On Graduation Day, I Received a Cry for Help from Ten Years Ahead Chapter 04

On Graduation Day, I Received a Cry for Help from Ten Years Ahead Chapter 04

Sophia’s injury was not serious, but the doctor recommended two weeks of rest. Their graduation trip naturally fell through. My mother took over the job of caring for her and sounded completely natural on the phone.

“You’re about to start your internship program. Focus on work. You don’t need to keep coming to the hospital. I’ll take care of Sophia.”

I gave a brief response and said nothing more. It was not time to expose everything yet.

One night, I went to the hospital anyway. I wanted to see for myself exactly how she was doing. The ward door was not fully closed. Through the crack, I saw Ethan sitting beside the bed, peeling an apple for Sophia. His movements were practiced and natural. Only a moment earlier, he had texted me to say he was working late.

Footsteps sounded behind me. I hid in the empty ward next door and watched through the crack.

It was my mother.

She carried an insulated food container straight into Sophia’s room and closed the door behind her. I pressed myself against the wall and heard her lower her voice inside.

“You two need to be careful. What if Liv comes by and catches you?”

“If you want to be together, then tell her the truth. Why keep hiding it and make everyone live on edge? Ethan, Sophia is pregnant. Once her belly starts showing, what if Liv notices?”

My fingers tightened around the doorframe until my knuckles slowly turned white.

Sophia softened her voice.

“Ethan is doing this because he cares about me. His family cares about status and background, so he wants Liv to accomplish something at the company first.”

“When her analyst internship program is almost over and the company is ready to recognize her work, he’ll get her pregnant and make her step back to stay home with the baby.”

“Ethan will quietly pay people off and have the department head change the project authorship records and final presentation roster from Liv’s name to mine. That way, the Walker family will accept me.”

Ethan spoke next, his tone as calm as if he were discussing a routine contract.

“It’s not that I don’t care about Liv at all. She was with me for five years. I did love her. I know I wronged her.”

He paused.

“But in my father’s circle, a man keeping someone on the side barely counts as a scandal. As long as the evidence stays hidden and the official girlfriend doesn’t drag it into public, it’s fine. Liv can’t accept that kind of arrangement. Sophia is different. She doesn’t mind if I stay with Liv too.”

I stood in the empty ward for a long time. So that was their plan.

During a previous summer break, I had worked on temporary projects at one of the Walker family’s companies. Ethan had recommended me. I produced several proposals there, and the director thought highly of me. So when the analyst internship program opened for applications, I barely hesitated before choosing that company.

Now that I thought about it, they had probably tampered with my project files long ago. Author metadata could be changed. Names could be replaced. The person standing onstage to give the final presentation could become someone else.

The next day, I went to the company and submitted my resignation. As soon as the resignation email went out, Ethan called me. Anger pressed against the edge of his voice.

“Why did you resign without telling me?”

“Another company offered me a higher salary.”

My voice stayed even.

He blurted out, “It’s not like salary can’t be negotiated here.”

I paused.

“What does that mean? Do you know someone at the company?”

He caught himself and changed course at once.

“I mean, that company values talent. You said it yourself before, didn’t you? The department head was impressed with your projects. The compensation can still be discussed.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Then I hung up.

A few days later, Sophia was discharged. Ethan drove to pick her up, and they got into a car accident on the way back. No one was seriously injured, but the car had to be taken to an authorized service center for inspection and repairs.

Ethan called me in a tone so natural it was as if nothing had happened.

“Liv, can you take the car to the service center for me? I can’t leave right now.”

I was about to agree when my phone buzzed. A new email appeared.

“Today, he will trick you into going to the hospital by saying Sophia needs a blood transfusion.”

“Sophia doesn’t need a transfusion at all. She wants your blood sample so she can falsify prenatal records, tamper with paternity-test materials, and alter medical files.”

“This is only the beginning. Later, she will keep pretending to be sick and dragging you into the hospital.”

“Later, my first child died on the way to the hospital in the middle of the night.”

“Please survive. I’m begging you.”