Chapter 2

Lily's mother stared at me, unblinking.

"You're lying! Lily called me yesterday and said she was riding back with you. Now you're here—so where is she?"

I frowned.

"Mrs. Walton, you've got it wrong. I didn't come back with Lily."

Before I could finish, a sharp slap landed across my face.

"You're still lying. Did you do something to my daughter? Bring her out right now."

I pressed my tongue against the stinging numbness in my cheek.

Whatever good mood I'd brought home with me vanished in an instant.

My voice went cold.

"Believe me or not, I did not come back with Lily."

Then I unlocked my phone and showed her our chat history, along with my ticket home.

Her eyes locked onto the screen, and then her hands started shaking.

"That's impossible. She told me yesterday she was with you, that you two were traveling back together."

"She even asked me for four thousand dollars, said it was your birthday and she wanted to buy you a gift."

My heart skipped a beat.

I'd been furious about the slap, but seeing her reaction now, my anger faded.

She was only panicking because she cared so much about her daughter.

I quickly said, "Mrs. Walton, Lily and I really didn't come back together. She probably took a cab on her own and just got held up somewhere. Maybe her phone died. You should try reaching out to the ride-hailing app first."

At my words, Lily's mother's eyes turned red again.

She grabbed my hand, begging desperately.

"Chloe, you're Lily's best friend. Please, help me, okay?"

Her legs gave out as she tried to kneel.

Her forehead hit the edge of the coffee table with a dull thud.

"Don't do that," my mom and I said as we quickly pulled her back up.

"I'll check right now."

I immediately logged into the ride-hailing app Lily had used.

I remembered the photo she'd sent me before leaving, so I forwarded it to customer service.

The platform replied: no vehicle matching that information was ever registered.

Hearing that, Lily's mother completely lost it. Her face went deathly pale, and she fainted on the spot.

I quickly called 911.

A perfectly good New Year's celebration was ruined. No one was in the mood for anything anymore.

That night, I sat on the couch with my mom and told her everything that had happened.

My mom let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God you didn't take that car. Otherwise, I'd probably be in the hospital right now too."

I just furrowed my brow a little.

I still couldn't understand what Lily was trying to do.

Why was she so insistent that she'd traveled back with me?

Something about this didn't feel right.

My mom seemed to sense it too.

She took my hand.

"Chloe, are you absolutely sure you never agreed to ride back with her?"

I met her eyes—and a chill ran down my spine.

Lily paid for her own transportation. She was a grown adult.

So why was she using me as a cover?

I thought about it for a long time but still couldn't make sense of it.

My mom gently patted my head.

"If you can't figure it out, don't force it. This has nothing to do with you. You've been tired all day—go get some rest."

The next morning, I'd barely woken up when Lily's mom showed up again.

The second she saw me, her eyes turned red.

"Chloe, are you absolutely sure Lily wasn't with you?"

I frowned.

"Mrs. Walton, I've already told you this multiple times. I flew back on a plane. She left early with her cat in a car."

Before she could answer, a man standing next to her suddenly stepped forward. He stared at me coldly.

"I don't believe a word you're saying. You're Lily's only close friend. You live in the same city—how could you not travel back together? That chat log is fake. What did you do to her?"

His suspicious eyes bore into me.

At that moment, I almost laughed.

"Mr. Walton, you've already barged into our lives multiple times. I get it—you're Lily's parents. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand here and be slandered. I've been clear. I did not come back with her. I have chat records. I have proof."