19
I had knelt in the snow for three hours that day. Adam knelt for three hours as well. He couldn’t stand up; when he tried to get up, his legs hadn’t fully recovered, and he fell forward clumsily. “Now we know that fall was real. Noah and I thought you were faking it. I’m really sorry,” he said. Before I could reply, he went to the back garden. Realizing what he was about to do, Noah yelled urgently, “Sylvia, stop him! He just knelt for three hours!”
process
Seeing my silence, Noah gave up pleading, watching helplessly as Adam jumped into the icy pond. After a while, he climbed out and then jumped into it again. He had repeated the thirty–two times.
Adam was a fitness enthusiast; his physique was better than average, but this ordeal nearly cost him his life. He wanted to apologize again, but when he picked up his phone, he found that I’d hung up.
That night’s events stirred up my old wounds. I didn’t want to feel this pain; we shouldn’t have
any more contact.
But the next day, Adam fell ill.
I only found out when Noah’s secretary came to invite me to the Fowler residence. It was midday; my parents and brother were home.
I couldn’t refuse. Noah had countless ways to force me to go, and if things got too ugly, he would hurt my family. I didn’t want that.
Under my parents‘ and brother’s worried gazes, I knew I had to tell them the truth. After all, the original owner was an ordinary girl from a normal family–how could she be involved with the Fowler family?
I calmly put down my chopsticks.“Mom, Dad, I’ll be back soon. I’ll tell you everything then.”
I left with Noah’s secretary. The entire journey, the secretary tried her best to convince me.“It’s your good fortune to share a name with the deceased Miss Lawrence. As long as you compromise…”
I interrupted impatiently. “How about I give this good fortune to you? From now on you’re Sylvia Lawrence. You’re welcome.”
The secretary was annoyed, but then she thought of Noah’s instructions–to not hurt Sylvia–she could only swallow her anger.
Arriving at the Fowler residence, I went straight to Adam’s room. Noah was giving him medicine.“Adam, just take your medicine. The doctor said it’d help you recover.”
“No…”
Before Adam could finish, he started coughing violently.
Seeing me, he obediently took his medicine. His face was pale, his weakness evident.
15:16
Menu
< 19
“Sylvia, you came.”
I stood at the doorway, staring at them. I knew they were doing this on purpose. He’d never resorted to such tactics before, but now he was using every means necessary.
“If
you just want me to know you’re sick because of me, just call me.”
Seeing me about to leave, Adam, despite his weakness, got out of bed and grabbed my hand. He almost fell in his haste.“Sylvia, don’t go. Noah got you
here because he wanted you to see
something. Don’t you want to know where Charlotte is?”
It was a polite way of saying he forced me to come. Since I was already here, they wouldn’t let me leave until they got what they wanted.
“What happened to her?” I asked calmly.
I didn’t believe Charlotte would have a good outcome under Adam and Noah’s control.
Instead of answering, Adam said, “I’ll show you.”
I followed him and realized we were heading to the basement:
Noah, sensing the heavy atmosphere, tried to lighten the mood.“Sylvia, do you know why we were inexplicably so nice to Charlotte?”
< 20
