Novel Square
Chapter 192
Stella’s eyes lowered, shimmering with tears on the brink of falling. “If she really is Phoebe, do you think she’ll be mad at me for not recognizing her at first?”
Robin sighed heavily, his gaze shifting back to Dexter’s intense stare. “You two are off your rockers, I swear.”
Stella’s gaze dropped to her tightly clasped hands. “Is it possible that all the science we know can’t explain some things…”
Robin’s phone buzzed, and he stepped aside to take the call.
“I’ll give you a ride.” Unable to hail a cab on the curb, Dexter came over, his voice hoarse with
the offer.
I ignored Dexter. All I wanted was to get back to the Langley estate to see Colin to apologize…
It felt like I had truly forgotten him.
But I was trying so hard to remember, to recall every memory between us.
“Phoebe…” Dexter caught my wrist as I started to run. “Snap out of it!”
“Get off me!” I jerked my arm free from Dexter’s grasp, my eyes filled with loathing and hatred.
Dexter stood frozen, watching me for a long moment.
“Phoebe…” I finally managed to flag down a taxi, and just before stepping in, he called me Phoebe again.
“Phoebe… it’s you, isn’t it?” Dexter hurried forward, tapping on the car window.
I shot the driver an impassive glance. “Drive.”
Dexter chased after the taxi for a few steps before standing desolate on the sidewalk.
“Phoebe!” Dexter called out my name. “Come back, please…”
“Stop the act; who do you think you’re performing for? You really think loved ones can be resurrected? Have you lost your mind? Let me tell you, Phoebe’s dead; you killed her! And your child, too.” Stella kept provoking him. “Why don’t you just die, Dexter?”
“You think I haven’t tried?!” Dexter shouted back at Stella, his voice trembling.
I glanced at them through the rear–view mirror until their voices faded into the distance.
Late affection is worse than disdain. Dexter’s belated remorse meant nothing to me.
At the Langley estate.
I rushed out of the car frantically, searching for Colin. “Colin… Caleb”
10:03
“Has Caleb not returned?” I asked Wendy, gripping her arm anxiously.
Wendy shook her head. “Mr. Caleb won’t be back today,”
Panic surged within me. Was it because I didn’t eat the cupcake today that I upset him?
“Eric, where’s Colin… I need to see him,” I called Eric; he was sure to know.
Eric remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Madam, perhaps you should rest early tonight. Let Mr. Caleb have some time to himself today.”
“I need to see him!” My voice was firm.
I needed to see him…
A voice in my head kept telling me to go to him, that he had been waiting for a long time.
“Alright, I’ll be at the Langley estate shortly to pick you up.”
Eric arrived in twenty minutes, and I waited anxiously at the front door.
I finally understood the agony of waiting–it felt like years, every second stretched into eternity…
My emotions were magnified with the wait–anxiety, panic, fear… This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .
Memories of my first encounter with Colin as a child kept replaying in my mind. Our bond was surely not so simple.
Otherwise, Carter wouldn’t have been so bitterly jealous.
“Where has Colin gone?” As soon as I got into the car, I couldn’t wait to ask Eric.
“Mr. Caleb has his own secret hideout, a place he bought with scholarship money from the Genius Class, competition winnings, rewards from Mr. Ethan, and his own earnings. He said the Langley estate wasn’t his home; he wanted his own. That was a promise he once made to a loved one.”
“Is he hiding from me there?” I asked, a tinge of nervousness in my voice.
“No…” Eric hesitated, then finally said, “Mr. Caleb not only has a tendency for self–harm but also for suicide. After Ms. Phoebe Caldwell passed away, he attempted it many times. Then… you came along, and we all thought you were his salvation, that he would get better.”
My heart felt like it had been stabbed.
“He said, in death, there is a chance for a new beginning. He wanted to return to where they first met. He’s afraid that another self–harm incident might frighten you, so he’s retreated to a place he considers safe…”