Chapter 9 - Chronology of Events

Morning greeted Elio with the gentle sunlight creeping through the windows of his home.Elio and his maid, Emma, returned briefly to shower and change clothes.In the bathroom, Elio felt the warmth of the water soaking his body, providing the much-needed refreshment. Drop by drop, the water flowed over his skin, sweeping away fatigue and clearing his mind.Meanwhile, Emma swiftly headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, prioritizing her employer's needs. She carefully set the breakfast table, arranging toast, eggs, and a glass of orange juice.Suddenly, a loud knock was heard from the front door. Emma walked towards the front door and opened it.Standing in front of the house door were two police officers in their distinctive uniforms."Sorry to disturb, we're looking for Mr. Elio. We're from the police department." Said one of the officers, his voice friendly yet serious. "Could we meet Mr. Elio?"Emma gave a friendly smile. "Of course, oh yes, I'm sorry, Mr. Elio is taking a shower. Can I help you with anything?""Perhaps we could wait for a moment." Replied the other officer, nodding his head in appreciation."Sure, please come in." Emma directed them to the living room and offered them to sit on the sofa. "Please have a seat. I'll inform Mr. Elio when he's done with his shower.""Alright, thank you." The two officers sat on the sofa, their eyes scanning the room, examining every corner carefully.Meanwhile, Emma quickly moved towards the bathroom to inform Elio about the arrival of the police. From behind the bathroom door, Emma's soft voice greeted her employer."Mr. Elio, sorry to disturb. There are two police officers who want to meet you in the living room." She said respectfully.Elio, who happened to have just finished showering, felt somewhat surprised to hear the news."Police? Thank you, Emma. Tell them to wait for a moment, I'll be down shortly." He replied while drying his hair with a towel."Alright, Sir." Emma hurried to the living room to inform the two officers.***After ensuring his appearance was tidy, Elio hurried downstairs to the living room. He approached the two police officers who were sitting on the sofa with a tense demeanor."Hello, I'm Elio. How can I help you?" Elio greeted them warmly, although his mind was filled with confusion about the unexpected visit of the two police officers.One of the officers, a sturdy-looking man with a serious expression, raised his head."We're from the police department, Mr. Elio. We need to talk to you about the accident involving your family." Said the officer calmly yet firmly.Elio took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Of course, I'm ready to listen. What happened?" He asked, his voice slightly trembling with sudden anxiety.Then, Elio sat on the sofa in front of the two officers.After a moment of silence enveloped the living room, one of the officers began his explanation with seriousness. "Mr. Elio, based on our investigation, the cause of the accident involving your family was due to a speeding car crashing into your car at the time. The car was driven by a vlogger who is well-known for his controversial content on social media."Elio stared at the police officer with a mixture of confusion and astonishment. "A vlogger?"The officer nodded solemnly. "Yes, Sir. The vlogger is known for constantly creating highly controversial content to attract attention from his followers on social media. At the time of the incident, he was deliberately driving at a very high speed while recording new content that was once again very provocative, which he intended to upload later on his social media account. They intentionally created content while driving at high speeds and kissing each other, without paying attention to their safety or other road users."The other officer also added, "Yes, that's correct. At the time of the accident, it turned out they were caught recording very provocative content. Their content this time was driving at high speed while kissing with his wife, solely to boost their audience numbers on social media platforms.""How irresponsible, and as a result of their actions, I have lost my wife, our unborn baby, and my personal driver and his baby." Elio said with a voice full of resentment. "Oh, how did you know that?"With a sympathetic expression, one of the officers responded, "We sympathize with you over this incident, Mr. Elio. We knew because we had gathered enough evidence at the time of the incident. We found video recordings from the camera in the vlogger's car showing that they were recording content while driving until the accident occurred. Additionally, we also have screenshots from his wife's social media account where she was livestreaming inside the car at the time of the incident."With seriousness, the officer produced several documents and pieces of evidence they had gathered during the investigation. They explained each detail carefully to Elio, who listened with a face flushed with anger.Elio's gaze was fixed on each piece of evidence presented. His heart instantly felt engulfed in flames of anger upon seeing the evidence of the vlogger's reckless actions that had destroyed his family."Disgusting...!!!" Elio muttered emotionally towards the behavior of the vlogger and his wife.The officer touched Elio's arm gently, trying to calm the waves of anger flooding over him. "I understand how heavy the pain you're feeling is, Mr. Elio." He said with a voice full of empathy.Elio took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. However, the fire of anger was too strong, and the waves of emotion in his eyes still burned brightly."I want them to be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent! I don't want them to get away with it..!!" He exclaimed with a trembling voice, his voice filled with deep loss.One of the officers shook his head gently. "I understand how you feel, Mr. Elio. However, unfortunately, the law has its limits. In this case, if the perpetrator were still alive, he would certainly be considered a suspect for negligence in driving resulting in fatalities, and would face legal proceedings. But, as fate would have it, the vlogger and his wife have also perished at the scene.""What? They're dead too?" Elio said with a bitter tone. "If he were still alive, I wouldn't hesitate to take him down!"Touched by the surge of emotions, Emma, who had heard Elio's conversation with the two police officers from behind the kitchen curtain, immediately headed to her room.Emma's footsteps reflected the heavy burden she carried. As she closed the door to her room, stifled sounds and sobs could be heard from behind the door. Each hoarse sound encapsulated a deep pain.In the dimly lit room, only the soft light from outside illuminated the space. Emma sat on the edge of the bed with a stack of photos in her hands. She gazed at each picture with eyes blurred by tears, letting the memories seep into her shattered heart."Petrus... Mia..." Emma whispered amidst desperate breaths. "I miss you both. I wish you were back with me."Emma hugged the photos of her family tightly, as a substitute for the irreplaceable physical loss. The piercing pain in her heart felt so real, tormenting the soul shattered by the unexpected tragedy."Look at us, Petrus. We were so happy in this photo." She said with a broken voice. "But now... I feel like I've lost everything."Emma's cries grew louder, creating a heart-wrenching rhythm in the silence of the room. She longed for her husband's warm embrace and her baby's sweet smile. But now, only memories flowed in the emptiness that tormented her.Emma allowed herself to drown in endless grief, mourning an immeasurable loss. For her, the photos were not just images, but living memories etched into every beat of her heart.