Chapter 3:
1605 Words
He spoke as he slowly retreated, bending slightly and asking, “Will you be okay on your own? Should I call someone else?”
Liliana remained silent, her body trembling, looking at him warily.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go now.” He gently reassured her, glanced at his watch, then pointed at his car. “Miss, I might come back in half an hour to get my car.”
He said nothing more and quickly walked away.
Despite the intense sunlight, Liliana felt as if she had just emerged from a freezing chamber, shivering uncontrollably. She sat on the ground, her dress covered in dust, her palms slightly scraped. But Liliana didn’t care. She shakily pulled out her phone from her bag and called Norman.
“He’s found me! He’s found me!” She was like a frightened bird, repeating the same sentence over and over.
“Who?” Norman asked. She replied in a panic, “It’s him. I saw him! He’s come back for me!”
Time seemed to reverse, bringing her back to countless moments when she had woken up crying from nightmares, terrified, telling him, “They’ve come for me!” Norman remained silent for a moment, then gently reassured her, “Liliana, it’s okay. He’s dead, they’re all dead. Don’t be afraid. Tell me, where are you right now?”
Whether it was Norman’s calm voice or the intense summer sunlight finally dispelling the cold from her body, Liliana gradually calmed down and replied, “I’m at the school, right behind the office building.”
“Is there anyone around?” Norman asked.
She looked around and saw several people at the end of the road, including a student hesitantly approaching her.
“A student is coming,” she said.
Norman chuckled warmly, teasing her, “Quick, wipe your face, or you’ll be laughed at by the students. It’s so hot. Maybe you got heatstroke and mistook someone for him?”
This reason was entirely plausible and convincing. Liliana softly agreed, and before she could hang up, the student spoke, “Ms. Watts, are you okay?”
Liliana recognized the student; he was a third-year English major and a student council officer who often came to the office to help: “It’s nothing, I’m fine,” she replied, quickly saying goodbye to Norman. After hanging up, she explained to the student, “I wasn’t careful while walking and tripped.”
She smiled slightly and tried to stand up on her own.
The student hurriedly came to help her up. “Can you walk? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Liliana’s heels weren’t high, and she didn’t fall hard. She gently rotated her ankle and took a few steps. Although it hurt a bit, it wasn’t serious.
She waved her hand, declining the student’s help, and slowly walked towards the office. Upon entering the office, a colleague called out, “Ms. Watts, you came at the right time. A student’s family member is here to see you.”
She looked up and saw a man with his hands in his pockets standing by the window. He turned around, and his eyes fell on her. Her first instinct was to bolt out the door, but her body felt frozen, as if she were prey locked in the gaze of a predator.
He nodded politely and greeted, “Ms. Watts, hello.”
Her colleague, not noticing anything unusual, briefly explained the situation. “This is the brother of one of your students. He’s here to handle the leave of absence for his sister.”
Liliana remained silent, staring intently at the man.
Inside her head, two voices clashed fiercely. One voice screamed, “He is the evil one. They have the same voice, the same face.”
Another rational voice countered, “Liliana, you need to be calm. That evil man was executed; Norman confirmed it!”
“The dead cannot come back to life. This is someone else, someone unrelated. He just looks like him.” Liliana muttered to herself.
The man chuckled softly, puzzled. “Ms. Watts, I’m not the person you mentioned. I’m Lucia’s cousin, Justin. Here, see my ID.” He spoke as he took out his ID card from his wallet and placed it on the table between them, pointing it out for her to check.
Liliana instinctively took a step back. Seeing this, he stopped, placing the ID card on the table between them, and gestured, “You can check it.”
Her colleague, confused and suspicious, asked, “Ms. Watts, are you alright?”
Liliana didn’t respond. She picked up the ID card from the table while keeping a wary eye on the man, and glanced down at it.
Name: Justin William
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Address: Tomasso
The photo showed a young man who looked barely past twenty, with neatly cut hair, a handsome face, and a kind demeanor.
She carefully checked the back, which showed the ID card issuance date, accurately issued when he turned twenty.
A young man with such a gentle demeanor was entirely unlike a murderous underworld figure.
Liliana exhaled softly, calming herself, and pushed the ID card back, apologizing, “I’m very sorry, Mr. William, I misunderstood. I sincerely apologize.”
Justin smiled faintly, not pressing on the misunderstanding, and simply said, “Ms. Watts, Lucia’s health is not good, so she needs to take a break. Her family decided to have her take a year off to recuperate abroad. Her parents couldn’t come, so they entrusted me with handling the leave of absence for her.”
Lucia was indeed a student in Liliana’s class. The girl was often sick, frequently asking for leave, and had been absent for a long time before the summer break, missing even the final exams. Liliana wasn’t surprised, but she remained cautious. “I need to call Lucia to confirm.”
She started to search through her drawer for the class information book, but Justin quickly handed over his phone with a number displayed. “Ms. Watts, I have her number here. Please call.”
Liliana hesitated a moment before taking the phone, glancing at his hand. It was very clean, with long, slender fingers, like those of a well-educated person. Her fear lessened a bit.
The phone rang, and soon Lucia answered, her response similar to what Justin had said, though she sounded a bit nervous and hurried.
Fear of teachers was a common trait among many students.
Liliana, accustomed to this, asked about Lucia’s condition and reassured her before ending the call. Looking up, she saw Justin standing before her, nodding. “Ms. Watts, may I have your phone number?”
Liliana hesitated, replying, “You can call my office phone.”
Justin smiled, not insisting further.
Out of courtesy, she escorted him out of the office. As they bid farewell, he suddenly asked, “May I ask, do I resemble someone you know?”
She was taken aback, and Justin continued, “Are you very afraid of that person? Did he hurt you?”
Liliana, usually gentle, felt an urge to snap at him. “What does that have to do with you?” But professional ethics restrained her, so she raised her eyebrows, pretending not to understand, “Huh? What did you say?”
Justin smirked, extending his hand for a handshake. “Goodbye, Ms. Watts.”
Liliana, still instinctively fearful of this man, quickly retracted her hand after a brief touch, replying, “Goodbye.”
He smiled, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Throughout the afternoon, she was somewhat distracted. Norman called several times to check on her, and at the end of the day, he came to pick her up. The sense of happiness submerged Liliana’s nameless fear. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs, unable to resist acting spoiled with her husband. “What about my car?”
“Just leave it at school,” Norman replied.
She knew the answer but still asked, “How will I get to work tomorrow?”
“I’ll drive you to work tomorrow,” Norman mimicked her exaggerated tone.
The couple laughed together, and after the laughter, she fell silent for a moment, suddenly saying something seemingly out of nowhere, “Norman, I want to pursue a Ph.D., I don’t want to be a teaching assistant anymore.”
She only had a master’s degree, and to be a lecturer, at least a Ph.D. was required.
“Great. Which school do you want to attend? Do you need me to help contact a supervisor?”
Liliana shook her head. “I’ll go back to my alma mater.”
Once she decided, the next day she called her former professor. He was delighted to hear she wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and encouraged her to take the entrance exam next spring.
It was already September, and the registration was in October, with many materials to prepare. She felt rushed and asked Norman for help.
The couple rolled up their sleeves and worked together. One morning, while organizing the documents, he suddenly said seriously, “Liliana, let’s put in more effort and quickly have a baby. When you take the exam next year, you can take the baby along and treat it as prenatal care.”
She was surprised for a moment, finding the idea quite good. They immediately abandoned the documents and enthusiastically got on the bed to make a baby!
A week later, while Liliana was registering for her Ph.D. at her old school, she received a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Hello, Ms. Watts.”
- Writer
