“Is there anything else?” I asked politely. “If not, I should go. Someone’s waiting for me at home.”
Pain flashed across James’s face.
“Walt, one more thing,” he stopped me. “I visited Emma in prison. She told me something.”
“When you were little, did you save a boy from drowning at Central Park’s lake?”
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+15 BONUS
“Save a boy…?” I pressed my lips together, trying to remember.
Then it came back to me.
When I was eight, my elementary school organized a picnic in the park.
A boy had climbed the railing trying to catch dragonflies and fallen into the lake.
Unfortunately, no one else was around only I heard his calls for help.
I couldn’t swim, but thinking quickly, I found a branch for him to grab while I held on from the shore to keep him from going
under.
Being just a little girl, I wasn’t very strong. By the time teachers found us and pulled him out, I’d fainted from exhaustion and
stress.
After I woke up, I never saw him again.
“Yes, that happened,” I frowned puzzled. “Why are you asking about this?”
He smiled sadly. “So it really was you.”
“That boy you saved… was me.”
So that’s what it was.
I suddenly understood why James’s face had seemed so familiar when we first met.
“I see, but how did Emma know about this?”
“My fault.” He forced a weak smile. “I made a mistake.”
“I cherished Emma all this time because I thought she was the one who saved my life that day.”
“When I met her in prison, she finally admitted that you were the one who saved me. She only pretended it was her to get close to
me.”
Seeing his regret, I let out a long sigh.
“There’s no point discussing this now.” I waved it off. “Saving a life is a blessing – I would have helped anyone in that situation.”
“Besides, I didn’t save you expecting anything in return.”
“If you really want to repay me, just stay out of my life.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” I dug through my bag and pulled out a card. “This is an invitation to my wedding with Daniel. You’re welcome to come.”
“But don’t try anything to disrupt the wedding. Daniel won’t let you get away with it if you do.”
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Chapter 18
James gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.
His hands trembled as he took the invitation, as if the thin card burned his fingers.
“I understand. Congratulations to you both.”
After saying this, he hurried away with his head down.
Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I heard muffled sobs behind me.
