Zoe's voice was icy, “It’s too late now. I’ll help you move on, Jill. You can rest in peace.”
Jill panicked, “No, no, I don’t want that.” Jill's voice screeched, “Zoe, don’t you want to know who was behind the accident that killed your parents? Let me go, and I’ll tell you.”
Zoe's actions halted abruptly. “So what if I know? It was just an accident. I don’t blame anyone.”
“Really? I doubt that, Zoe,” Jill gasped. “That person took away your family, left you suffering in the orphanage, and then in the reformatory. Your future vanished with your parents in that accident. Don’t you really want to know who that person is?”
Zoe’s grip loosened slightly, and Jill’s energy subsided. Seeing that her words were having an effect, Jill was now stalling for time, trying to divert Zoe’s focus from ending her.
Jill quickly continued, “It was your parents. Don’t you remember them, Zoe? Aren’t you looking for the person who caused the accident to get an explanation? I bet you didn’t expect that person is right beside you. And I know you have feelings for him, but he never told you a word about the accident ten years ago.”
Zoe stared at Jill in shock. “Are you saying Neil…?” Zoe couldn’t finish the thought.
“Exactly, he’s the one who caused that accident. He took you in to make amends,” Jill sneered. “But why didn’t he take you in sooner? Why let you suffer so much before showing up? Zoe, he’s deceiving you, exploiting your feelings.”
“Lies.” Zoe’s hand tightened, causing Jill pain.
“If you don’t believe me, you can find evidence in his room,” Jill suggested.
Zoe released Jill, who stumbled to the ground. Zoe stared at Jill, wide-eyed.
“How do you know this? Are you making it up?”
Jill shook her head, exhaling a cold breath. “A few days ago, I overheard a conversation between the bar owner and a staff member named Bie. The owner’s name is Roger. Roger is a close friend of the police officer you like.”
“Stop it.” Zoe gritted his teeth.
Jill shrugged. “They were in the cellar checking inventory. Bie wondered about your relationship with Neil, and Roger mentioned that Neil took you in because he wanted to make up for the accident that killed your parents. He planned to provide you with a stable job and family before eventually leaving you, thus fulfilling his responsibility.”
Zoe listened in silence. Jill glanced at him and continued, “Roger also said that Neil’s room is filled with pictures of you from childhood to now. Neil knew about your special ability, so he put up wind chimes and charms to keep other spirits away. Zoe, you’ve been deceived.
Neil is not as good as you think. His feelings for you might be fake. If he truly cared, he wouldn’t lie and hide things from you. Even the story about having a brother is a lie. Can you believe someone who claims to love you while lying to you repeatedly?”
Jill’s words were intentionally fabricated, but she knew they struck a nerve with Zoe, deeply affecting him.
Zoe stood paralyzed, unable to think clearly. Suddenly, he turned and fled from the cellar, running mindlessly. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe Neil would treat him this way. He wanted to return home and check Neil’s room to confirm if Jill’s claims were lies. But upon arriving, everything seemed true. There were many pictures of him in Neil’s room, including one of his family with his parents.
 Zoe clutched the photograph to his chest, collapsing on the floor and weeping uncontrollably. After a while, Zoe got up, stumbling around the room, searching for any family photos of Neil. In a drawer, he found an album, and flipping through it, he saw only three people in Neil’s family photos—no brother. Why did Neil lie to him? How long was he planning to keep this from him? Was his love for Zoe also a lie?
In agony, Zoe ran out of Neil’s house, clutching the photo of his parents.
When Neil returned home, he found his room in disarray, pictures of Zoe scattered on the floor. For the first time, fear crossed Neil’s face. Did Zoe already find out everything? Where could he have gone?
He rushed into Zoe’s room, but it was empty. Zoe’s belongings were still there, untouched.
Neil’s mind was in turmoil. He thought, “I need to find Zoe quickly. He must have misunderstood me. I need to explain everything to him.”
Neil began searching desperately for Zoe.
Meanwhile, Zoe was curled up in the bar’s cellar, next to the spirit that had been drained of its energy, slumped against a wooden barrel. Jill, watching Zoe with a mix of frustration and self-reproach, cursed herself for revealing the truth about the murders too soon. She had foolishly confessed to killing Sunny, instead of denying it and claiming innocence.
Now, she was paying the price, enraging Zoe to the point where her energy was being drained, leaving her a mere ordinary spirit. Jill was left wondering if her weakened state would even allow her to consume more souls.
Jill sighed in despair, pondering how long it would take to become truly powerful and immortal.