My eyes reopened to a nostalgic place. Xavier's Street was famous for its unique charm and bustling crowds.

  Scarlet helped me after my sudden collapse. With a concerned look, she forcefully said,

  "You are in no shape to go back home. My place is nearby—you can stay the night."

  I hesitated to accept the sudden invitation, but she kept insisting until I gave in. Just like during my high school days, I couldn't refuse her.

  We walked a bit, and soon, we arrived at her place. It was indeed nearby.

  She tried to open the channel gate, but it was locked. The time was around three o'clock at night.

  After failing to open it, she called her dad with her trembling hands.

  Her father came downstairs, unlocked the channel gate, then looked at me with pure hostility and asked,

  "Who are you?"

  I was searching for that answer myself. For the time being, though, I remained quiet and let Scarlet explain the situation to him.

  Her dad was flabbergasted and took Scarlet to a distant corner, where they murmured to each other.

  He wasn't sure about letting me in, but after his youngest daughter's plea and seeing my visible exhaustion, he decided to allow me to stay for a few hours—under several restrictions.

  Logically, a late-night hospital or even a hotel would have been more appropriate for me. But my background and records weren't clean enough for me to live freely as a normal civilian.

  I was allowed to sleep on the swing in the balcony, and I had a good sleep.

  Stolen story; please report.

  I woke up late and found two police officers waiting for me to wake up.

  "Oh, sh*t!" I thought to myself. Maybe the father-daughter duo had called the police on me.

  I was definitely going behind bars.

  Just then, I realized they had no hostile intent.

  Actually, her father believed in her and had called the police to file a report. One of the officers was John, a young man with a strong physique, and the other was Lily, a female officer with an athletic build. Ironically, they actually looked like reliable people to me.

  They interrogated us one by one. John was skeptical about Scarlet's and my testimonies, probably thinking we were either making things up or mentally unstable.

  Lily, on the other hand, was much gentler and more supportive. Still, she didn't believe us either.

  According to their investigation, there was neither a body nor any traces of blood near the riverbank, nor were there any CCTVs installed in the area.

  The only evident thing was our desperate escape.

  Lily asked Scarlet about her reason for visiting the bank so late at night.

  She answered, "I went for a stroll to get some air and relieve stress."

  When they asked me the same question, I answered proudly, "I was fishing."

  John raised an eyebrow. "At that time?"

  "Yes."

  "That sounds fishy," he replied with a smirk.

  They concluded the report by assuming we had been hallucinating. They also collected some samples to test for drug use.

  I felt angry and asked for a one-on-one conversation with Lily.

  We went to a nearby room, and I shut the door.

  I asked, "Didn't you see that mark on her body during the checkup? Do you really think it's humanly possible to have such a mark?"

  She answered, "I did. But your statements are f****g outrageous."

  I begged her to believe us. She consoled me,

  "We are with you. Do not worry, and don't let negative thoughts control your mind. You both will be alright."

  I broke down in tears. It was ugly, but I couldn't help it. The recent events had taken a serious toll on my mind and body.

  She opened the door and found Scarlet and John trying to eavesdrop on our conversation. Lily, ashamed of her partner, scoffed,

  "Seriously, John?"

  After that, the officers left the house. I was planning to leave as well before I got kicked out.

  Scarlet stopped me. "Where are you going?"

  "On a conquest for truth."

  "I see," she said with a disappointed look.

  I turned to her and asked, "Want to run away?"

  She nodded.