp pain pierced Penelope’s heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“No, that’s not my brother. Why would he want to… transition! You’ve made a mistake. It’s not him, it can’t be!”

Theodore’s voice rose to a roar. The man who could face the end of the world with composure had finally shattered. “I don’t want to hear this. I need to see the body. That is not my brother!

Theodore shot up, ready to leave, but with nowhere to go, he just paced frantically on the spot.

The officer, understanding their state, paused and allowed the family to vent. Penelope was powerless to comfort Theodore; she couldn’t accept it either.

Sweet, kind Norton, who was always smiling, always so open with his kindness to everyone. Even when hurt he never knew how to fight back, instead trying everything he could to make those who distiked him change their minds.

He was too soft, too gentle.

But…

“Can we please see him first?” Penelope asked, her eyes pleading with the officer.

The officer sighed deeply. “Of course. But you must let me finish first.”

“Why?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request.

“Because you need to be psychologically prepared.”

At his words, Penelope’s heart dropped again. “What do you mean?”

The officer paused for a moment before continuing. “The body was found in an abandoned warehouse. We received a report and rushed to the scene. And then we saw the boy He.”

The memory horrified even the officer, so much so that he couldn’t bring himself to

continue.