The Emergency Room Secret Chapter 4

I tossed and turned all day at home, the morning's scene replaying constantly in my mind.

After Nathan left, I called the hospital and learned he had indeed visited several departments asking about Lily Martinez but found nothing.

As night fell, I still hadn't seen him come home. On my phone, he sent a brief message: "Have some urgent matters to handle tonight. Don't wait up."

"Where are you? Do you need me to pick you up?" I replied.

"No need. I'm at school handling some things."

"It's so late—what could the school need?"

"Some student issues. Don't worry."

I stared at these dismissive replies for a long time. In five years, Nathan had never stayed out this late. He'd always despised people who didn't come home at night, saying it was irresponsible to family.

But now, he was doing exactly what he'd always condemned.

Outside the window, rain drizzled down. I suddenly thought of that yellow-haired youth. When he'd pulled out his phone, his movements had been so panicked, and besides fear, his eyes seemed to hide something else.

I changed into casual clothes and drove back to that dilapidated residential area. Rain dampened my shoulders, and the air reeked of mold and rotting garbage. I stood in front of that iron door, hesitating for a long time before finally raising my hand to knock.

No response.

I knocked a few more times, more urgently. "I'm Lily Martinez's attending physician."

Rustling sounds came from behind the door. After a while, it slowly opened a crack.

"Is, is that you?" The youth peeked out half his face, his eyes warily assessing me. "Are you alone?"

"Yes, just me." I lowered my voice. "Can we talk? About Lily."

His eyes scanned the darkness behind me before opening the door wider. "Come in."

The room's furnishings were simple but unexpectedly tidy. Street dance competition posters hung on the walls, and an old laptop sat on the table. I noticed the computer screen was still lit, as if it had just been hastily closed.

"Are you here looking for Lily?" He brought over a chair. "I don't know where she went either..."

"You're her boyfriend?" I looked directly into his eyes.

The youth froze. "Is that what Professor Carter said?"

"Isn't it?"

He smiled bitterly. "He always likes to assign people identities."

This statement made my heart skip. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." He lowered his head, his fingers nervously twisting together. "I'm just... Lily's fellow townsman. We're from the same town, grew up together."

"Then do you know why she would..."

"I know what you're thinking." He suddenly looked up, tears glistening in his eyes. "You must think I'm the one who hurt her, right? But it's not like that. I truly wanted to protect her, but..."

"But what?"

"But some people," his voice trembled, "some people are truly disgusting and terrifying."

My heart skipped a beat. "You mean..."

"I don't dare say." He jumped up. "You don't know what he's capable of. Everyone thinks he's a good teacher, a good husband, but..."

Footsteps suddenly sounded outside. The youth's face changed dramatically. He quickly went to the computer and pulled a USB drive from the drawer.

"Take this." He shoved the drive into my hand, his voice urgent. "If anything happens to Lily, you must look at it. But not now. Now isn't the time."

"What's on it?"

"Evidence." His voice was barely audible. "We're all victims, not just Lily, there are others..."

The footsteps grew closer. The youth pushed me toward the back door. "Go quickly! Through the back door! Don't let him know you were here!"

"Wait, who is he?"

"You'll know soon enough." He handed me a slip of paper. "This is my phone number. If you see Lily, please tell me. Let me save her."

Back in my car, I looked at the USB drive in my hand, my heart pounding. The youth had said "we're all victims" and "not just Lily." The "he" he mentioned—was it really who I thought it was?

My phone vibrated again. A message from Nathan: "Might be very late tonight. Go to sleep early."

I looked at this message, then at the USB drive in my hand, suddenly feeling a chill.