Met You Before Sunrise(2)

5

Three days later, Thomas' mother died.

I suffered from insomnia and could only fall asleep after taking sleeping pills. I didn't know what had happened after I fell asleep.

This morning, as soon as I opened the door, I saw a pair of legs swaying in the air, and the toes were only a few centimeters away from me.

The red plastic stool fell to the ground with a dull clatter.

In an instant, my hair stood on end, and I curled up in the corner in horror. My throat tightened, and I couldn't make a sound. I could only hear my heart beating wildly.

It took me a long time to come back to my senses. Trembling, I took out my phone and called Bertram.

His voice came from the phone. He was as calm as ever. "What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath and squeezed my thigh, forcing myself to focus.

"Don't be afraid. Stay where you are. I'll be right there." There was a rustling sound on the phone. "Don't hang up. Wait for me."

My fear and panic seemed to have found an exit, slowly fading away. I nodded and then thought that he couldn't see me. I quickly said, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

Not long after, sirens sounded from downstairs.

Bertram was the first to rush up, wearing a police uniform. His expression was grave and his right hand was in plaster.

He stepped forward, squatted before me, and pulled me into his arms. He placed his palm on my head and said in a low and gentle tone, "It's all right."

All of my rationality broke down. I held his waist and turned the suppressed fear into a wail. My snot and tears stained his chest.

I was taken back to the police station. Except for Bertram, who didn't interrogate me, there was no other difference in the procedure from before.

I didn't know why Thomas' mother died or why she died at my door.

The interrogation this time was relatively short. Maybe the traces of her suicide were more noticeable.

When I came out, Bertram was waiting at the door, wearing a uniform with a police cap in his hand. His back was straight, and he looked righteous and imposing.

His severe and cold expression melted a little as soon as he saw me. He reached out and rubbed my hair. "It's all right."

I looked up at him blankly, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Do you trust me?" I asked after a while.

"The police need evidence to handle cases. We can't be ruled by our own subjective consciousness."

I understood his words, but I also felt wronged. I couldn't help but burst into tears.

He frowned slightly and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but didn't utter a word in the end. He just handed me a pack of tissues.

I was so angry that I didn't accept his tissues, bypassed him, and walked out.

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching roar came from behind me. "Julian, return my wife and son's lives, or I'll never forgive you."

I stopped in my tracks. My suppressed fear broke through and swept toward the depths of my soul.

It was about two lives.

How did I have something to do with two lives?

Did I do anything heinous?

The sudden confusion made my expression dull. I turned around and saw Thomas' father staring at me with hatred.

If not for the two policemen restraining him, he would have rushed up and killed me.

"Julian, I'm going to kill you," he said fiercely.

The image of Thomas and his mother waving at me with a smile suddenly appeared in my mind. My legs went soft and I fell to the ground. I breathed quickly and felt cold.

Footsteps came from far to near.

Bertram stopped in front of me, put his arm around my shoulder, and helped me up. He supported most of my strength to stand up.

I could smell the fresh scent of laundry on his uniform. He wrapped his arm firmly around me.

Under the cover of his tall figure, I felt that I had a place to hide. On impulse, I lowered my head and buried my head in his arms. I held his waist tightly and hid my head.

He breathed heavily momentarily and walked forward with me in his arms. "I'll send you back. Don't be afraid of anything."

Behind him, Thomas' father's curses became louder and louder. Suddenly, his tone changed with a strange excitement.

"You must be the one who colluded to murder my wife and son. I'm going to report you."

When I came out of the police station, the sky was already clear. The moment I walked into the sunlight, I suddenly calmed down.

"I just want to live a quiet life. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Julian, you can't let this get to you," Bertram patted me on the shoulder with his left hand. He was very handsome in the bright light.

On the way home, we sat quietly in the back row of the taxi without saying a word.

The scenery outside the window kept receding, and the city was still as bustling as usual.

I leaned my head against the car window and burst into tears unconsciously.

When the taxi stopped downstairs, I clenched my fists and plucked up the courage to get out of the car. I was afraid that I wouldn't have enough courage in next second.

"Julian."

Just as I was about to go upstairs, a magnetic and pleasant voice suddenly sounded behind me.

Tears welled up in my eyes in an instant. I slowly turned around and saw Bertram standing straight under the sunshine, his eyes bright and moist.

After pondering for a while, he said seriously, "It's not safe for you to live here. I'll find you a place to live."

The heavy object pressing down on my heart suddenly loosened a little, and a beam of light shone in.

I squatted down, held my knees into my arms, and burst into tears.

Bertram stood in front of me, took off his coat, and put it over my head, completely covering me in the darkness.

After crying for a while, he helped me go upstairs to pack up my daily necessities and then took me into a taxi.

During the whole process, I was in a trance and pinned all my hopes on him.

I didn't expect him to take me home.

In that instant, all of my nerves tensed up, and my fantasies shattered one by one.

Was I a suspect that he wanted to monitor?

It couldn't be that. I must have been too sensitive.

6

Bertram had a younger sister called Sarah Chaucer. She was two years younger than me and very lively.

Knowing that I was going to move into their house, she happily surrounded me and kept calling me sister, which slowly endeared her to me.

