The silence stretched.
Too thin.
Too sharp.
"Do you really want the truth?" he asked.
My answer stuck somewhere between my chest and my throat.
Because the way he said it—
wasn't an offer.
It was a test.
"…say it," I forced out.
Li Zhen studied me for a moment.
Then—
he stepped closer.
Close enough that I could feel it.
That familiar presence—
once comforting.
Now suffocating.
"You always rush things," he murmured. "Even now."
I'm not here for your games."
A soft chuckle.
"No," he said. "You're here because you finally ran out of lies to hide behind."
My jaw tightened.
"Careful," I warned.
"Why?" he tilted his head slightly. "Afraid I'll say something you already know?"
Silence.
Because that—
hit too close.
His gaze didn't leave mine.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
"You keep asking what happened that day," he continued quietly. "Like the answer will fix something."
A pause.
Then—
lower—
"Like it'll make you less responsible."
My breath stilled.
"Don't."
But he didn't stop.
"Tell me, Shu Lin," he said softly, almost gently, "if you hadn't been cheating on her… would she have found out?"
Each word—
precise.
Cruel.
Cutting deeper than it should.
"If she hadn't found out," he went on, "would she have threatened your mother?"
My chest tightened.
"Would your mother have pushed her?"
My hands clenched.
"Would any of this have happened?"
"Stop."
This time—
my voice wasn't steady.
And he noticed.
Of course he did.
He always did.
"See?" he whispered. "You don't need the truth."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Because deep down… you already have your answer."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Unbearable.
Because no matter how much I wanted to deny it—
those questions—
they didn't have easy answers.
And the worst part?
They made sense.
"You think I killed her?" I asked finally.
The words felt foreign.
He didn't answer directly.
Instead—
he stepped back.
Just enough to create distance.
Just enough to breathe.
"I think," he said slowly, "that some deaths don't need a single killer."
My pulse pounded.
Loud.
Uneven.
And some people," he added, eyes locking onto mine, "just like pretending they're innocent."