The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 524

As if on cue, a sudden gust of wind swept through the empty ranch the moment the man finished speaking.

Julia's face drained of color, and she quickly ducked behind Nora.

The man's gaze slowly swept across the sprawling, empty ranch—a place he knew as well as his own home.

To him, every silent corner echoed with the memories of the people who used to be there.

"That security booth we passed when we came in... Walter used to live there."

The man's voice dropped to a whisper, lost in memory. But because the ranch was so dead quiet, Nora and Julia heard every word perfectly.

"Walter... he was a tragic guy."

"He was in his sixties. Anywhere else, he would've retired years ago. But his son had kidney failure. Every day, they needed piles of cash just to keep him alive."

"That security booth wasn't fit for a human. Freezing in the winter, boiling in the summer. It was suffocating in there. Hell, even the pigpens had better air."

"But Walter had no choice. This job was all he had."

"He really had no other way out."

Nora frowned.

The man had repeated 'Walter had no choice' twice. Catching the implication, she asked, "Did Walter know the truth too, just like you?"

The man slowly lifted his eyes to meet Nora's.

"The truth? What do you think the truth is?"

Nora didn't reply.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is for people like us to survive?"

"That scumbag Frank... he committed a horrific crime and spent every day looking over his shoulder. If he hadn't been acting so paranoid, do you think we would have ever suspected anything?"

"I've been butchering pigs for half my life. I'm not exaggerating when I say I know exactly what kind of shit a pig is about to take just by the way it lifts its tail. Everyone knows pigs are actually clean animals. If you clean the pens, they don't stink. They thought they hid it perfectly, but did they really think we couldn't tell the difference between pig shit and rotting flesh?"

"At first, we didn't plan on doing anything. We all relied on this ranch to feed our families. Who wants to smash their own rice bowl?"

"But Frank stabbed us in the back!"

Julia gasped. "Wait..."

A horrified realization hit her, and she stared at the man with wide eyes. "Are you saying Frank's family is..."

"Yes."

A deep, unwavering voice rang out from nearby.

Nora and Julia whipped around to see Nathan striding toward them, followed by a large squad of police officers.

Nora's eyes lit up, and she hurried over to him.

"Are you okay?"

Nathan looked pale and bore the obvious marks of a struggle, but his eyes were blazing, carrying the subtle thrill of a cracked case.

"I'm fine." Nathan squeezed Nora's hand tightly. "You handled this perfectly."

"We ran into the backup squad right as we broke out."