Chapter 59: Why Does Julian Fletcher Get to Live Well?

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Why Does Julian Fletcher Get to Live Well?

Nocturne Bar.

Jake Abbott loved hanging out at bars. Ever since the incident with Cecilia Caldwell, he’d practically been living in them.

"Hey, gorgeous, come here, come on, let me give you a hug." Jake Abbott was partying with his sleazy friends in a private room.

"Alright, you guys have fun. I’m gonna hit the restroom." Jake Abbott tried the door to the private bathroom in their room, but it was locked. He had no choice but to stumble out and head for the public restroom at the end of the hall.

The hallway was quiet. Madeline Quinn had contacted the owner of Nocturne beforehand and had Zeke Shaw call to give him a warning. The owner closed the bar early, leaving only Jake Abbott’s room open.

I was wearing clothes I used to wear all the time. I followed him, carrying a drink.

Jake Abbott had a bit too much to drink. He was already drunk.

"Here, have another." I placed the glass in his hand.

He took the drink and downed it in one gulp, then looked up at me.

His eyes landed on me, and his body suddenly went rigid. "Cecilia..."

I smiled at him. "Jake Abbott, long time no see."

Jake Abbott was so scared he fell to the floor, his face deathly pale. "Cecilia... Don’t come for me! Go after the one who wronged you. That murderer is the one who killed you, not me! Don’t come for me."

CLICK! The lights in the hallway suddenly went out, and a green light illuminated my face.

Jake Abbott scrambled backward in fear, trying frantically to hide in the restroom. "Cecilia, leave me alone! You’re dead! It has nothing to do with me."

"Jake... you caused me so much misery..."

"I didn’t push Erin Whittaker, and you know it! You saw what happened, but you lied! I hate you..." I said, my face twisting with rage.

"No... It was Erin Whittaker! It was Erin and her sister! They told me beforehand not to say anything and to help her keep it from my brother. You can’t blame me for this! It was Julian Fletcher who didn’t believe you. Go after the one who wronged you! Go find Julian Fletcher!"

"If you hadn’t lied to Julian Fletcher so many times, how could Erin Whittaker have slandered me so easily...?"

"It was Julian Fletcher who chose to believe Erin Whittaker over you! You can’t blame me! I just didn’t tell the truth, but he believed everything Erin said. She fell on her own, but when she said you pushed her, he believed it!"

I sneered and lunged forward, grabbing Jake Abbott by the neck. "Go to hell."

"Cecilia, let me go..." Jake Abbott scared himself unconscious.

I let go, got up, and spat. Just now... I’d really lost control and wanted to strangle him to death.

I flicked my hair back and wiped the lipstick from the corner of my mouth.

Today, I had put on makeup specifically to make myself look more like Cecilia Caldwell...

Silvia Lynch and I do look somewhat alike. With a bit of makeup, the resemblance was even stronger. Especially in this dim light, and with Jake Abbott being drunk, scaring him half to death was no problem at all.

The lights came back on. Madeline Quinn walked out, holding her phone. "Got it all on video."

I glanced at Madeline Quinn’s phone. "Nice shot."

"Your acting is pretty good, too." She gave me a wary look, but her gaze lingered for a moment.

’I probably looked too much like Cecilia Caldwell.’

"Cece..." she murmured, then looked down and sneered. "Now that we have the video, what’s your plan?"

"Send it to Julian Fletcher, of course. Why should Julian Fletcher and Erin Whittaker get to live happily ever after?" I said in a low voice.

Madeline Quinn glanced at me and nodded. "Alright, I’ll send it to him."

"Thanks." I smiled and bumped Madeline Quinn’s shoulder. "Madeline, you should try to move on, too. After all..."

’I’m still alive and well.’

Madeline Quinn frowned and looked at me. "You’re overstepping."

I sighed. ’When will she ever let her guard down around me and realize that I’m Cecilia Caldwell?’

"I don’t care what your motive is, but don’t deliberately pretend to be Cecilia Caldwell in front of me. To me, she’s unique and irreplaceable. No one can fake being her," Madeline Quinn said grimly.

I smiled, a warm feeling spreading through my heart. "Madeline, when are you ever going to believe that I really am Cecilia Caldwell...?"

Madeline Quinn sneered. "I’m leaving. Get home on your own."

I nodded and walked out of Nocturne.

Standing at the entrance, I looked out at the scene. Right here... this was where Julian Fletcher and those people had tormented me, where those drunkards had harassed me...

It felt like a lifetime ago. The place was the same, but nothing else was.

CLICK. Just as I walked out of Nocturne, I heard a noise behind me. I spun around warily and saw a figure flash past.

Frowning, I retreated cautiously, an inexplicable panic rising in my heart.

Ever since I’d entered Nocturne tonight, I’d felt like someone was watching me. The feeling was still there now that I was outside.

’Maybe it’s because I’ve died once before, but I seem to have become much more sensitive.’

The night wind was a bit chilly. I took a frightened step back. This feeling... it was exactly the same as when I encountered the murderer in the Street Alley.

CRACK. A sound came from the alley. A tall figure in a raincoat was standing there, holding a club.

I backed away in terror and turned to run.

I don’t know if it was fear, but my legs felt heavy.

"Cece..." Just as I began to panic, I suddenly bumped into a solid embrace.

His chest was heaving, his breathing ragged. He seemed to have run here in a hurry.

He had a faint, pleasant scent, and his heartbeat was a comforting sound.

He held me in his arms, took off his jacket, and draped it over me. "I’m here... Don’t be afraid."

I clutched his clothes tightly and looked up. It was Asher...

’I don’t know how he escaped, or where he got these clothes...’

I fearfully glanced back. The alley was completely empty; not a soul in sight.

I was suspicious. ’Was it a hallucination? Was it because of the stress?’

Asher didn’t speak. He just held me tightly, his gaze fixed on the alley, cold and chilling.

"How did you escape?" I asked in a small voice.

"Worried... about you." Asher looked down, wrapped the jacket a little tighter around me, and took my hand to lead me away.

’His movements were so natural, as if we had known each other for a long time.’

I looked at Asher’s back. ’Why does he feel a little familiar to me, too?’

’Where on earth have I seen him before?’

My head starting to ache, I rubbed my temples and led Asher to hail a cab. "Why aren’t you wearing any shoes?"

Only then did I realize that Asher wasn’t wearing shoes. The wounds on his feet had split open, leaving a trail of bloody footprints on the ground.

I frowned and stopped Asher. "You ran out in such a hurry just to find me?"

Asher kept his head down, silent like a child who had done something wrong.

I sighed. ’Turns out, when a man this handsome has such a pitiful expression, it makes you completely helpless against him.’

’In that moment, I felt my values shaking. My principles were almost swayed by his good looks.’

"Come here and sit down!" I pointed to a bus stop bench by the side of the road.

Asher looked up at me, not quite obeying.

"Go sit down!" I said, a little fiercely.

Asher obediently went and sat down.

There was nothing I could do with him. I ran to a nearby store and bought him clothes, shoes, and also some antiseptic and bandages.

When I ran back out with the items, I found Asher still sitting obediently on the bench.

Sighing, I looked at Asher. ’Could someone who’s so good at acting innocent really be a murderer?’