Chapter 249

Chapter 249

Another identity?

What does he mean?

I stared at Albert's retreating figure, completely confused.

By the time I got back to my room, it was already late at night.

Liam had followed me the whole way. I had ignored him the whole time, but he wouldn't leave no matter what. This was completely different from his initial aloofness.

Just as I was about to open the door, I caught a sliver of light coming from under it - from inside the room.

My expression changed immediately. I instinctively stepped back and reached into my bag to grab the pepper spray I always carried.

This thing was small, easy to use, and the quickest way to catch someone off guard.

If there was really someone in my room, that would be my only protection.

Liam's eyes swept over my suddenly tense posture, seeming to sense something. He immediately dropped his casual attitude. In a single stride, his tall frame moved in front of me, half-shielding me behind him.

He took the initiative to open the door and went in to search.

No one was there.

Both Liam and I breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, I noticed something wrong.

There was a wooden box on the coffee table with an elegantly made business card on top, which clearly read: [Albert]

The casual handwriting matched his personality.

The moment Liam saw that name, his expression turned cold. He snatched the card away and tossed it aside carelessly, saying coldly, "He's dangerous. Stay away from him."

I didn't mind. Albert was famous enough and if I ever wanted to contact him, there would be plenty of ways to do it.

What I was curious about now was what was inside this wooden box.

I opened the box.

When I saw what was inside, my pupils contracted sharply.

Inside was a stack of yellowed photographs.

The top one showed the entrance of an orphanage and a nanny holding a little girl's hand, seeming to hand her over to a man.

The man had his back to the camera, so his face could not been seen clearly. But one detail stood out immediately. Part of a tattoo was visible on his wrist.

A snake!

The venomous snake coiled around his wrist, its head facing the camera, gleaming with a cold light that sent chills down your spine.

Seeing this image, my head suddenly ached. For some reason, it felt strangely familiar.

But no matter how hard I tried to think, I couldn't remember anything.

Damn it.

"This is..." Liam's voice was tight, "a photo of you as a child?"

I nodded.

Then I reached for the next photo.

This one zoomed in on my childhood face, so you could clearly see the ruby necklace I was wearing, though the ruby itself wasn't visible.

Even though I was young then,I had already sensed the nanny's greed.

To keep it safe, I could only hide it.

Fortunately, the nanny never found it.

But where that ruby ended up, I couldn't remember at all.

"You gave this to me," I looked at Liam and asked, "right?"

Liam nodded, his expression complicated. "I never knew the little girl at the orphanage was you. I thought it was Lily."

I smiled bitterly and didn't say more about it.

After all, with my incomplete memories, I wasn't clear about what really happened back then either.

I could only hope the next hypnosis session would reveal more useful information.

Liam hesitated for a moment, then took out a box from inside his jacket.

The box was exquisite, and identical to the one in my hands.

He explained, "I also received this box this morning."

My eyelid twitched. Without wasting another second, I quickly opened the box.

Inside was another photograph.

Though taken at the same location, but from a different angle.

This time, it captured another side of my childhood self.

And this time, the woman in the photo was elegant and dignified—

It was Scarlett!

I recognized her immediately.

On the back of the photo was a printed line of text:

[Want to know the truth? Tomorrow night at midnight, meet at the lighthouse.]

Seeing these words, I felt a chill run down my back.

The lighthouse?

The lighthouse again!

I'd only just recovered this memory, and now they were asking me to meet at this very place.

What exactly does Albert know?

What connection does he have to what happened back then?

My mind was full of questions.

"You can't go!" Liam grabbed my hand. "It's a trap!"

"I know it's a trap." I pulled my hand back, holding the photo in front of me. "But this is the only lead we have. Liam, it's been twenty years. I need to find out what really happened! Don't you want to know too?"

I looked at Liam, my eyes reddening.

Liam seemed to see my determination and was at a loss for words.

He was silent for a long time.

So long that I was getting impatient.

Then he said reluctantly, "Then I'm going with you."

"You don't need to..." I was about to refuse.

"No!" Liam's attitude was firm. "I can't break my promise again!"

I thought of something and asked with a frown, "So back then, when you and I agreed to meet at the lighthouse, you actually didn't go, did you?"

Liam showed a guilty expression.

He lowered his head and said, "Yes."

"But," he explained somewhat helplessly, "it wasn't that I didn't want to go."

"My mom locked me up. I couldn't escape, and she told me that you needed rest, that taking you out to play would hurt you."

Hearing this, I wasn't surprised.

Scarlett had always been good at manipulating people, using their kindness to achieve her goals. I wasn't surprised.

Liam gripped my hand, his expression sincere. "So this time, let me protect you."

Looking at Liam, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

Maybe I wasn't the only one trapped by what happened back then - wasn't Liam the same?

I lowered my eyes and finally gave in. "Okay, we'll face it together."

"But," I changed my tone, "we need to make an agreement. If you can't do it, then you shouldn't go."

Liam immediately said, "Tell me, I'll agree to anything!"

"First, follow my lead. Second, no acting on your own. Third..."

I paused, looking straight into his eyes. "No more lying to me."

Without hesitation, Liam said, "Don't worry, I'll never deceive you again. If I lie to you again, let me..."

Before he could finish, I covered his mouth. "Liam, don't make vows. If you can't keep them, you won't be the only one who suffers."

Hearing me say this, Liam's expression grew complicated.

Finally, I sent him out of the room.

Neither of us slept well that night.

I stayed at the hotel while Liam went out, saying he had things to prepare.

Then there was a knock at my door.

At first, I thought Liam had come back, so I opened it without thinking. But when I did, I realized something was wrong.

It was Annie.

Her health had improved considerably. Though still a bit weak, her complexion wasn't as pale as before.

"How are you here?" I asked in surprise. "Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

"Sis, I have something I want to tell you," Annie looked at me. "Can I come in?"