Chapter 2

The following day, I went to work at a day job at a shopping mall.

The site manager, Louis Sterling, sent me to the back entrance to haul a load of timber boards. I bent down and lifted a heavy plank onto my shoulder.

As soon as I walked to the entrance, I heard a child's laughter coming from outside. I instinctively looked up.

Under the lights at the entrance of the shopping mall, a young woman walked out, holding a little boy's hand. She wore an off-white knit sweater, her long hair draped over her shoulders.

She was clutching several shopping bags, one of which was printed with the logo of a certain children's products store. I took one look at her and stopped in my tracks.

I had seen that face far too many times. The young lady before me was almost a carbon copy of Sylvia.

The wooden plank in my hands hit the ground with a heavy thud. She seemed to hear the commotion and glanced back.

The smile on her face instantly vanished. The very next second, she spun on her heel and fled with the boy.

"Sylvia!" I called out instinctively.

The young woman didn't look back. If anything, she picked up her pace.

I dropped the plank on the ground and chased after her.

There was a crowd outside the mall. Delivery riders, commuters on their way home, and elderly couples out for a walk with their grandchildren were all gathered on the street outside the entrance.

By the time I reached the parking lot, I could only watch as the young woman slid into a white ride-hailing car. I stood rooted to the spot, as if someone had dealt a heavy blow to my head.

The vehicle soon merged into the flow of traffic. I pulled out my phone and dialed Sylvia's number. No one answered.

I called her one more time. Still, no one picked up.

I texted her. "Where are you right now?"

Sylvia didn't respond.

"Who was that child just now?"

Not long after I sent that, a line of text appeared at the top of the chat. "The other party is typing…"

Half a minute later, she replied. "I'm in class."

I followed up. "Did you leave campus today?"

This time, it took her a long while to reply. "No, I didn't."

"I saw someone at the mall who looked a lot like you."

The chat went silent for almost a minute. Then, I received a call from Sylvia.

The moment I answered, she chuckled. "You must've seen my cousin, Shawn," she said casually.

I also remembered how the blood had drained from her face the moment she saw me.

"What's your cousin's name?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious."

"Do you not believe me, Shawn?" Her voice immediately fell.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know you don't want to support me anymore, so now you think I'm lying to you no matter what I say."

"Sylvia—"

"Forget it. I don't want to hear it." With that, she hung up on me.

I stood at the back entrance of the mall as the night wind blew down my neck.

When I returned to the prefab cabin, I dug out all the photos she had sent me over the years—her primary school graduation photo, middle school report cards, high school acceptance letter, and college acceptance letter.

I pulled up her social media feed. Sylvia hadn't posted a single thing about college in the last year. There were no club activities, no photos in the campus, and no pictures with her dorm mates.

She'd told me she was camera-shy. I'd believed her all this time. Looking back on it now, every little detail seemed off.