Chapter 10
“Because I have a good family background, I look a bit like her, and I like you and am willing to do anything for you,” he said.
“So you agreed to be with me as your Plan B?” I retorted bitterly. “You think I’ll always be here, waiting for you to come back, and that I’ll happily throw myself into your
arms?”
“Daniel, I would rather have never met you,” I added, my voice breaking.
I fought the urge to smash the ring in his face. Instead, I turned and walked away, heading back to my friend’s party.
Maybe it was the salty sea breeze or the sand that stung my eyes, but I couldn’t stop my tears from falling.
My friends, sensing my pain, were quiet. They didn’t ask any more questions. They just handed me tissues and picked up the conversation where it left off.
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Chapter 10
Archer came over and patted me on the back, teasing me about how I had lied when I first arrived in the U.S., claiming I didn’t have an ex–boyfriend who was still so deeply entangled in my life.
I hit him lightly, annoyed.
He smiled, unfazed, and said, “Lily, I know what your problem is. You need a new relationship to move on from the last one. Why don’t you consider me?”
I had no response. I just stared at him, unsure of what to say.
Archer shrugged and added, “I‘ ll take you to the liveliest party here. You’ll meet more guys, and everything will be fine.”
I gave him an exasperated look and turned down his ridiculous suggestion.
After saying goodbye to my friends, I left for the studio to deal with some work.
The studio was eerily quiet, the only sound was the soft rustling of papers as I sorted
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Chapter 10
through files. In the stillness, Daniel‘ s words from earlier flashed through my mind.
Suddenly, I remembered what he had said. just before I walked away.
“Lily, I’ll only keep you this time,” he had said, his voice low and heavy.
“Don’t worry, I won‘ t pester you anymore. I won’t see you again.”
“You and Abigail are the same. I don’t want to face either of you again.”
I walked too quickly, swept up in the excitement of the moment. I didn’t stop to think about his words.
It wasn’t until early the next morning, when I heard an unusually loud siren, that everything started to make sense. A police siren blared as it rushed past me.
Archer took me out of the studio, and it was then that I learned what had
happened.
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Daniel had been taken away by the police, covered in blood.
In the dim light of that morning, I thought I saw him smile at me.
“Lily,” he had said in my mind, “It’s so scary that your ex–boyfriend dared to attack with a gun.”
“But it’s strange,” he continued, “The person he attacked doesn’t seem to have anything to do with you.”
Archer kept speaking, recounting what he‘ d learned from the news, but all I could focus on were a few key words.
“Daniel, attacked with a gun, killed
someone…”
The name “Abigail” escaped my lips before I even realized it. My brain barely processed it.
Archer looked at me, surprised, and
nodded. “The gem collector, also from Washington. The gems he had were worth
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a lot. He came here, but after hearing your name, he insisted on coming to see you.”
“The gem collector,” Archer continued, “he might have been the one who brought Abigail to Chicago, and then abused her.”
I didn’t fully understand what Archer meant, but something clicked in my mind. Later, when I looked up the collector‘ s information, I saw his blurry photo.
My instincts told me everything. Daniel didn’t come to Chicago just to save me. He was here for something else entirely.
