"She forgot that everybody here was intimately familiar with Amelia Cobb, while she was just an outsider occupying Amelia's body.
Even her smiles and frowns might arouse suspicions.
Amelia's palm started sweating lightly: "I understand now."
Abner Rodriguez looked at Amelia for a moment, smiled and nodded: "It's good that you understand."
She looked at Abner in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
"I thought you would ask me something."
"I've always treated you as a friend. If a friend understands something, it is undoubtedly a good thing, and if it is a good thing, I won't ask about it."
Abner poured a cup of water for her from the kettle.
"But, honestly, I prefer the way you are now."
Abner thought about the old Amelia. The difference was so significant that it was hard to imagine her as the same person.
"Do you know Professor Wood?"
Amelia collected her thoughts: "I used to admire him tremendously. I never had the courage to choose what I liked. But now... "
Amelia's words were half true, half false, deceiving the boy in front of her.
Not everything she said was necessarily true.
Because at this moment, she couldn't tell whether this person was a friend or foe.
"Uncle Cobb indeed doesn't like you joining this profession, but if you really like it, you could fight for it."
Amelia was confused by Abner's reference to Uncle Cobb, looking at him with some surprise, apparently not expecting Abner to be acquainted with the Cobb family members.
"Uh..., "Amelia nodded lightly.
She couldn't say anything more for fear of giving herself away.
"Abner Rodriguez?"
A surprised voice came from not far away. Abner turned his gaze and saw Sophia Cobb and a few friends also came to dine here.
"You two are...," Everyone seemed to understand the deep meaning behind this. They looked at each other, unable to adapt to the situation in front of them.
Everyone knew, Abner used to avoid Amelia.
The Cobb and Rodriguez families knew each other, and it was common knowledge that Amelia had feelings for Abner. Because Abner couldn't reciprocate and didn't want to cause a scene between the two families, he always avoided Amelia whenever he saw her.
But today... the two of them were sitting together having a meal.
It really was... hard to adjust to.
"Just having a meal together, what's the big deal?" Abner sat looking at the girls in front of him.
His manner was relaxed, giving off an air of aloofness.
"Abner, really! Before Amelia got engaged, you avoided her, but now that she's engaged, how can you be so eager? Don't you need to avoid arousing suspicion anymore?"
Someone in the crowd said mockingly.
Amelia sat in her chair watching everyone, her gaze resting on Sophia and then moving away.
"Just eating a meal together means I'm insinuating myself? If you have a meal with Sophia, can I assume you're a bootlicker trying to please her?"
The gentlemanly persona Abner usually projected was instantly discarded. He looked at the people who were disturbing the scene, his manner no longer polite.
Amelia had a strange feeling. Generally, a man would not stand up for a woman and engage in a verbal battle with a group of women in front of strangers. Of course, it would be different if that woman was the one he loved.
But as far as Amelia understood, her relationship with Abner did not involve such emotions.
"What do you mean, Abner? You are protecting her, why?"
"Anyway, it's not because I want to be your stepfather, "Amelia coldly interjected. Her intimidating gaze made it hard for others to speak.
Everyone looked at the current Amelia in disbelief: "Amelia, are you possessed?"
Ha ... Amelia sneered: "Why don't you say a ghost possessed me?"
"You...,"
Sophia stepped forward to stop someone ready to argue with Amelia: "Forget it, we have class this afternoon. Let's go as soon as we finish eating!"
As Sophia was leaving, she cast a calculating look at Amelia.
"Are you okay?" Abner looked at Amelia with some concern.
Amelia nodded: "Let's go!"
When they returned to school, from a distance, Amelia saw a black vehicle parked by the roadside. The plate number was very conspicuous. A special pass for the negotiation department was placed on the driver's console. For a moment Amelia thought she saw her old self.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Amelia's footsteps halt, Abner was somewhat puzzled.
He was just about to say something.
From the building entrance, Jason and a young man in a black suit walked out supporting each other. Both of their eyes were red, they kept silent while the wife of Professor Wood followed, wiping away her tears with a tissue.
The man had a tall and slender figure, and was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. He had a gentle and polite demeanor, not like an ordinary person.
They said their goodbyes, while Amelia stood under a tree, watching the scene in silence.
She watched the man drive away.
She moved her toes slightly, but as the car drove past, she quickly followed it.
She ran several meters before abruptly stopping.
Follow him? Tell him, and then what?
Tell him that she has a transplanted soul?
Then what?
And then how?
Hide this fact?
Let everything in the dark stay in darkness?
Amelia stood in the middle of Tree-lined Avenue watching the departing vehicle, silent for a long time.
She watched as the people around her grieved for her death, helpless, unable to do anything about it.
She could only watch it unfold from the sideline.
"Amelia, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'll leave first," Amelia removed Abner's hand and walked in the other direction with her backpack.
Her aggression suppressed, she seemed low-spirited.
In the afternoon, Amelia left school and went to the south of the city, to her parent's place. She sat in a coffee shop near the hospital's employee residence and listened to the nearby neighbors discussing her death.
The sighs and helplessness in people's words hurt her, but she could do nothing to change it.
That night, the lights at Holy Garden, the Cobb's residence were blazing.
Amelia hadn't returned home when it was dark, and no one answered the phone. Kallie was worried sick.
Both William and Jaso came back from their office.
As restless as an ant on a hot pan, Kallie kept moving around the living room, "What now? Should we call the police?"
"I'm afraid that's not appropriate."
"What's so inappropriate? How is it inappropriate? Haven't you seen the antidepressants in Amelia's room? What if something happened? How would we cope?" William's attitude infuriated Kallie.
In the more than twenty years of their marriage, they had rarely argued.
William pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, before nodding his head.
William's decision to call the police alerted Old Mr. Cobb.
At this moment, Christopher Robinson just came out of a social scene. Juliet Walker was driving him home.
As soon as the car started, Christopher loosened his tie and rolled down the window. He glanced sideways and saw a figure curled up on a bus stop nearby. A high ponytail loosely hanging, on a sultry night, rain seemed imminent but never came. It seemed no matter how he looked at her, she was like a dog that had lost its home.
"Stop the car." The man's deep voice sounded.
Although Juliet was doubtful, she still stopped the car.
Christopher opened the car door and walked towards the bus stop.