Chapter 5

It was Jacqueline’s voice on the other end: “Hello? Frederick has been working all night on an experiment and just fell asleep. What’s the matter?” The man looked at her with pity in his eyes: “Did you hear that? The man you’ve been fighting so hard to protect doesn’t care about you because he’s with another woman.” “How pitiful!” Jacqueline sensed something was wrong and her voice grew alert: Who are you? What's going on?" “Don't ask who I am,” the man sneered. “Tell Frederick to come here immediately, or else you'll be burying this woman.” He hung up the phone and continued to hurl the most vicious insults at Frederick and his mother, dragging her into it as well. Gabrielle was in so much pain she was almost numb, but she was even more afraid that Frederick might actually come. What would happen if he came? Would he be beaten to death? Would he be threatened? She trembled all over, consumed by overwhelming fear. After an unknown amount of time, the warehouse door opened, and footsteps approached. Her heart nearly stopped as she looked up. Only Jacqueline had come. She whispered a few words to the man, whose expression changed several times before he finally sneered at Gabrielle: You're lucky today." After he left with his men, Jacqueline hurried over, untied her ropes, and helped her out. “I'll take you to the hospital,” she said, her voice trembling. Gabrielle's mouth was filled with blood, and she couldn't speak, so she let Jacqueline help her into the car. In the hospital, the doctor treated Gabrielle's wounds and fitted her with temporary dentures. Jacqueline stood by, unable to bear the sight of her. “Thank you for taking the hit for Frederick,” she whispered. “I’ve reached an agreement with his brother—he won’t bother Frederick anymore.” Gabrielle asked hoarsely, “What agreement?” Jacqueline looked at her silently for a moment, then shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.” “But all you need to know,” she paused, “is that as long as I'm here, Frederick won't suffer this again.” Gabrielle looked at her confident and composed demeanor and suddenly realized, Yes, she didn't understand. All she needed to understand was that Jacqueline could easily resolve the troubles she had struggled to resolve. What Frederick needed was always someone like Jacqueline. She nodded, her voice barely audible: “Never let Frederick know about this.” In the days that followed, Gabrielle recovered from her injuries while revisiting the city. The small restaurant where they had their first taco had closed down, replaced by a high-end Western restaurant; the alley behind the school had been renovated, and the eaves where they had huddled together to avoid the rain were no longer there; even the old locust tree by the river had been cut down, and now there was an observation deck there, lit up with beautiful neon lights at night. Gabrielle stood by the river, looking at the dazzling lights across the water, and suddenly realized that she had never truly belonged in this city. But Frederick had already put down roots here, growing into someone Gabrielle could only look up to. Her phone suddenly vibrated—it was Frederick calling. “Where are you?” His voice was still as cool as ever. Gabrielle sent him her location, and within twenty minutes, he appeared by the river. “Why are you here alone?” He stood beside Gabrielle, his gaze fixed on the distant river. “I was thinking about some things from the past,” Gabrielle said softly. “Do you remember what happened when we first came to this city?” He remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a faint voice, “Don’t dwell on the past. People should look forward.” Gabrielle paused, then turned to look at him. “You… don’t miss it at all?” “I don’t miss it.” His tone was calm, even tinged with a hint of coldness. “I even despise it.” Gabrielle’s heart trembled violently, and she wanted to ask him: Does your disgust also include the years we spent together, relying on each other for survival? But the words stopped at her lips. “You’re right,” Gabrielle forced a smile. “We all have to move forward.” Each should pursue their own path.