“What’s wrong? This was originally your apartment.”
I pondered Cameron’s intentions. Why did he bring me to this apartment? The last time I was here, Cameron bullied and humiliated me. Carter fell down the stairs, suffered memory loss due to the shock, and I agonized in self-blame and guilt.
This place had cast a lifelong shadow over me.
But I didn’t dare to defy Cameron’s intentions, so I followed him upstairs. Opening the door, I was surprised to find the place neatly arranged. I paused for a moment, and he smiled at me, leading me upstairs.
That glass sunroom looked like a crystal from afar. The sunlight, refracted through the glass, scattered colorful rays in the room. Standing inside, you could see the blue sky by looking up, and the clouds seemed within reach. The flower rack was adorned with various colors of hyacinths, the bookshelf was still the vintage one, displaying many novels that I liked.
By the window, the rattan swing swayed gently, a fluffy teddy bear sat on it, hugging a bright green pillow.
Everything had returned to its original state, and even more beautiful, closer to the countless times I had fantasized about.
I looked at Cameron in astonishment. He gently took my hand, pressed my shoulders, and guided me to sit on the swing.
Pushing me from behind, the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and a violin melody played slowly from a vintage cassette player. My mind was in a state of confusion and infatuation, as if something was holding onto my heart.
My thoughts went back to my childhood when I first arrived at The Lynch Family. I didn’t like talking and only enjoyed playing on the backyard swing alone. One day, while I was swinging on it, Cameron unexpectedly gave me a strong push from behind. I was thrown off and fell heavily on the concrete, blood from the cut on my chin wouldn’t stop, and I had to get several stitches…
Thinking about it all, I panicked and turned my head abruptly.
Cameron was looking at me.
His gaze was not as sharp, a large hand pressed on my shoulder, and he softly whispered in my ear, “Don’t be afraid… I won’t let you fall again.”
My nose tingled, and tears streamed down.
He placed a cushion under my head and let me lie flat on the swing. The swing was wide and long, resembling a hammock. Then he brought me a thin blanket, gently swaying the swing like a mother rocking a cradle.
“Get some rest first, we can talk about it when you wake up.”
“Cameron…” My voice trembled, “You, you shouldn’t meddle in this matter.”
He furrowed his brows, “Not meddle? Let him beat you to death?”
“Even if he beats me to death, it’s my own fault. I betrayed him first. I feel like he remembered something today… the things he said to me were really strange. And he’s always health-conscious, but today he drank so much…”
“You didn’t betray him!” He stared at me, saying coldly, “You two are not a couple at all.”
“But we had a wedding ceremony!”
Cameron’s gaze darkened gradually. “Leave the family matters to me. Rest well here for the next few days.”
Leave it to him to handle?
I widened my eyes, my hands wrapped in bandages making it inconvenient, “What do you mean by that? How are you going to handle it? I warn you, don’t hurt Carter!”
“You still care about him so much!”
He sneered, lowering his head to look at my hand, lifting my chin with his hand, “Don’t want to hurt him? Then what are we doing right now?”
“You don’t know?” He chuckled, his smile turning more sinister, “I’ve installed hidden cameras everywhere in this apartment… don’t bother looking, I said they’re invisible, you won’t find them! Laura, if you dare to make me unhappy, I’ll show Carter everything we’ve done! When the time comes, it’ll be you hurting him, not me!”
I stared at him, this scumbag, this bastard, this…
I really couldn’t think of a more fitting word.
Cameron smiled, released me, and let me lie down on the swing. Then he said he would go make some food for me.
“How about I cook you some spaghetti?” he rolled up his sleeves, “You know, I haven’t served anyone since I was a kid, making spaghetti is already my limit.”
As he spoke, his phone rang. I looked at him in panic, and he hesitated for a moment, showing a wary expression.
Cameron pressed his index finger to his lips, making a “shh” gesture to me. Then he slowly took out his phone, showing an unfamiliar number. After a moment of hesitation, he answered, “This is Cameron.”
