Chapter 71

All hell broke loose for Richard when he heard of Cece’s death.

For a minute, he almost refused to believe it. He thought that maybe, just maybe, there was some kind of misunderstanding. Because the last time he checked, his step-sister was missing not dead.

But she was, and that made no sense at all.

Fuck.

“Richard,” his father sounded as if he was talking from under the water.

He could barely understand what the older man was saying, but he made no move to tell him so because interrupting him now felt not only rude but also cruel. No matter how their family dynamics were to the outside world, there was no lie in the fact that his father adored his stepdaughter, so much so that he often put her before everything else. Richard always thought his father did that to appease Melinda, his second wife, but he could have been wrong.

“Dad, I’ll be home as soon as possible. Please take care of yourself and mom.”

Richard disconnected the call and put the phone aside, finally able to hear