Chapter 599

At around 7 pm, Helen returned home from work as usual. On her way, she picked up some fruit from a roadside vendor. James had come home earlier—around 5:30 pm—and was busy cooking dinner. In their household, he was the designated cook, leaving Helen and Amelia with little culinary expertise beyond making scrambled eggs. They always waited for Helen to come home before eating dinner together. After the meal, Helen cleared the table. Since the dishes went straight into the dishwasher, her only task was wiping down the table. Once she was done, she went to her room to prepare for the next day's work. She had just settled into her chair when her phone rang. It was a local number. "Hello?" she answered. There was no response. Helen frowned. "Hello? Can you hear me?" Still no reply. Thinking it was a spam call, she hung up. But a few moments later, the phone rang again. This time, there was a voice—a voice she knew all too well. "It's me." It felt like a jolt to her soul. The st