Chapter 4

When we left the restaurant, Julian's car was already parked at the entrance.

"Where's Serena?"

"She has her own car."

Julian got into the driver's seat and leaned over to fasten my seatbelt.

"What do you want to do tonight? See a movie or go home and rest?"

His fingers brushed my collarbone, lingering for a second.

Again, that measuring touch.

"Let's go home, I'm tired."

"Elara, you seem a bit off today."

He suddenly said.

"Do I?"

I looked out at the fleeting streetlights.

"You've been avoiding me since this morning."

Julian's voice was soft, yet it carried an oppressive weight.

"Did Serena say something to you?"

I turned, looking directly into his eyes:

"She said I was her stand-in."

Julian's fingers tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

The car braked sharply at a red light.

"You believed her?"

His voice was low.

"I don't know what to believe, Julian. Do you love me?"

I had asked him this question many times.

Before, he would always kiss me gently and say, "Of course I do."

But this time, he was silent.

The red light turned green, and the cars behind us honked impatiently.

Julian restarted the car, and after a long moment, he said:

"Yes."

"But there are many kinds of love, Elara."

"My love for you might not be what you're looking for."

His words were ambiguous, but they confirmed my suspicions.

Back home, Julian said he was going to his study to prepare for tomorrow's class.

I watched him pause briefly in front of the bookshelf, then push aside a thick medical dictionary.

The bookshelf silently slid open a crack.

I dug my nails into my palms, using the pain to stay alert.

After he entered the dark room and the bookshelf closed, I quietly crept to the study door.

Faintly, I could hear voices from inside.

"She's starting to suspect something."

Serena's voice.

"At the restaurant today, the way she looked at me was off."

"Your provocations were too obvious."

Julian said, his tone cold.

"I told you not to tip her off."

"Just a few more days, until I collect the last of the data."

"Are you sure it will work this time? Didn't it fail last time?"

"Last time was an accident."

Julian's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Her pregnancy messed up my plans, all her body data changed. But now she's back in optimal condition."

"So that's why you made me provoke her miscarriage?"

Serena asked.

"You're really ruthless, Julian. You'd even abandon your own child."

"Science requires sacrifice."

Julian repeated the chilling words.

"Besides, we can always have another child later. A perfect specimen, once missed, is gone forever."

I slid down to the floor, leaning against the door, my hands and feet icy cold.

Tears streamed silently down my face, but I bit my lip hard, refusing to make a sound.

"So when do you plan to make your move?"

"Tomorrow night."

Julian's voice was excited.

"I'll inject her with the modified anesthetic. That way, she can experience the entire process while conscious, but unable to resist."

"The vocal cords are yours. The rest is all mine."

"Deal."

The conversation in the dark room continued, but I couldn't bear to listen anymore.

I rushed into the bathroom and vomited violently into the toilet.

Wiping away my tears, I picked up a scalpel with trembling hands, aiming it at my heart.

The moment the blade pierced my heart, I showed a twisted smile.

"You want my body as a specimen? Then I'll show you both that the living are far more terrifying than the dead."