Iris woke up to the sound of utensils clanking against the ceramic plates. She groaned when a piercing pain  immediately enveloped her whole body, her inner flesh felt as if it was beaten inch by inch and then grind into a pulp. She tried to move slowly, bringing herself up and felt every bone in her body screaming in pain. When her eyes darted to the ajar door, her heart almost jumped from her chest when she realized she didn’t know the place she woken up to. Racking her brain as she tried to familiarize the room, she swiftly shifted to defense mode when she heard the door creak. Max pushed the door slowly, his hands occupied by the tray of food. His lips immediately curled into a small smile when he saw Iris’ bulging eyes and her hands holding on the vase from the bedside table. When their gaze met, Iris’ mind immediately went blank, losing herself in the process of believing that Max really was in front of her. She blinked

 “Are you sure you really don’t want me to come with you?” Iris asked for the third time. Swinging the door open, Max looked at her with a small smile on his lips. His lips parted to refuse Iris once again but she was quick to cut him off. “Okay, okay. I’ll just be here because it’s still dangerous for me outside and you don’t want me to get hurt or to be captured again,” she blurted out with a twinge of sarcasm on her tone. In that morning, Max had woken up with his mood in sync with the sunny day outside. He started to once again for the past year to wake up with no heavy feeling, and with Iris finally laying by his side. “That’s right,” Max agreed, poking the tip of her nose. “And Claire still needs company, she still hasn’t gone out from her room?” he asked, shooting a glance on Claire’s door. “Not yet,” Iris answered.

 Out of dizziness, Claire staggered back and front upon trying to walk towards Iris. She landed on her arms when her knee gave up with her stepping a foot. “Are you alright?” Iris asked, wondering if her craziness had already worn off. She looked pale as a white paper, and her hands felt icy on Iris’ arms. “N-No, obviously,” Claire answered weakly, she pulled herself back up and held Iris by her shoulders. “Are you alright?” Iris nodded at her. “Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for you. You just almost took the air out of my lungs, lunge at me and threw with everything that your hand can touch, elbowed me, kicked me, and pulled—” “I know I didn’t pull your hair,” Claire stopped her, her lips curling into a small smile. Despite the dark circles and the swollen eyes, Claire didn’t feel anything like her awhile ago, Iris th

The Chief started to feel a lump on his throat, small as a marble, slithering against his flesh and feels like its popping big and growing long until it reached his lungs. He fell back to his chair, eyes bulging and his hands shaking in fear as he reach for Max who was also stunned at where he stood. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t utter a word, and the only left for him to do is to look back at Iris in his pleading eyes.   Iris remained calm, staring at the Chief as he struggle to gasp for air. “You should have researched more about me. I have so much many secrets that I am keeping, and they are way bigger than you can ever imagine.” She leaned forward to throw her glares directly at the Chief who can’t even part his lips to speak and starts to sweat beads trickling down his neck and soaking his perfectly ironed baby blue shirt. “This is one of them.”   The Chief finally was able to part his lips, but it was because something had locked up

Chapter 75 It wasn’t that her arms were already in pain from the tight grip, nor the fact that she’s being dragged again to the place that she’s not supposed to be at. It was because even with the different time, at a different city, the power of the police still prevailed. Iris thought that at this time there will be someone who will listen to her, someone who will care to really dig on her parents’ murder and make a move to clean her name. But after she cried in front of the Chief, he called two officers to go in and—with no remorse—he ordered her to be locked up. Max wasn’t able to do anything, but before she left the interrogation room, he promised that he will get her out as soon as he can, and that he will clean her name, which sounded really reassuring and comforting to hIris, if he only had the things that can prove her innocence. With all hopes gone and her long time plan went straight to th