Since Jasmine was on the night shift, staying with her made the most sense. I really didn’t want to go back to the Dolton family, especially now that Alvin and I were forced to share a room.


    But staying at Jasmine’s ce for too long wasn’t ideal either. While she hadn’t found a boyfriend yet, she was still entitled to her own space, just like anyone else.


    “Okay,” I said, not refusing. At least staying with her for now was better than staying in a hotel.


    Though I had a ce to sleep for the night, I didn’t head straight there. Instead, I drove out to the suburbs. It was an older part of the city, but still pretty lively, with a lot of renters due to the affordable rent.


    I came here because this was home. Before my parents passed away, our little family of three lived here.


    Back then, it wasn’t part of the “old city” yet; the economy was booming, and transportation was convenient. But ten years.ter, everything had changed. The area had lost its former energy.


    Most of the homes in ourplex had been rented out, but ours was still intact. We kept it just as it was, with my parents’ clothes, shoes, and belongings left untouched.


    Whenever I missed them, I’de by, though in recent years, I hade less and less. Slowly, they faded from my day-to- day life.


    It took me about half an hour to get here. I grabbed the keys from the glovepartment and went upstairs to unlock the door.


    The moment I stepped inside, the musty smell of dust hit me. The furniture was covered in ayer of grime, and the electricity was off, since no one had been living here.


    Thankfully, I had the utility bill number, so I topped up the electricity. Soon, the lights flickered on.


    I walked through the house, checking every room. When I reached my old bedroom and saw the pink bedsheets still on the bed, I made a decision. I didn’t need to go anywhere else-I’d stay here.


    It was only half an hour away, and on a normal workday, mymute from the Dolton family to the office took about the


    same time.


    Once I made up my mind, I started cleaning. I didn’t stop until 10 PM, when the house was finally spotless.


    But my phone didn’t ring. The only message I received was from Jasmine. [The woman and the baby are fine.]


    That was a relief-it meant the intern wouldn’t be fired.


    That night, I slept in my parents’ home, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel scared at all. In fact, I slept better than I expected.


    The next morning, I didn’t go to the office. Instead, I went to the amusement park. While reviewing a report yesterday, I noticed a small discrepancy with the original design, so I wanted to check it out in person.


    Sure enough, after taking a look, I found the discrepancy. I called over the person in charge to discuss making some adjustments. By the time we wrapped up, it was almost noon.


    I remembered there were a few things I needed for the house, so I stopped by the mall. While I was picking out some bedding, I ran into Thea. It seemed like her baby was fine, but her panic from yesterday had been pretty terrifying.


    Now, it made sense-her whole act had been for Alvin’s benefit, to get him to worry. And it had worked.


    Alvin had denied any romantic involvement with her, and I believed him. But looking back, his behavior toward Thea was way too unusual.


    Thea was talking to a sales associate, exining her preferences. “Nothing too shy. I want something mature, understated -preferably with a bit of allure.”


    “Is this for your boyfriend?” the associate asked.


    Thea just smiled and didn’t answer.


    I thought, ‘Boyfriend?’ I was a little confused but didn’t think much of it. I just moved to another section to pick out my own bedding.


    But of course, fate had other ns. As I was paying at the counter, Thea came up behind me to pay as well. When she handed over her card, I froze. It was Alvin’s supplementary card.