It was nighttime at Quakersville, and Avery was sitting in front of the window wall after coming out of her bath.

Her head tilted to the side as she observed the scenery outside. The street lights outside glowed dimly, and she could only see shadows and silhouettes in the dark.

She didn't turn on the heater in her room.

With only thin cotton pajamas on her, she felt a bit chilly. Despite the chill, it was the only way she could force herself to keep a clear mind.

The furnishing in the room was the same as usual, yet she still felt emptiness and desolation.

Without the kids around, warmth has vanished, leaving only loneliness. Even the air in this room tastes bitter.

Avery buried her face into her knees at the thought of Nina, who had gone off the radar, the two kids, and Cayden's change in attitude.

Outside the residential area, Cayden called Avery's number again and again, but her phone was turned off.

He knew Avery had returned because he had searched the Rumpley residence, and Alina was the only one there. There was no sign of Avery.

Moreover, he couldn't find her at her new place and the place she used to stay with Blake.

She doesn't have many friends and only has two colleagues she's close to. I know there's no way she'll bother anyone at their home when she's in a bad mood, and she won't spend money on a hotel room. She rented this condominium unit previously but didn't continue staying here due to the bad blood between her and Deborah. However, she still has time on her lease, and it's the only place she can go to.

This old residential area had two entrances for each block. The first entrance required an access card. As Cayden didn't come here much, he didn't get the chance to apply for one, resulting in him getting locked out of the building.

The weather had already turned cold by then. Residents of the residential area would rather coop up at home if they had no errands, so there weren't many roaming the streets at night in the cold.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, the trash can on the side had gained a few cigarette butts, yet Cayden still didn't catch sight of any entry or exit at Block 12, where Avery was staying.

Cayden's patience had frayed, and he began to study the building's entire structure.

His genius architect's mind soon drafted up a rough sketch of the structure.


The design for this kind of old condominium isn't complicated. The balcony designs are run-of-the-mill with a narrow space. Despite the tiny area, it's enough to accommodate an adult man.

Sucking in the last drag of smoke, Cayden stubbed the cigarette against the trash can.

He stretched his right hand toward the moldy drainpipe attached to the wall and gripped it firmly. Hmm. The pipe is sturdy.

After determining the sturdiness of the pipe, he lifted his foot and stepped onto a groove in the wall. He further tested the pipe's durability by pulling himself up. He concluded that despite the feeble appearance of the pipe, it could still bear the weight of an adult man and more.

Cayden then clasped onto the pipe with both hands. With the exertion of his arm muscles' strength, he started pulling himself up. His black coat rustled in the darkness at an odd yet elegant angle.

Cayden was strong indeed. With his strength, he quickly and agilely scaled the wall. Soon, his hand was within range to grab onto the railing on the second floor's balcony.

He gripped the railing and leaped, landing on the balcony like it was a cakewalk.

With the first success, he effortlessly scaled to the third and fourth floors.

Avery's unit is 509, which is on the fifth floor. The fourth unit from the east should be her unit.

After he had gotten a gist of where Avery's unit was, Cayden soon arrived at 509 on the fifth floor. Climbing across the wall, he managed to arrive beneath the window.

There were no safety bars fitted on the window on the fifth floor, and it even seemed that a crack was left open slightly.

Cayden should be glad about the finding, but he didn't feel elated.

D*mn! The safety features here are too terrible. There's no safety bar on the windows, and I can easily scale up here. What if a thief or anyone with bad intentions decides to use the same method I did? Won't Avery be in danger?

Cayden's expression darkened at the thought.

He pushed the window wide enough to allow him entry and entered the unit.

I recall this window facing the living room.

He immediately noticed that something was wrong the minute he jumped in.

Avery usually keeps her living room clean and tidy, but this living room is filthy beyond what any imagination can conjure.

All kinds of sundries piled into a tiny mountain. Clothes, beddings, shoes, and socks emitting a repulsive smell were part of the mountain. There were even items like cooking pans, bowls, buckets, et cetera.

There are even a few empty cup noodles left on the coffee table. Everything is so dirty! The sight had the mysophobic Cayden scrunching his brows in disapproval.

I think I got the wrong house.

Right when he was about to retreat, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

A woman, who looked to be around a hundred and twenty kilograms, walked out of the bathroom. The sagging flesh on her body shook as she walked.

When she saw Cayden, who appeared like a phantom, in her living room, she let out a piercing scream and quickly reached for her pajamas to cover her body. “Ah! Pervert! Thief! Someone help me!”

Cayden gauged the unit's position.

This should be Avery's unit. Did something go wrong somewhere?

Cayden frowned. “I'm sorry for disturbing you. I want to ask if this is unit 509?”
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