There are three bedrooms and one living room. It's convenient for the three of us to share one condo.

In the evening, as Sarah helped me tidy up my clothes, she remarked, "Julian, my brother has never taken a girl home. What's your relationship with him?"

I tried my best to put on a relaxed tone and said with a smile, "It's the relationship between the suspect and the police."

"Your little fun?" Sarah stopped and looked at me curiously.

I was stunned.

"Julian, can I sleep with you tonight?" Sarah asked.

I couldn't tell if Sarah was just keeping an eye on me or if she was purely enthusiastic.

But in the end, I agreed.

I was terrified of sleeping alone.

In the days of living together, Bertram very considerate of me. He sent me to work and picked me up after work. Sometimes, he would ask Sarah to do that when he was busy.

I basically had no time to be alone.

A few days later, I couldn't hold it in any longer and asked him for a direct answer.

"When on earth are you going to suspect me?"

He stood in the bustling crowd, looking a little puzzled.

"Don't pick me up from work again. Don't you know those rumors?" I looked around at my colleagues, who were whispering to each other, and couldn't help sobbing.

Although the police said that I was innocent and the law said that I was innocent, it still couldn't stop all kinds of speculation.

Rumors spread like wildfire.

My small company was already filled with scandalous rumors.

The most popular version was that I was the police's lover who persuaded him to commit joint murder.

"Julian, keep strong." He opened the passenger seat door and gestured for me to get in.

I took a deep breath and shook my head.

The rumors were full of entertaining, but they also destroyed the hope that I tried my best to pull myself together.

"I'm not doubting you," he said calmly, "Sarah is active and optimistic. I want her to infect you."

As he spoke, he squatted down and helped me tie my shoelaces.

I looked down and saw that his fingers were long and slender. Because his right hand was injured, his movements looked clumsy. The hair on his forehead swayed gently in the evening wind. The setting sun hung behind him, making the scene look romantic and pure.

A sense of guilt arose spontaneously in my heart.

It wasn't because I suspected him of suspecting me, but because I brought him into a storm and made him be criticized for no reason. I even blamed him for the pressure I couldn't bear.

"Bertram, keep a distance from me. Don't protect me or get close to me."

I didn't think anything good would happen in my life.

After that, I turned around and ran away.

After walking for an unknown period of time, I lost my strength. I stood at a fork in the road and watched the crowd disperse in all directions. I couldn't help but burst into tears.

They all had their own directions, but I didn't seem to be able to find my direction.

I had always thought that I was stubborn and refused to admit my mistakes, but now two person's deaths had something to do with me. I really didn't know how to overcome this event.

It grew darker and darker, and the lights in the city lit up.

My cell phone suddenly rang, interrupting my chaotic mood.

After I answered the phone, Sarah's sweet and soft voice came from the phone. "Julian, why haven't you come home yet? I bought some durians. Come back and eat some with me."

"Your brother..." Before I could finish my sentence, I saw Bertram.

He wasn't far from me. He stood under the street lamp and watched me quietly. The dim yellow light fell on him, covering him with a layer of gold.

The cars that flew past behind him turned into a stream of light and served as his background.

My panic was suddenly soothed, and I felt a warmth in my heart.

It turned out that he had been following me.

I forced a smile. Just as I approached him, I saw a familiar face in the crowd behind him.

The string in my mind broke in an instant.

Without hesitation, I grabbed Bertram's hand and tried to flee with him.

Bertram didn't know what was going on. The moment he hesitated, the man rushed toward me.

I could smell the strong smell of alcohol.

The next moment, I felt a sharp pain in my waist and abdomen.

Before I could react, Bertram picked me up with one hand and spun me around. Then, he raised his leg and kicked the man in the solar plexus.

The man was knocked to the ground. Bertram quickly let go of me, rushed over to kneel on him, quickly took away the broken wine bottle with blood in his hand, and subdued him.

His movements were quick and accurate, and he just used one hand.

He was incredibly skilled.

"You two need to pay for my son's life." Thomas' father's eyes were fixed on me as if they had been coated with poison.

I was so scared that I curled up on the side, covering my wound. I even forgot to cry.

It was not until I was in the hospital and the doctor said that the wound was shallow and that my life was not in danger that I came to my senses and cried out of breath.

Next to me, Bertram frowned, and his eyes also turned red.

He sighed helplessly and said, "Don't run away. I'll protect you."

I was scared.

The moment I saw Thomas' father, boundless fear welled up in my heart. I couldn't think clearly.

I had to escape.

"Thank you," I said while sobbing.

The matter of Thomas' father made me deeply understand why Bertram approached me.

He really did his best for a stranger like me.

"Thank you for not forgetting to take me with you at such a critical moment." The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

After treating my wound, Bertram was ready to bring Thomas' father to the police station.

He was in a hurry to bring me to the hospital, however, so he didn't have time to hand over Thomas' father.

I tugged at the hem of his shirt, took out my phone, typed a line of words, and sent it to him.

After reading it, his face instantly darkened.

"Julian Belle!" This was the first time he had gritted his teeth and called out my full name.

I knew I was wrong, so I lowered my head and didn't look directly at him.