CHAPTER~3
1007 Words
A groan slipped from my lips as I slowly drifted back to consciousness. The dim light above me stung my eyes.
“Still in the hospital,” I murmured, scanning the room.
Beside me sat the guy who saved me. His gaze was fixed on the window, lost somewhere else. He didn’t even notice I was awake. My eyes traced his features, searching desperately through my memory, but… nothing. A blank wall.
“Miss Smith, you’re awake,” the nurse’s gentle voice cut in, her smile bright.
“Good morning, nurse,” I whispered with a weak smile of my own.
The sound must’ve drawn him because the stranger turned. His eyes landed on me, sharp and steady, and for a moment, I wished he’d look away. The way he stared made me uneasy, like he knew more than I did.
“How are you feeling now?” the nurse asked, checking my vitals.
“I’m fine. Just… tired. And hungry,” I yawned.
“I’ll get you something to eat,” the stranger finally spoke, his voice calm but firm, before walking out.
The nurse tilted her head at me. “What’s your relationship with that guy?”
I gave a small shrug. “No relationship. Just some random guy who saved me.” Even though deep down, my head was spinning with questions.
The nurse didn’t look convinced, but she smiled anyway. “Alright, Miss Smith, I’ll see you later.” She left.
Not long after, he returned. “Here. I got you food,” he said, setting a tray down carefully.
I watched him arrange everything neatly, almost too neatly, until the words burst out of me.
“Who are you?”
His eyes found mine, steady, unblinking. A faint smile tugged at his lips. “You don’t remember me?” His voice was low, almost teasing.
“Should I?” I asked, frustration leaking into my tone. I had turned my mind inside out, and yet, nothing about him matched.
He leaned forward, his eyes locked on mine. “I saved you,” he whispered.
“Oh, come on. Stop messing with my head. I know you saved me,” I snapped, my patience thinning.
“Then what else do you want to know?” He sat beside me and, without asking, tried to feed me.
“Who are you? Why did you save me? Do you know me from somewhere? And why…” my voice cracked as the last part broke out, “…why do you look like him?”
His brows lifted. “Who?”
I hesitated. But his name slipped past my lips before I could even stop myself. “Eric.” My gaze dropped to my clenched fists.
His lips curved into a faint, almost bittersweet smile. “So, you still remember him.”
A dark chuckle escaped me. “Why wouldn’t I? Why would I forget the reason my whole life turned upside down? Why would I forget what his death dragged me into?”
The stranger’s expression shifted, thoughtful. Distant. Then his eyes returned to me. “You asked who I am, right?”
I nodded, bracing myself.
“Let’s just say… we’ve crossed paths before.”
“That’s not enough.” My chest tightened with irritation. “That doesn’t answer a damn thing.”
My frustration only made him laugh softly.
“Miss Camellia… my identity doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that you’re alive. Because those people? They’re not done with you. And just like they promised, they’ll stop at nothing to make your life a living hell.”
I froze. “What? But I’ve served my jail term.”
“Is that so?” His gaze sharpened. “Did you think the letters you got in prison were just empty threats? They meant every word.”
I gasped, memories flashing… the notes that appeared out of nowhere, their venom scribbled in black ink.
He leaned back. “You’ll only be free when the real culprit is found. Until then… you take all the blame.”
His words clawed at my mind. The real culprit? Could there be one? Will they ever find him? And how much does this stranger actually know?
“No…” my voice wavered. “Don’t tell me… don’t tell me those letters weren’t just threats.”
He gave me a look of disbelief. “You really thought they were just words?”
And just like that, the flashbacks rushed in.
FLASHBACK
I remembered the day they dragged me from home, shoving me into the station where Mrs. Caddel waited. Her eyes were red, swollen from crying. The moment she saw me, she lunged, clawing at my shirt.
“You killed my son! What did he ever do to you?!all he did was to love you” she wailed, spitting curses at me.
It took two cops to pull her away, but her last words pierced me.
“You’ll pay for this, I promise!”
Darkness. The cold cell. And then… that paper. A small folded note slipped through the gate. My hands shook as I opened it.
You’re not safe here either. I’ll haunt you down.
The chill that ran through me that night never left.
The notes kept coming, each one crueler than the last. Until the very last day….
“Freedom? You’ll never have it. Welcome to
world where I’ll crush you…. Murderer”
I had torn it to pieces, cursing under my breath, but anger didn’t kill fear. It only fed it.
“Hey.” The stranger’s voice jolted me back to the present.
My lips trembled. “What do I do now?”
He met my eyes, steady and sure. “Uncover the truth.”
“What?”
“Yes. That’s the only way.” His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then back at me. “I’ll take this outside.”
And just like that, he was gone, leaving me drowning in my thoughts.
Uncover the truth… But can I? Will I survive it?
- Writer
