"No. You are still young. What if you get infected?"

Jennie gave a sulky look and murmured, “I'll wear a mask. Can I please visit them? You're the best, Aunt Sabrina!"

She nestled her head into Sabrina's embrace, seeking comfort.

Sabrina felt a tug on her heart and almost caved in. "No, Jennie, sweetie. Your grandma isn't too fond of me. If something happens to you under my watch, she'll have even more reasons to keep you away. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Jennie's face said it all; she clearly grasped the situation. Lowering her voice, she conceded, “Alright.”

When Friday morning dawned, Sabrina roused from her sleep, somewhat disoriented. Reaching for her phone, she checked the time, noting it was eight sixteen.

She also saw a new message.

Upon unlocking her phone, she identified the sender as Darren.

Excitedly expecting some updates, Sabrina's hope quickly deflated upon reading his message.

Darren's message read, “I truly regret this. Reaching out to you took immense courage on my end. I'm genuinely sorry, but I cannot proceed further with our deal. I'll cover the stipulated penalty in our agreement. Again, I*m truly sorry."

A cold chill coursed through Sabrina, as if she were enveloped in frost.

It wasn't Like Darren to back out without an apparent reason. Something was definitely wrong.

Could it be that those involved had sensed someone probing into that year's incidents?

After a moment of reflection, Sabrina composed herself and typed, “What's the real reason?"

“I've gotten two death threats this past week,” Darren revealed.

He forwarded two images. One displayed a menacing message, while the other showed a note smeared with bloody handprints.

Darren kept on explaining, “Even after the first threat, I wasn't bothered. I carried on with my investigation and then got the second threat. Then, my wife, my parents, and even my in-Laws got threatening messages too."

Aware of his line of work as a private investigator, Darren always made sure to keep his family's details concealed, but the fact that even this was uncovered sent chills down his spine.

Darren further explained, "I genuinely apologize. If I were the only one at risk, it'd be different. But putting my family in harm's way? I can't do that. I'm sorry."

His reasons were sincere.