Chapter 128

The night was ink-black, thick and impenetrable.

Emily tightened her trench coat and hurried through the alley behind the hospital. Her high heels clicked sharply against the damp cobblestones, the sound jarring in the silent night.

She glanced over her shoulder instinctively.

No one was there.

"Too jumpy," she muttered with a self-deprecating laugh and kept walking. Yet her fingers unconsciously tightened around her bag strap, knuckles turning white.

At the corner of her vision, a shadow flickered past.

Emily froze, her pulse spiking. She held her breath, eyes locked on the spot.

"Who's there?"

No answer.

Only the rustle of leaves in the night wind.

She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to stay calm. Probably just a stray cat, she told herself. But as she turned—

A pair of eyes.

Staring straight at her from a second-floor window.

Her blood turned to ice. That gaze was all too familiar, plunging her into a frozen abyss.

Him.

Why was he here?

No time to think. She bolted. The hem of her coat fluttered like the wings of a startled butterfly. The contents of her bag clattered, but she didn’t care.

She had to get away.

Now.

After rounding three corners, she finally dared to stop and catch her breath. Pressed against the cold brick wall, her shirt clung to her back, soaked with sweat.

Her phone buzzed.

A text from an unknown number:

"Running? Afraid someone might see?"

Her fingers trembled so violently she could barely hold the phone. She bit down on her lip until she tasted blood.

He knew.

He had known all along.

"Emily, look! These kudzu roots can still be replanted!" Ethan Miller pointed excitedly at the freshly dug roots.

Emily Johnson took the two dirt-covered yams, her eyes lighting up. "These are wonderful."

"Then... you can have them." Ethan scratched his head, his tanned cheeks flushing red.

"I can't just take them." Emily turned and went inside, returning with half a pound of dried noodles. "Here, trade you for these."

Ethan's eyes widened. "No way! If you hadn’t told me where to find them in the mountains, I wouldn’t have gotten anything!"

"Take it." Emily shoved the noodles into his arms without another word. "These yams are good for digestion—just what I need."

Ethan tried to protest, but Emily had already shut the courtyard gate with a bang. Clutching the noodles, he scurried home like a thief.

"Hide them well—don’t let anyone see," Emily’s voice called from behind the door.

Just as Ethan rounded the corner, he collided with his nephew, Little Tiger.

"Uncle, what’s in your shirt?" The sharp-eyed boy noticed the bulge in Ethan’s clothes.

"N-nothing!" Ethan hastily covered his chest and bolted away.

Little Tiger sprinted home. "Mom! I saw Uncle Ethan coming out of Emily’s place with something hidden in his shirt!"

"Something good?" Ethan’s sister-in-law perked up. "Let’s go check!"

Meanwhile, Emily was storing the newly bought yams alongside the ones Ethan had given her when David’s voice rang out from the yard. "Mom! Someone’s stealing from Ethan’s house!"

"What?" Emily nearly dropped the yams.

"It’s Little Tiger’s mom! She’s rummaging through Ethan’s place with her kids!" David stomped his foot in frustration.

Without hesitation, Emily grabbed the broom by the door and charged out, trailed by a crowd of curious children, heading straight for Ethan’s house.

The rickety gate of Ethan’s home stood wide open, the sound of drawers being yanked and cabinets overturned echoing from inside.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Emily’s sharp shout made the three intruders freeze.

Ethan’s sister-in-law clutched the stolen noodles, her face pale. "E-Emily..."

"What do you think you’re doing?" Emily brandished the broom, her voice icy.

Little Tiger hid behind his mother, muttering, "We... we were just looking..."

"Looking for things to steal?" Emily scoffed. "Ethan’s not home, so you think you can just help yourselves?"

Ethan’s sister-in-law swallowed hard. "I-I’m his sister-in-law..."

"And that gives you the right to rifle through his belongings?" Emily stepped closer, her glare sharp. "Put. It. Back."

The noodles thudded to the ground. The woman grabbed her children and tried to slip past.

"Not so fast." Emily blocked the doorway. "We’re not done here."