Chapter 3
My head was spinning, and I nearly dropped the phone.
I whipped around, staring at David on the bed.
I had no idea when he'd sat up. He just watched me in silence, not moving a muscle.
His gaze was locked onto the phone in my hand.
His eyes were eerily blank, and he looked like a lifeless puppet, completely devoid of a soul.
"You..." I opened my mouth, but my voice came out painfully dry, almost cracking.
"You knew all along, didn't you?" I forced myself to ask. "Did you know this would happen?"
My voice shook uncontrollably. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over.
David didn't answer me. Instead, he slowly reached out and gripped my cold hand, holding on tight.
His palm was clammy with sweat.
"Julia," David softly called my name. "Don't ask."
He repeated those same words, just like before.
"We're still alive, and that's all that matters," he said.
I yanked my hand away from him, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.
I said, "Alive? David, so many people died in that building. Our neighbors—Ward, Linda, and Timmy from downstairs. They're all gone!
"Is that all you have to say? That's all it matters?"
I was practically screaming. The overwhelming fear and grief were pushing me to the edge, making me feel like I was about to break down completely.
David looked at me, and his lips moved, as if he was about to speak.
But in the end, he didn't say a word.
He picked up his phone again, opened the news article, and kept reading it, again and again.
The room was dead silent.
I stared at him. His handsome face was filled with pain and struggle I couldn't make sense of.
Suddenly, he felt like a stranger to me.
I'd spent five years sharing a bed with him.
Who exactly was the man I married?
What secrets was he hiding?
How could he have known about this disaster before it happened?
Why did we survive when everyone else didn't?
Questions swarmed through my mind like a swarm of angry bees, buzzing with confusion and fear.
My head was pounding so hard that I thought it might just burst.
Just then, David's phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.
David glanced at the caller ID, and his eyes narrowed in alarm.
His hand holding the phone was shaking.
He answered the call but didn't say a word.
He just pressed the phone to his ear, listening quietly, not making a sound.
I saw his throat move as he swallowed.
What could the person on the other end possibly be saying?
Why was David just sitting there, not saying a word?
The room was eerily silent, so quiet that it was almost frightening.
I could hear every beat of my heart, loud and clear in the stillness.
About half a minute passed, and David finally spoke.
His voice was low and heavy. "Got it," he said.
Then he hung up the phone.
I stared at David.
He slowly set his phone down, lifted his head, and our eyes locked.
In that moment, I saw a fear in his eyes—deeper than anything I'd ever seen before.
It was a wild mix of despair and madness.
"We're leaving, now," David said.
"Leave? Where are we supposed to go?" I blurted out.
I couldn't even process what he was saying.
We'd only just managed to get here. We hadn't even had a chance to drink some water.
"They've found us," David said.
His voice was low, but to me, it felt like a bomb had exploded right beside my ear.
They? Who were they? The people who just called?
"David, what are you even talking about? Who found us? Is it the cops?" I rushed over and grabbed his arm, holding on tight.
"You have to tell me! I'm not your puppet. I deserve to know the truth!" I yelled.
I was completely losing it.
I screamed, tears streaming down my face, unable to stop myself.
David didn't resist as I grabbed his arm. His body was shaking slightly.
He looked at me, and for the first time, his eyes revealed a hint of guilt.
He said, "Julia, I'm sorry. I can't tell you.
"It's not that I don't trust you. I'm trying to protect you.
"Sometimes, not knowing is way safer than knowing.
"Please, just trust me one more time. Come with me."
His voice was almost pleading.
I stared at David, the man I'd loved for five years.
Pain was written all over his face.
It was like an invisible hand had a death grip on my heart. I could barely breathe.
Did I really want to know the truth?
The truth behind how a whole building of people could die silently in their sleep?
The truth that scared David so much that he became a stranger to me?
Could I really handle it?
I honestly didn't know.
I only knew I couldn't lose David, no matter what.
I released his arm and wiped away my tears.
"Okay," I whispered. "I'll go with you."
A flicker of hope flashed in David's eyes. He pulled me into a tight hug.
"Thank you, Julia," he whispered.
His whole body was still shaking.