Chapter 522: Looks Exactly Like Estelle Lockwood?!

Chapter 522: Chapter 522: Looks Exactly Like Estelle Lockwood?!

The walls were mottled. Nathaniel noticed that the light switches, power outlets, and other fixtures in this villa were positioned higher than usual. Estelle had mentioned that her grandfather was of average height and often used a wheelchair due to mobility issues.

And she had only been ten years old at the time—how tall could she have been?

Therefore, Nathaniel deduced that this villa had previously belonged to a man, and most likely, a man who lived alone. A solitary man who, after giving the house to Chase Lockwood, vanished inexplicably. It was as if he had never existed in this world; his disappearance had gone completely unnoticed.

Chase’s residency here hadn’t drawn any attention either. Old Mr. Lockwood had scoured every inch of Crestfall, yet he hadn’t been able to find him.

Nathaniel nodded. "Perhaps... because that person was Zion Yeats.

"He left without drawing anyone’s attention because a person like ’Zion Yeats’ shouldn’t have been in Crestfall to begin with.

"It’s as if the Zion Yeats who lived here was a ghost."

Estelle’s head snapped up. "So you also suspect that the current Zion Yeats is an impostor!"

Nathaniel nodded. "Though I have no proof, that seems to be the case."

Estelle furrowed her brows. "But... if Zion isn’t Zion, how could no one have noticed all these years? My mother said her brother was very kind to her, which means that back when she was still with the Yeats family, Zion was still the real Zion.

"If he suddenly became a fake, forget everything else—even his face would be different..."

"What if they looked exactly the same?" Nathaniel said mildly.

Estelle was momentarily stunned.

Nathaniel looked toward the basement. "Do you remember how your grandfather left all of your father’s artwork in the basement? Yet you said the basement was empty, and later, you found your father’s paintings at the Yeats family’s estate.

"We’ve always wondered how a lock that could only be opened with your face was bypassed."

That lock was an obsolete model from over a decade ago. It couldn’t scan irises; it could only verify a person’s identity based on their facial bone structure and features. Chase had registered Estelle’s data into it—and only hers—yet someone else had managed to open it.

Nathaniel said, "Could it be that someone looks exactly like you?

"If there can be two Zion Yeats, why couldn’t there be two Estelle Lockwoods? If there were two of you, a lot of things would make sense."

He paused, his voice growing hoarse.

"Estelle, I’m not trying to make excuses for myself, but five years ago, during the first two years of our marriage... I genuinely thought you were happy.

"When Noelle took you to that banquet, I didn’t know she was making things difficult for you. I didn’t know she ordered you to peel crab shells for her in public.

"I video-called you and asked if you were enjoying the banquet, and you told me you were having a great time."

Estelle’s pupils shrank drastically. "I never did that."

Nathaniel continued, "And later, that huge fire... why it was ruled a suicide..."

Estelle’s heart instantly clenched.

Even after so much time had passed, even though she and Nathaniel had reconciled and cleared up their misunderstandings, and even though she knew he had been oblivious to the fire—that it was entirely the product of Noelle and Laura Jennings’ conspiracy—the fact that such a suspicious fire had been ruled a suicide just to protect Laura and Noelle was still a lingering knot in her heart.

Even though she knew Nathaniel must have had his reasons, still...

"It was because a video of your suicide note was made public," Nathaniel said.

Estelle froze in shock. "...What?"

Nathaniel looked at her. "The fire happened at the hospital. Because of the blaze, all the pregnant women and patients had to be evacuated. There was widespread outrage across the entire hospital."

Estelle could understand that. A fire had broken out in the obstetrics and gynecology department. Pregnant women, patients, and infants all had to be evacuated. The rest of the hospital must have been in a state of panic as well. Coupled with the police investigation and media coverage... it was only natural for there to be mass outrage at the hospital.

"Everyone was cursing the arsonist. Right then, a video suddenly surfaced. It was you... or rather, someone with your face, lying in a hospital bed, saying that she couldn’t go on living anymore, that she wanted to die," Nathaniel said.

"She said she was exhausted from living and wanted to end her life, hoping she wouldn’t have to be reborn in the next life.

"Then, she started the fire right in front of the camera.

"No matter how touching her words were, or how agonizing she claimed her life was, at that moment, almost everyone understood one thing—she was the arsonist.

"And one person died in that fire... it was you," Nathaniel finished, taking a deep breath.

Estelle had "died" in the fire, her whereabouts unknown.

The release of this video while the police were still investigating the cause of the fire immediately sparked public fury.

Yes, suicide was tragic. The fact that her parents disliked her and her husband didn’t love her was indeed heartbreaking.

But why did she have to drag everyone else into it? Why commit arson in a hospital? Did she know that if the fire hadn’t been contained, she wouldn’t have been the only one to die? Why was she so selfish? Weren’t their lives just as valuable? There were other pregnant women just a wall away from her room, as well as medical staff. Did she want everyone to be buried with her?

No one sympathized with Estelle; they only hurled abuse at her.

Coupled with the fact that Laura provided an alibi for Claire Yeats, the investigation practically ground to a halt.

Nathaniel had been under immense pressure. Even though he was absolutely certain Estelle couldn’t have committed suicide, he had no proof. The investigation yielded no results, and the medical staff’s blazing hatred toward Estelle made it impossible for them to speak up on her behalf.

Meanwhile, Noelle played the role of the victim and the good Samaritan who saved Christian.

Had Nathaniel ever suspected Noelle? Yes, he had... but it all came back to the same question: did he have proof? No.

The public opinion at the time had become so vicious it was unbearable to look at. Nathaniel had no choice but to compromise. He continued investigating in secret, but on the surface, he couldn’t allow the negative press to spread any further.

Estelle remained silent for a long time.

Noelle and Laura had committed arson and murder, then framed her for it. They truly deserved to rot in hell.

But who had impersonated her and released that suicide video?!

If it hadn’t been for that video, Nathaniel definitely would have investigated to the bitter end. However, with that video out there, his hands had been tied.

He was the only person in the world who believed Estelle wouldn’t commit suicide, yet the person wearing her face had openly declared she wanted to die. Between Noelle’s tears, the patients’ hatred, and the hospital’s disgust...

The truth had thus been delayed for five years.

Estelle asked hoarsely, "But how come I’ve never seen that video?"

"...I had it taken down," Nathaniel replied. "I wasn’t sure if it was actually you at the time, and I didn’t want your face and name to be cursed by others after your death."

So... all the conflicts between her and Nathaniel had been instigated by this person who shared her face?

The banquet, the horse racing, the suicide—in so many instances, that person had fed Nathaniel the wrong answers...