After a while, Avy and Shaun left, while Rui stayed back to be with Ina.

The knock on the door came just as the apartment had fallen into a fragile quiet.
River opened it to find a young officer standing there — neat tie, notebook tucked under his arm, expression polite, and a gentle smile.

"Officer Victor Wan," he introduced himself with a short nod. "I'm assisting Detective Veronica on the Dulia case. I was hoping to get Miss Jane Park's statement."

River hesitated only a moment before stepping aside. "Of course. She's resting, but please come in."

Victor followed him down the short hallway. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant and something floral — a reminder that this was a house still trying to hide grief.

He lightly knocked on the door and opened it. Jane was sitting up in bed, a shawl wrapped around her thin shoulders. Her skin was pale, her eyes soft with fatigue after the events of the day.

"Jane, this is Officer Victor. He has come to get your statement. Are you feeling up to it?" River asked, seeing the exhaustion on her face. Jane sat up straighter and shook her head.

"No, no, I'm fine. Please come in, sir," she immediately dismissed, sitting up.

"Miss Park," Victor greeted, his tone professional but not unkind. "I'll try not to take too much of your time."

River pulled up a chair for him, then quietly stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Victor waited until the latch clicked before setting his recorder down.
"This is a standard statement for documentation. Please take your time — and if you need to stop at any point, just say so."

Jane nodded. Her voice trembled slightly when she began.

"So, I gather that you've been living with Sehuj and Ina?"

Jane nodded. "Yes... for about three months now."

"Was that your choice?" Victor asked, pen scratching lightly.

"Well... not exactly. I used to live alone, but my health—" she gestured weakly at the medication by the bed "—was getting worse. Sehuj insisted I move in. He and Ina have been... very kind."

Victor hummed. "You knew them both well, then."

"I've known Sehuj the longest, since school. Sehuj, River, and I have been close friends for a long time," her voice softened at the edges of his name. "Ina I met through him. We weren't very close, but she was always warm to me."

Victor leaned forward slightly, studying her face.
"Considering you've been staying with them for a while, how would you describe Sehuj's relationship with Ina?"

"Well, to be completely honest, I lost touch with Sehuj after high school, so when we met again I was—"

"And why is that?" Victor cut her off. Jane lightly cleared her throat.

"Shaun, another close friend of ours — well, Sehuj and he had a spat, or a small disagreement, you could say. Even though no one meant to, we wound up taking sides, if you get what I mean." Jane couldn't help but pause here. She let out a sigh and continued.

"You could say we drifted apart because of that, but our studies and jobs just caught up with us," Jane looked lost in her thoughts as she completed that sentence.

He smiled — that same polite, dismissive curve of the lips. "Old quarrels. They never mean much in the long run, do they?"

"Yeah, they never do," Jane agreed with a small tug of her lips.

"Yes, Miss Park, you may continue."

"Oh yes, as I was saying, when I met Sehuj again, he was just so... happy. His career was at its prime, and he had found Ina. He had changed from the boy I once knew." Jane gently smiled, but it couldn't mask the pain written on her face.

Jane continued, "He adored her. They'd been together for years. He told me he was going to propose soon."

Victor's pen froze mid-word. "He was?"

"Yes. He said it was time. He even asked me what kind of ring she might like."
She laughed softly, but it broke halfway through.

Victor let the silence hang, long enough for her to start fidgeting.
"And you saw him the day he died?"

"No... not after morning. River took me to the hospital for my checkup. Usually, Ina or Sehuj do, but they were both busy."

"River," he repeated, tone unreadable. "He was with you the entire time?"

Jane hesitated. "For most of it. I told him to go. I didn't want him waiting around the hospital for hours. He said he had something to take care of anyway."

Victor glanced up. "Something? Did he say what?"

"Initially, he insisted that he stay. But after a while, he had to leave. I'm not sure what it was, but he said that it wouldn't take long."

He scribbled something quickly, then softened his tone again. "So, just to clarify — River left you alone for a few hours that day?"

Jane frowned slightly. "Yes, but he came back later to pick me up."

"Of course," Victor said, the words smooth and easy. "Do you remember what time that was?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. Maybe around five? I was tired, so I didn't check."

Victor leaned back, his expression unreadable. "Did Sehuj mention meeting anyone that day?"

"Um, no, but he had an online meeting, and that is why he couldn't come with me to the hospital. A possible new client, I think."

"And how did he manage to get this meeting?" Victor prodded further.

"Well, I'm not sure about the details, but River was the one who managed to get the meeting through a friend of his. Generally, Sehuj is the one who handles negotiations," Jane explained.

"River arranged it," Victor repeated, pen pausing again. "And he was out at the same time Sehuj was killed."

Jane blinked, realization dawning too late. "That's not what I meant—"

He raised a hand, almost gently. "It's alright. You're doing fine."
But he was already closing his notebook.

"One last question," he said. "Why did River go back to the apartment alone? Wasn't he with you?"

Jane was flustered. "No, it was because of me. In a hurry in the morning, I forgot to take my meds. He went back to get them for me. That's all. I was too tired, so I was sleeping back at River's place."

Jane opened her mouth to speak again, but he was already on his feet, pocketing his notebook.
"You've been very helpful, Miss Park. Please rest."

And just like that, he was gone. Jane looked at his retreating figure and couldn't shake the bad feeling gnawing at her gut as she helped herself to a sip of water.

——

Outside, River stood waiting near the doorway, shoulders tense.
"How did it go?" he asked.

Victor's smile was quick and meaningless. "Just routine."
He turned to leave — but his eyes, for a fleeting second, lingered on River a little too long.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