Chapter 9 Chapter 9 This Necklace Looks So Familiar

"You've got ten minutes. Meet me outside the hospital."

The second the call connected, Henry's voice came through, cold and emotionless.

Lydia's face paled. She stared at the screen that showed the call had been cut off, then looked up at Charles. She typed on her phone and showed it to him.

-Are you heading downstairs?

Charles was a bit surprised, then seemed to get the idea-such a sweet girl, and yet...

He couldn't help but feel a little regret deep down.

Keeping a warm smile on his face, he said, "You've got something to do, don't you? It's okay-go ahead. Don't worry about me. I'm just waiting for my daughter."

-Alright then, I'll get going. Take care. It's not always safe to be alone.

She tapped the new sentence and showed it to him again.

That warmed Charles's heart even more. He chuckled and nodded, saying, "Got it, sweetie. I'll be careful. You better hurry too, don't keep your family waiting."

-Goodbye.

The mention of "family" yanked Lydia's thoughts back to Henry, probably still waiting for her outside.

He only gave her ten minutes. She didn't dare waste another second. Turning abruptly, she rushed toward the elevator.

'Ding-'

Just as she got there, the doors opened.

But the moment she looked up, she froze.

Clara?

They locked eyes, both clearly caught off guard.

Lydia quickly pulled herself together, bit her lip, and stepped into the elevator.

"What are you doing here?" Clara couldn't stop herself, her tone sharp. "You stalking me or what?"

Seriously, how could it be this much of a coincidence to run into Lydia here of all places? So annoying.

-I'm here because I'm not feeling well. You've got it wrong.

Lydia frowned as she signed.

But Clara looked even more irritated. "Stop waving your hands around in front of me, it's really annoying, you know that?"

Lydia's fingers hesitated mid-air. She reached for her phone again.

"Oh, forget it! Who's got the time to wait for you to finish typing? Listen, stay out of my way. I don't want to see you again."

She turned to leave just as-

'Ding.'

The elevator doors snapped shut.

Clara blinked, raised her hand to hit the button, but then a loud, urgent alarm went off.

The elevator had stopped.

"Aah!!"

Both of them were caught off guard by the sudden halt.

Clara reacted even more strongly-she almost lost her balance. She reached for the handrail and backed away in a panic.

Right then, there was a crisp "ding"-something hit the ground.

Lydia glanced down and spotted a necklace lying on the floor.

She bent over to pick it up, frowning slightly-it looked... weirdly familiar.

The pendant was shaped like an eye.

Wait a second... wasn't this the same as the one she had a decade ago?

Clara was just starting to catch her breath, hand still on her chest, and when she turned around, she immediately saw Lydia carefully turning the necklace over in her hands.

Clara froze for a beat, then her face changed completely. Without thinking, she reached out and snatched the necklace back. "What are you staring at? Never seen a necklace before?!"

-No, Miss Spencer, you got it wrong. That necklace... it looks like mine. Can I-

"This is my necklace! What's it got to do with you?!"

Clara cut her off before she could finish. Her heart skipped a beat.

So that's it.

No wonder the moment she saw this mute girl, something just felt off.

Both mute. She recognized the necklace. They even looked kinda alike...

No doubt now.

This mute girl-she's the one from back then!

Damn it!

After all these years, why is she still clinging on like a ghost?

Anger and frustration roared in Clara's chest. She shoved the necklace right in Lydia's face and snapped, "Take a good look! My name's on it. It's mine! Lydia, I'm warning you-don't touch my stuff again. Whether it's a necklace or a man, if you've touched it, it's filthy. Because you are."

Lydia just stood there, stunned. She had no idea what Clara was going off about.

Like... what even triggered all this?

Just then, there was another ding-the elevator doors slid open.

The two of them turned to look. Several rescue workers stood outside the elevator.

Seeing both of them safe, they all breathed a sigh of relief and helped them out.

"Clara! Are you alright?" Charles had rushed over not far away, anxious and out of breath as soon as he spotted his daughter.

Clara, still shaken by what just happened, forced herself to calm down and quickly went up to him. "Dad! Don't worry, I'm okay. Just got a little scared. We weren't stuck long. Let's go."

Lydia stepped out of the elevator too and walked a few steps behind-only to realize Clara was already gone.

She felt oddly disappointed. She'd hoped to take another look at that necklace...

"Lydia!"

Suddenly, a hand latched onto her wrist and yanked hard.

She heard a low, biting voice next to her ear.