“Hey!” The other person had a loud voice, audible even through the phone, “Why are you speaking so quietly? Not your style!”
Cameron furrowed his brow, “You…”
“You can’t even recognize my voice? Fool!”
“Damn!” he cursed with a smile, “Is it you, Patrick?”
Then, they both burst into laughter.
Since I came to The Lynch Family, I rarely saw Cameron laugh like this. From my childhood memories, he was always stern and cold, especially unfriendly towards me. I thought he was naturally of that dark disposition, incapable of laughter. Unexpectedly…
Cameron held the phone while going downstairs to cook spaghetti. I lay upstairs, listening to him banter with the person on the phone, laughing heartily.
This side of Cameron was entirely new to me.
In no time, he came back up with a plate of spaghetti, looking presentable. He even added a poached egg and sausage, and it smelled delicious. My stomach rumbled, and I was genuinely hungry, saliva almost dripping.
“Is it taste good?” He fed me.
My mouth was full, and I couldn’t talk. I just nodded at him.
“Patrick is back,” he said casually.
Patrick? Probably the man who called him just now, Patrick.
I mumbled in agreement, gesturing for him to feed me the poached egg. “Who is Patrick?”
He chuckled lightly, “You forgot about him? You had no conscience. He used to come to our house to play when we were kids, my childhood friend. Remember anything?”
I hesitated for a moment, finally recalling. Patrick, the tall and sturdy guy from childhood. When standing next to Cameron, he made Cameron look underdeveloped.
As for his appearance… well, probably not bad?
But after so many years, many things had faded from my memory. The most vivid memory was when Cameron pushed me off the swing, and Patrick was standing nearby. He reached out, almost catching me, but he was a bit late.
After my fall, he was the one who carried me to the hospital. The doctor said thanks to his long legs, he ran fast. Otherwise, if the injury wasn’t treated promptly, it could have been much worse.
So when I couldn’t remember Patrick just now, and Cameron said I had no conscience.
“He’s back… what’s he doing here? And… where has he been all these years?”
“His whole family emigrated. He went to a police academy abroad, graduated, and now he’s back in the country for work.”
I felt a sudden thud in my heart.
I particularly couldn’t stand the word “police.” It seemed to have a special kind of magic that could take me back to the nightmare of when I was eight, that night filled with guilt and self-blame… where I saw Anne’s blood, and Dad’s terrifying…
“After he came back, he joined the municipal public security bureau, and recently he was promoted to the head of the Criminal Investigation Division. He’s taken on a big case, so he’s been busy every day. That’s why we only reconnected recently.”
“He… why did he contact you?”
Cameron looked at me strangely.
Probably my tense posture and wide-eyed expression made him suspicious. He squinted at me and said, “What else can he do by contacting me? We’re childhood friends. After he came back, who else would he look for? Besides, I have something to discuss with him!”
“What is it?”
“Laura…” his gaze carried a deeper meaning, “why are you so nervous?”
“Am I nervous?”
I shifted my body, “I have nothing to be nervous about.”
“As long as you’re not nervous,” he said, “Patrick will come over shortly, directly from the police station, wearing his uniform. Don’t act like a mouse meeting a cat when you see him!”
He said it like a joke, but to me, it sounded like there was another layer of meaning.
“Why is he coming here?” I asked.
“Don’t worry; it’s not about investigating extramarital affairs!” He chuckled, then added after a pause, “He knows about the relationship between you and me. You don’t need to be too restrained in front of him.”
What!
I was shocked.
Cameron was so casual about revealing our relationship to someone else?
“Don’t widen your eyes so much!” He pinched my face. “Patrick is not a stranger. It doesn’t matter! Besides, he’s coming today mainly to discuss the case with… there’s been progress in my sister’s case.”
I almost caught my breath, I felt like collapsing on the swing.