Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 350: Not the Real Timothy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The number was displayed as ‘no caller ID’, just like before.

Samantha unhesitatingly tapped the answer icon and put the phone to her ear as she greeted tremblingly, “Hello?”

The mysterious person’s voice, which had gone through a voice changer, went straight to the subject as always. “Ms. Larsson, your child is still alive for now.”

‘Alive…’

Samantha’s tense heart relaxed slightly.

Although there were plenty of red flags about the mysterious person, his claim that the divorce certificate was fake turned out to be true. Therefore, Samantha inexplicably wanted to believe his words when he said that Matthew was still alive!

The phrase ‘for now’ made her nerves tense up again. She bit her lower lip and said, “Do you know where he is?”

The mysterious man’s voice was calm and indifferent. “I don’t.”

Samantha frowned. “Then what’s your point in making this call?”

The mysterious man replied, “Only Timothy can save your child.”

Samantha wanted to scoff at him when he said that.

If Matthew was taken away under Timothy’s order, then Matthew’s life was in Timothy’s hands. Why would Timothy be willing to let Matthew go?

“What’s with this load of crap you’re giving me?”

Samantha would not be that rude under normal circumstances, but she could no longer control her temper due to her anxiousness and exhaustion!

The mysterious man did not seem annoyed either. He maintained a calm, indifferent, and robotic tone, but rather than answering, he asked, “Did you notice anything wrong with Timothy when you interacted with him this time around?”

It went without saying that everything about Timothy was different, including his personality, temperament, and even the habits and small details of his life. He was unlike the person she used to know.

What did any of that have to do with her though?

Samantha had enough of the mysterious man going around in circles. Her voice became cold as she asked, “What the hell do you know exactly?”

The mysterious man replied, “I know nothing.”

Samantha was not someone who would easily be provoked by others into losing her temper. However, the mysterious man had tested her limits and she felt like reaching through the telephone and giving him a severe beating.

“Then we have nothing to talk about!”

Samantha did not hesitate to hang up after leaving him with that sentence.

At the last second, the mysterious man repeated, “Only Timothy Barker can save your child… The Timothy…who loves you.”

Samantha’s finger froze.

The mysterious man hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

The beeping sound rang in her ears and Samantha lowered her arm stiffly.

‘The Timothy…who loves me?’

‘What is that person trying to hint at?’

‘What’s the meaning of all this?’

Samantha held her phone up again and redialed the number but was greeted by the same automatic message as she had received in the past: ‘The number you have dialed does not exist’!

Her face had soured and she was very pale too.

Rochelle had been listening to what Samantha said to the mysterious person, and upon seeing the situation, she frowned and asked, “Sammy, is this the mysterious person who sent you all those emails when you were in Emsteldt?”

Samantha nodded lightly. “Yes. It’s him.”

“What did he say this time?”

Samantha briefly repeated what he had said.

Rochelle had a speechless expression. “What is this person trying to do? I have this feeling that they’re deliberately leading you to Timothy.”

First, there was that email from five years ago; then came the email when Samantha was at Emsteldt; finally, there was this phone call.

“It’s obvious that this whole thing is bad news. You can see just the way he plays with people’s emotions. He always gives you a glimmer of hope and lures you into doing something you have no choice but to do!”

Rochelle held Samantha’s hand. “Sammy, don’t listen to him!”

If he had not sent an email to tell Samantha that she and Timothy were not truly divorced, Samantha would not have returned to the country in the first place. None of the events that happened thereafter would be discovered too.

Although that mystery man still wanted to make sure that Samantha continued to be entangled with the dangerous Timothy, Rochelle disapproved outright!

Samantha did not want to listen to the mysterious person and agreed with what Rochelle’s said too, but…

Matthew was her entire world, and her entire world was at stake.

Samantha shook her head weakly. “I don’t have a choice, Chelle.”

“Sammy…” Rochelle said anxiously.

Samantha immediately interrupted her. “Chelle, I appreciate your kindness, but…let’s not talk about this anymore alright.”

After all that had happened, she had probably entered a carefully-orchestrated plot by an unknown person the very moment she stepped on the plane and went back to the country.

In that case, it was not something she could just get out of as and when she pleased.

The last thing she wanted was to investigate whatever secret Timothy had and what happened to him, but did she honestly have a choice?

Rochelle could sense the pain and helplessness coming from Samantha, and her heart felt equally as painful too. Even so, she was powerless because there was nothing that she could do about it.

Fate was like a net that was slowly covering them from all directions. If they did not struggle hard enough, they would eventually be strangled to death.

That was probably what some called ‘lacking the freedom to dictate things’.

Rochelle closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath before saying, “Sammy, what do you think that mysterious person meant in his last sentence?”

Since running was not an option, they could only face it head-on.

Needless to say, it was always best to be prepared when facing such issues, rather than just attacking blindly head-on!

Samantha’s thoughts were a little chaotic but Rochelle was fortunately still beside her to help clear her thoughts. She smiled gratefully at Rochelle, then lowered her head and started to think.

Although the mysterious man’s actions were beyond annoying, he always went straight to the point and said things either with a purpose or to provide hints.

Samantha pondered for a moment and laughed in spite of herself before saying, “There are two possibilities, I believe. The first is that this mystery man had always believed that Timothy loves me. That’s why he’s trying to find a way to make Timothy fall in love with me again. If that happens, Timothy will let the child go.”

Rochelle nodded. “And the second?”

The second…

Samantha was somehow reminded of what the mysterious man had said in the email before, as well as what he said during the phone call earlier. After connecting the dots, her eyes sank fiercely.

“The second is…that the Timothy in front of us isn’t the real Timothy.”

Rochelle’s eyes widened in shock. “How… How is that even possible?”

If he was not the real Timothy, then where did the real Timothy go? Timothy was a living adult. How could he just disappear?

Samantha could not come to a conclusion and merely said, “I’m just guessing.”

She was unsure if Timothy had ever loved her, so it was not at all surprising that he would give out an order to kill her. The reason why she would venture to make the second guess was entirely because she had seen his ruthlessness towards Old Madam Barker.

That was one thing that stood out as weird.

Then again, Timothy had obviously allowed her to leave earlier after Old Madam Barker came into the picture.

Those two issues were rather contradictory, which made it impossible for her to make a judgment confidently.

Just as the two of them were speechless and began pondering over what happened, Samantha’s phone rang suddenly and broke the silence.

Samantha glanced subconsciously at the phone screen and discovered that the caller was an extremely familiar 11-digit number.

The number belonged to Timothy.