Chapter 3
My blood ran cold for a second, and my clenched palms turned clammy with tension.
"Are you changing the subject, Mr. Hart? Can't argue with what I just said because it's too true?"
I lifted my chin, trying to shut down his crazy idea with a sharp retort.
He went quiet for a solid two seconds.
Those two seconds stretched out, tugging at my heart.
"You're RIGHT."
He let out a light scoff, his tone wry, almost self-mocking.
Then he turned and walked away.
Next day, everything at the office was back to normal.
When Caleb showed up, he didn't even glance at me, as if nothing had happened.
Near the end of the day, Secretary Miller came out of his office with a sour face.
He muttered under his breath,
"What's up with Caleb now? Why's he suddenly asking me to look up a college classmate?"
Those three words hit my ears like a bomb.
My heart felt like a tsunami had hit it.
I forced out the words.
"Secretary Miller, who's he looking for? Maybe I know them too."
"Oh right, you both went to Greenwood. It's a woman, name's Iris."
He even kindly flipped over a printed photo to show me.
The girl in the photo wore a thick layer of white powder, but that dark birthmark clung to her face like a claw, ready to burst out.
Caleb was looking for me!
That news stuck in my chest like a thorn, making me even more uneasy.
So when I was called into his office at noon as usual, I was still in a daze.
As I made his coffee, I could feel his cold gaze laced with heavy curiosity.
"Rae Monroe, you're also from Greenwood? Which department?"
"You look familiar."
My whole body tensed, my grip on the coffee cup white-knuckled, even my breath trembled.
"Journalism. I did a few volunteer gigs in college.
Maybe we ran into each other back then."
"Oh, really?"
He took the cup, his eyes on the rippling liquid, and smiled in a way I couldn't read.
Then he suddenly asked:
"Do you know Iris from the Business School?"
"I think I've heard the name, but no real memory."
I forced a smile and replied; luckily, Caleb didn't seem to mind my vagueness, just gave a soft
"hmm."
I quickly tidied my papers and escaped the office.
But I didn't notice that behind me, the man's gaze moved from my back to his desk.
He picked up two photos on his desk and tried to superimpose them.
That day after work, an email account I rarely used suddenly got a message.
It was from my old advisor, saying my thesis needed a random check and asking for my phone number.
The doctor beside me was going over Lily's pre-surgery precautions, so I didn't bother verifying,I quickly replied with my number and turned off my phone to focus.
Coming out of the consultation, I walked down the hall toward Lily's room.
But I froze at what I saw.
In the distance, Lily was holding Caleb's hand, waving at me from afar.
My hand gripped the door handle tightly, my whole body a taut string.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and quickened my pace.
Lily was looking up and chattering, her voice growing clearer:
"I'm not scared of pain. I'll be like Mom. Mom fought a big monster on her face and won, so Lily will beat the demon inside me too."
The kid's words were all jumbled.
Caleb seemed confused, paused, and asked something.
Cold sweat broke out on me, and I hurriedly cut her off:
"Lily!"
A passing nurse greeted me and complimented.
"Rae, Lily looks just like her dad. they're like two peas in a pod."
"He's not. her dad passed away long ago."
No one knew how panicked I was, my heart was pounding so loud it nearly deafened me, and my voice came out raspy.
The nurse awkwardly walked away.
Caleb nodded at me, his gaze indifferent, as if the nurse's words didn't register.
I let out a breath. I took Lily's hand and thanked Caleb.
Lily's surgery was less than two days away.
I was agonizing over how to ask Caleb for time off.
Secretary Miller came out of the office with a worried face, caught my eye, and hesitated.
He sighed and finally spoke:
"Rae, be honest with me.
Which school did you actually go to? You can't fake that."
My hand trembled, and cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
I could only pretend to be clueless, forcing a smile:
"What do you mean, Secretary Miller? Didn't I graduate from Greenwood?"
"Caleb asked me to check. The Journalism department at Greenwood has no record of a Rae Monroe."
Something exploded in my head. In that moment, my mind went completely blank, unable to think.
"You better think about how you're gonna explain this to Caleb."
He warned me.
I stood frozen, unable to move.
After a full minute, my jammed brain finally started working.
I drafted my resignation at lightning speed, cleared my desk, and barged straight into Caleb's office.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hart. I admit I didn't graduate from Greenwood. I faked my credentials and lied to you.
"Lily's having surgery in two days. I can't handle this job, and I have no face to stay.
"Thank you for your care over this past month. Here's my resignation."
I couldn't let Caleb dig any further.
Otherwise he'd find out that Rae Monroe, five years ago, was actually Iris.
So I gritted my teeth, lowered my head, stepped forward, ready to drop the letter and bolt.
But a big hand grabbed my wrist.
I looked up and fell into Caleb's dark eyes, swirling with a storm.
He said each word deliberately.
In a tone that was dead certain.
His lips formed the name that dragged me back to my most shameful past:
"Iris, how long are you gonna keep playing?"