Chapter 2: The Man in the Snow

(Catherine’s POV)

I hurriedly went inside our apartment as soon as I arrived. Opening the door, I went straight to the kitchen counter and took a glass of water. “Catherine, it’s okay! He won’t be able to recognize you. It’s fine!” My back slowly leaned back on the closed refrigerator door, still trying to calm myself.

After a couple of minutes, the door of the apartment suddenly opened and Monique’s voice was heard all over the place. “Cathy! Cathy! Where are you?!”

“I’m here!”

Monique’s silhouette instantly appeared in the kitchen. Looking at her face, it was very clear that she was running. Her hair was slightly disheveled and I could see in her feet some redness in it. She must have removed her high heels on the way here.

“Cathy!” She immediately hugged me tightly. “Are you okay? What do you mean you saw him again? How is that even possible? I thought that happened in City A?”

We took a seat in the dining area. Monique sat beside me and held my hands. “I don't know Monique. I'm not sure what I am feeling right now. But one thing's for sure, I'm not okay at all... He is President Lu, Monique. Grandson of Chairman Lu and the owner of the university where I am working from.”

Her eyes bulged in shock at my words. “What?! President… President Lu?! As in Alexander Lu?! That’s ridiculous!”

I raised my hand and pressed it against my face, looking troubled. “I know! That sounds ridiculous! If I had known that we would meet again, I shouldn’t have done that before.”

A slight slap suddenly landed on my hand resting on the table. “Are you stupid?! Why would you regret that? You have saved a person’s life for god's sake, Cathy!”

“I know. But I can't help but feel scared. What if he managed to recognize me? What if he conducts a thorough investigation into my past? That might cost me my job, Monique. You know how much I’m trying to keep it hidden, right? His appearance in my life is not a good thing, Monique. It will make everything complicated.”

Flashback…

Rushing outside the hotel building with my things in my hand, I hurriedly hailed a taxi. The car stopped after a few seconds. The driver went out and helped me with my things, then placed them in the trunk. Snow is slowly falling in the sky here in City A. The cold breeze of the wind is slightly brushing up on my face.

When everything was settled, I entered the cab and we drove towards the airport. “You must be traveling away, ma’am, if I’m not mistaken.”

I looked up front when I heard his voice. He doesn’t seem to know me, which is a good thing. Fortunately, I wore a cap and a mask, or else, he might instantly recognize me. Clearing my throat, I answered politely. “Yes, I’m moving to Capital City today.”

The driver nodded "Have a nice trip ahead, ma'am". I looked outside the window and saw the snow piling up the streets in City A. I’m finally going to leave this place. The place where it caused me great pain and misery. The place where I lost everything in just a snap. I lost my beloved sister, I lost my parents, I lost my job, and most especially, I lost my reputation.

‘I’m finally saying my final farewell to this place.’ My phone suddenly rang. It’s Monique who is calling me, so I picked the answer button. “Monique…”

“Cathy, are you on your way already?”

“Yeah, I’m currently riding a cab going to the airport. Is your meeting done?”

“Yes. I’m almost near the airport already. I’ll just wait for you at the café beside the airport, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.” The call ended after. I placed my phone back in my bag and looked outside again. I was about to close my eyes when something suddenly caught my attention. “Excuse me, would you please stop the car for a moment?”

The driver nodded and parked the car on the side of the road. “Wait for me here.”

I hurriedly opened the door and walked towards the area where I saw the black smoke. It is unusual for that kind of smoke to be here since there are no houses or buildings built in this area. That smoke is quite obvious because of the white snow piling up. As I moved closer to the scene, my hand instantly covered my mouth, covering my gasp caused by the shock.

‘What is this car doing here? This road is quite remote so it will be hard for people to notice it.’ Without much thought, I ran towards the driver's seat and saw a man heavily wounded. He slightly opened his eyes and our eyes locked. His black eyes that were as dark as the night sky looked at me intently.

It’s like sucking myself in and I can’t seem to look away from it. He opened his mouth and said in his low voice, “Please help me.”

Memories of the time when my younger sister was fighting for her illness flashed through my mind instantly. Her dark eyes that resembled this person in front of me made my emotions chaotic. As I closed my eyes, images of the past made my tears fall. The image of Winter looking at me tiredly while muttering the words "Sister, please help me" surged in my memory.

‘No way! I can’t let it happen again! I can’t let another person die in front of me again.’ I removed my cap and mask then slowly pulled him out of the car. He groaned in pain as I tried to move him. However, I can't pull him out because his right leg is stuck in the car.

“I can’t do it alone.” I immediately stood up and went back to the cab. When the driver saw me, I knew by the look in his eyes, he recognized me. Before he could utter a single word, I spoke. “I know you recognize me, but it’s not the right time to think about it. There’s a car accident over there and there’s a person alive inside that car. We have to save him.”

Fortunately, the driver didn’t utter a word and instantly went out of the car to help. A couple of minutes passed by and we managed to get that person out of the car. I took off my coat and placed it on the ground. Then we slowly laid him over so that I could check his condition. ‘Right, his right leg was stuck in the car a while ago.’

“Is he okay?” The driver asked after a couple of minutes. Without looking back at him, I answered. “Yes, we managed to get him out of the car, so aside from his leg, nothing else is that seriously injured.”

I looked up to the driver and said, “Did you call an ambulance?"

The driver nodded. Looking back again at his right leg, it would be too late if we waited for the ambulance to arrive. "His leg is deeply injured and it would be too late. Please get my blue bag from the trunk. I need to do something before it gets worse.”

He looked at me startled and was about to refuse. “I know about the news circling around. But believe me, I’m not that kind of a person. I would never do something outrageous just like killing a patient, especially my sister."

I stood up and faced him. "Look, if we don’t do something right now, he won’t be able to walk for the rest of his life. So, please.”

He finally nodded his head and I muttered a word of thanks before he left. I looked at the person lying on the ground and moved closer. I gently tapped his face and whispered softly, “You’ll be fine. I promise you that I will save you no matter what happens. You’ll gonna be okay”

End of Flashback…

I managed to save him before the ambulance arrived. After that incident, I hurriedly went to the airport where Monique saw me covered in blood. Fortunately, the driver is kind enough to send me to the airport despite him knowing who I am.

Monique placed her hand on top of my shoulders, which brought me back to the present. I looked at the person beside me.

“It’s okay, Cathy. He won’t be able to recognize you. It was night time and that area is a remote place, so I bet there are no CCTV cameras there. And also, he was injured at that time, it’s quite impossible for him to remember you. Plus, he only saw you for a short time then passed out right after.”

I nodded my head slowly. “I hope so, Monique. I hope we won’t meet again. It would be best not to cross paths with each other.”

“I don’t think you won’t see each other again. As you have told me, he is President Lu. They have other important businesses to run aside from that school. But just in case, do you want me to help you to transfer to a different school?”

My lips formed a slight smile, “I don’t think that would be necessary. He is the President of a big corporation, so I don’t think he will always be at the university. Besides, they only visit the school if there’s a big event, just like this foundation ceremony. I think I just need to avoid those kinds of events in the future.”

Monique nodded her head and hugged me. “Okay, I respect your decision. But remember, if you need anything, I’m just here, okay?”

With a nod, I raised my arms and hugged her back. ‘I hope we won’t see each other again in the future. President Lu, let’s not meet again.’