Stealing Your Heart

The woman looked like she was in her fifties, but it was also possible that she only looked that old because she was in a terrible condition. She had short hair and she was a thin and petite woman. Her eyes were in a daze until she saw the two men walking in.

Shen Peichuan stood beside Zong Jinghao and shared the information by whispering, “I’ve looked into this woman’s file. She murdered her own husband, and the file suggested that it was a premeditated murder. She was sentenced to life without parole.”

The woman eyed them warily. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” demanded the woman.

She was especially wary about Shen Peichuan because he was there that morning to interrogate He Ruilin’s cellmate. It seemed like Shen Peichuan was investigating He Ruilin’s death.

Shen Peichuan didn’t bother wasting any time and cut to the chase, “You killed He Ruilin.”

The woman looked a little surprised, but she defended herself, “What kind of nonsense are you spouting about? What proof do you have?”

Shen Peichuan grinned and replied, “I showed you my credentials this morning when I drop by to investigate the matter, so you must know who I am by now, don’t you?”

The woman remained quiet but nodded.

Shen Peichuan continued, “Naturally, evidence is needed to prove if someone is guilty, and I would’ve shut you up with proof even if you never asked for it. When you killed your husband, your fingerprint and DNA were left on the crime scene. I ran some tests on the skin we collected from He Ruilin’s fingernail, and the skin’s DNA matched yours. Your neck is injured, and it is obvious that it was caused by fingernails. You claimed that you did it to yourself, but how itchy would you have to be to scratch so much that you bleed? You lied at the time because you wanted to hide the argument you had with He Ruilin, but I know the truth. You didn’t kill her on purpose. Someone else ordered you to do so, am I right?”

The woman was petrified and she stared at him for a long time before she suddenly knelt down.

Shen Peichuan backed away and growled, “What are you doing? You should know that confessing to your crimes is the only way to lower your sentence. Staying quiet will only make your punishment that much harsher. There is no point in kneeling or begging me. The only way to help yourself is to tell us everything you know. Why did you kill her? Naturally, I would be able to figure everything out, even if you don’t confess. You can only interact with a few people within the prison. I can get to the truth quickly, even if I have to interrogate everyone.”

Shen Peichuan was being both the bad cop and the good cop.

The woman had her head down and confessed between sobs, “I knew it. I knew things would be discovered eventually, but I was blinded by my desire for my freedom. Warden Han asked me to do it. He said that he would help me get my sentence lowered if I kill for him. As you know, my husband is dead, but I have a daughter who just started her first year at the university. She is the only one I care about, and I thought that maybe I could still care for her once I am released.”

Zong Jinghao’s face was hidden by the darkness, so no one could read his expression.

seemed surprised by how quickly the

to him that

On top of that, she was burdened with heavy debts. She had been working hard all these years to raise herself. Moreover, when she dropped by to visit me, she would even give

became.

That is the only reason I… I know I was wrong, and I know I

woman felt. She simply couldn’t let her daughter

any support or power. She will have to work harder than anyone else just to survive. If you step forward and tell the judge everything you know, I will help your daughter get a job as soon as she graduates. She will

by keeping her daughter away from their village. Everyone there knew

if the woman never confessed. The woman thought that Shen Peichuan didn’t seem like a

ever gets into trouble. Please, don’t let her get onto the path of self-destruction,” said the

woman trusted her daughter, but no one

some trouble? She wouldn’t have any family to help her,

honesty and your confession. If she ever gets

Thank you so much,” replied the woman and she

her up before instructing, “Please don’t tell anyone about meeting us. Just act like nothing ever

if we don’t set off any alarms

The woman nodded.

said, “Looks

must have been

was on the lookout, “Take her back to her cell, and

him, “My daughter

over and fished a few hundred out of her pocket. That was the money her daughter gave her during visits. The woman didn’t have anywhere to spend her money,

that her daughter must lead a hard