My Roommate’s Dating Theory Killed Me, So Reborn I Let Her Go Chapter 05

My Roommate’s Dating Theory Killed Me, So Reborn I Let Her Go Chapter 05

I closed my eyes.

I was ready to give up.

Then the bedroom door exploded inward.

Three police officers stormed into the room.

Their flashlights and service weapons locked onto the intruder at the same time.

“Police!”

“Drop the knife!”

“Now!”

The moment the police burst through the apartment door, the knife pressed against my throat disappeared.

The robber in the baseball cap fought like a wild animal even after three officers slammed him onto the floor. He twisted his neck toward me, cursing nonstop, his eyes locked on mine with murderous hatred.

In my last life, he had slit my throat and walked away without a trace of panic.

This time, his wrists were locked in handcuffs. His face was mashed against the hardwood floor while three officers pinned him down, his muffled growls echoing through the apartment.

When someone helped me to my feet, my knees wouldn’t stop shaking.

—

A thin cut across my neck had begun to bleed. Warm blood trickled beneath my collar.

One officer guided me to the edge of the bed and told me to sit down. Another handed me a tissue while someone else relayed updates over the radio.

I pressed my hand against my neck.

The instant my fingertips touched the damp wound, memories from my previous life surged back.

The knife slicing through my throat.

The unbearable pain.

I shivered so violently that my whole body trembled.

“Are you okay?”

A young officer crouched in front of me, speaking as gently as he could.

“Can you talk?”

I nodded.

No sound came out.

It wasn’t because I’d injured my voice.

It was fear.

The kind of terror that seeped into your bones until even your teeth couldn’t stop chattering.

—

The officers found Clara hiding behind the couch.

Her phone screen was still lit.

Her recent calls remained open, frozen on the call she’d made to me at 2:11 that morning.

When they escorted her into the middle of the living room, she curled into herself, tears streaming down her face.

She repeated the same sentence over and over.

“I didn’t think this would happen… I swear I didn’t think this would happen…”

The commotion woke Mrs. Higgins next door.

She stepped into the hallway wearing a robe, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

The moment she saw a stranger in handcuffs and Clara sobbing hysterically, the drowsiness vanished from her face.

“What happened? Who… who is that?” she asked one of the officers, though her eyes kept drifting toward me.

The officer briefly explained the situation.

Mrs. Higgins’ expression shifted several times before settling into something complicated.

Mr. Potts arrived about twenty minutes later.

He was still wearing his pajamas.

He hadn’t even bothered changing out of his slippers.

—

He stood in the middle of the trashed apartment, staring silently.

My backpack had been emptied onto the floor.

Cash was scattered everywhere.

One officer pulled my laptop from beneath the suspect’s arm and set it carefully on the coffee table.

Mr. Potts stared at it for a long time before finally looking at me.

His eyes traveled from the bandage on my neck to my face.

“Vivian…”

He opened his mouth.

Nothing else came out.

I simply looked back at him.

I had nothing to say.

The second Clara saw him, she lunged forward like a drowning person grabbing a life preserver.

She clutched his sleeve desperately.

“Mr. Potts! Please tell them I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I just… I just wanted her to experience one of those romance novel moments where someone accidentally walks into the wrong apartment and ends up finding true love! I never thought an actual criminal would come in! I know I messed up! I’m so sorry!”

Mr. Potts staggered as she tugged on him.

—

His lips moved slightly before he managed only a helpless,
“Just… calm down first.”

By the time dawn approached, I accompanied the officers to the police station to give my statement.

The sun was fully up when I finally walked back outside.

The cut on my neck had been cleaned and bandaged.

The dull sting beneath the gauze kept me painfully aware of everything that had happened.

Mr. Potts was waiting outside the station.

His jacket was crooked, and he looked like he hadn’t slept all night.

When he saw me, he hurried forward before stopping about two feet away, as though he didn’t know whether he had the right to approach.

“Vivian… about last night…”

He rubbed his hands together awkwardly.

“Clara’s still being questioned. The police said she intentionally unlocked your apartment and helped that guy get inside. That changes everything.”

I said nothing.

He let out a heavy sigh.

“Yesterday I was bragging about how safe this building was. Said we’d never had a single incident in ten years.”

—

He gave a bitter laugh.

“Then this happened the very same night. Talk about making me eat my words.”

After another pause, he added, “I’ll cover all your medical expenses. As for Clara… there’s nothing I can do anymore. Whatever legal consequences she faces, she’ll have to face them.”

“Mr. Potts.”

My voice was still hoarse when I finally spoke.

“Does your offer to let me move still stand?”

—

He blinked, caught off guard. “Move? You mean to the ground floor unit?”

“Yes.”

He hesitated. “It’s… it’s still available. But Vivian, after what happened, are you sure you want to stay in this building? I would understand if you—”

“I’m sure,” I cut him off. “I’m not going to let one night of fear drive me away.”

He studied my face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll have the keys ready for you by tomorrow. Rent-free for the first three months. It’s the least I can do.”

I shook my head. “No. I’ll pay rent. I don’t want charity. I just want a fresh start.”

Mr. Potts looked like he wanted to argue, but he stopped himself. “Fine. We’ll work out the details later.”

I nodded and turned to leave.

“Vivian.” His voice stopped me.

I looked back.

He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. For everything. I should have seen what Clara was doing. I should have stopped it before it went this far.”

I met his gaze. “You couldn’t have known. But now you do. That’s what matters.”

I walked away, the morning sun warming my face.

The cut on my neck still hurt. The memories of my previous life still haunted me.

But I was alive.

I had a second chance.

And I wasn’t going to waste it.