Facade of Love (Yvette Scott and Idris Young)
Chapter 435 One Step Away

Chandler struggled to pull out a tightly wrapped red plastic bag from deep within his clothing, a small bundle that he then placed in my hand. "Find a way to get this to a trusted police officer. Tell them it's from badge number 051824. They'll understand what it means once they have it."

I took the red plastic bag from him, and he suddenly coughed up a large amount of blood. Seeing him like this, I began to tremble uncontrollably. I shook my head repeatedly, trying to assure him that I would not let anything happen to him.

However, his condition was deteriorating rapidly.

I knew I was getting too anxious. I looked around, hoping that Gregory would arrive soon.

Chandler's face grew even paler, and in my desperation to prevent anything from happening to him, I contemplated how to get past the electrified fence. I walked up to the edge of the fence, trying to come up with a plan.

However, before I could think of a solution, I heard a muffled groan behind me. I quickly turned around and witnessed a shocking scene.

Rebecca, seemingly out of nowhere, had approached Chandler. In her hand, she held a sharp curved knife that she ruthlessly thrust into Chandler's chest. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

"Mr. Copper!" I stared wide-eyed, completely shocked by what had just happened.

Seeing Chandler fall to the ground, Rebecca took a few steps back in panic. She looked at me with trembling hands and kept shaking her head. "I didn't want it to be like this. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't want this."

Watching her stumble away, I fell to the ground beside Chandler in a state of panic, desperately trying to hold him up. I choked back my tears and called out to him, "Chan... Mr. Copper."

Chandler's breath grew weaker, and blood continued to trickle from his lips. He looked at me, his voice feeble and resigned. "It seems like... I really can't go back now."

I shook my head, struggling to breathe as my throat tightened. Tears were streaming uncontrollably down my face.

Chandler gazed at me, mustering a faint smile. "Child, thank you for taking care of me for all this time. If you can make it back safely, please deliver a message to the Youngs in Lake City for me. Tell them that Kobe Young died without any regrets, and they shouldn't keep looking."

I was momentarily stunned, staring at him in bewilderment. Kobe Young? They should not keep looking?

Idris had mentioned that he had been searching for his father, but I did not know his father's name. All I knew was that his father had come to the border ten years ago, and since then, there had been no word from him.

Seeing my confusion, Chandler weakly apologized to me with a wry smile. "I'm sorry for not telling you my real name earlier. I've deceived a young kid like you, and now I'm asking you to help with all this."

The sudden influx of information left me overwhelmed.

"Pfft..." Chandler coughed up more blood and struggled to breathe. Noticing the curved knife in his chest, he smiled apologetically at me. "Kid, pull out this knife for me. Let me have a painless... departure." I shook my head, trembling all over. I was overwhelmed by grief and helplessness, leaving me at a loss.

Seeing my state, he continued, "I've been tormented by these things for too long. After I'm gone, I hope you won't have to deal with these cold, heartless things anymore."

It took me a while to replace my voice, and my throat ached terribly as I spoke. "Mr. Copper, you can't die. The people from the Youngs are still waiting for you to return. Idris has been searching for you for many years, and he's been waiting for you to come back. You can't die."

Hearing me say this, he looked at me with bloodshot eyes, his gaze lighting up. "You know Iddy?"

I nodded, wanting desperately to tell him how the Youngs and Idris had changed over the years. However, after he uttered that sentence, he panted violently. Then he suddenly stopped breathing, and his chest no longer rose.

He could not even listen to my last words. I reached out to feel for his breath, but there was none. Panicked, I tried to listen for his heartbeat, and I saw the curved knife plunged into his chest, which was now motionless. There was no longer any blood flowing from its blade.

Once again, I witnessed someone taking their last breath in front of me. I clutched the knife that had taken his life and felt my heart being torn apart. We were just one step away from going home, from being free, and from not enduring the torment day and night anymore.

"Mr. Copper!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but my voice merely echoed through the air, and there was no response from anyone.