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Ding Dong!
Mr Reddy opened his front door to see a group of policemen lined up like dominoes and a lifeless body lying on his doorstep. The shock of the scene before him gripped his senses, rendering him immobile for what felt like an eternity. The air hung heavy with a palpable stillness, broken only by the distant hum of the city. His mind raced to comprehend the gruesome reality laid out at his doorstep. The shockwaves reverberated through his entire being, sending shivers down his spine. The corpse, a long-awaited victim, stared back at him with vacant eyes, its life extinguished cruelly and abruptly.
Mr Reddy's knees gave way and came crashing onto the hard stone, unable to register the sight of his daughter. Mrs Reddy came rushing behind him and let out a high-pitched scream before her mind collapsed into darkness. Tears streamed down Mr Reddy's eyes, as he caressed his daughter's smooth soft cheek. There were no signs of injury anywhere except the needle mark on her right shoulder.
"You lied!" Mr Reddy pointed to his brother Rahul who was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the doorstep, "You promised to bring her back."
"I did," Rahul replied solemnly, "I said I would bring her back in one piece. You know I never break my word."
"Who did this?" Mr Reddy inquired, "Who did this to my precious princess?"
"We found her lying next to the dumpster we found her school bag in and it came with this letter," Rahul passed an already opened envelope to Mr Reddy, "My apologies for reading it before you. I had to according to my protocol as it might be a lead."
Mr Reddy snatched the letter out of his hand and read the letter.
Dear Father,
By the time you read this letter, I would already be dead and you will be holding my corpse in your arms. The purpose of me, writing this letter to you, is to tell you all the things I never dared tell to your face.
I never wanted this life.
The life that you forced me into, thinking it would be the best for me but in reality, it wasn't. All I ever wanted was to be happy yet, you never seemed to understand. You told me that friends were a distraction but honestly, they were my escape. You told me junk food would ruin my health but your five-star chef's meal was what made my tongue fall into a monochromatic depression. Remember the time you whacked me because I got a B in math? I still have those scars on my back.
Did you think I would enjoy going to all those beauty contests and standing on a stage for everyone to judge me based on my appearance rather than me as a person? You think you are doing all of this because you want the best for me but you have asked me. Asked me what I thought was the best for me.
I know you love me.
But it was your love that killed me.
My final wish is for you to call off this investigation. My death was pre-meditated. I planned all of this from the start. If you want to punish someone for my death, you should either punish yourself or punish me.
Goodbye, father and mother.
Maybe in our next lives, we will be happier.
Love,
Your daughter.
The letter fell from Mr Reddy's hand and gracefully landed on the stone terrain.
"We will do our best to find the person who did this," Rahul assured.
"I did it," tears streamed down Mr Reddy's eyes.
"Brother, don't be fooled. Anyone could have written it," Rahul suggested.
"It's my daughter's handwriting."
"So? The killer could have forced her to write it."
"Call off the investigation," Mr Reddy got up and carried his daughter in his arms.
"Are you sure?" Rahul asked.
"Yes," Mr Reddy replied as he turned towards the door, "Gather the family and come here tomorrow morning. We need to discuss the funeral plans."
"Yes, brother," Rahul nodded as he watched Mr Reddy disappear into the house.
Never to be seen again.
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