What Separates Me and You

Mrs. Larson exclaimed, "Mr. Alvarez!"

Mrs. Larson dropped the tray and rushed to support him. Then, she shouted, "Dr. Halliday, come quickly!"

Dr. Halliday hurriedly entered the room and held Lewis' other shoulder. "Mr. Alvarez, why are you bleeding so much?"

Lewis paused for a moment before sitting back down. "I'm fine."

Dr. Halliday raised an eyebrow. Perhaps only death would qualify as a serious condition for Lewis.

He treated Lewis' wound, rebandaged it, and advised him, "Mr. Alvarez, your injury isn't too severe, but you've lost a lot of blood. If you lose this much blood a couple more times, you might not survive." Exhausted, Lewis closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa. "Leave."

Dr. Halliday frowned and exchanged a glance with Mrs. Larson, who cast him a glance. The two silently left the room.

The bedroom was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The bright lights cast a cold glow.

The next day, when Josephine woke up, the room was empty.

She struggled to sit up. After starving for two days, she didn't have much energy left. She got out of bed and opened the bedroom door to leave the room.

The guards in the corridor straightened up when they saw her, their eyes fixed on her.

As she made her way downstairs, she saw guards everywhere. The mansion was heavily fortified.

"Mrs. Alvarez, you're awake. Would you like some food?" Mrs. Larson quickly approached and extended her hand to assist Josephine.

Josephine shook her head and continued walking toward the door.

Just as she reached the front door, Darren stopped her.

Josephine looked at him and said, "I want to go to the hospital."

"Mr. Alvarez said that you're not feeling well now. You should wait until you're better before going out."

Josephine had expected that.

She smiled bitterly and turned back.

Her figure appeared frail, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Before entering her bedroom, she noticed Conrad hurrying to the study. He paused while opening the door.

Inside the study, Lewis propped himself up with his shoulders. He lay on the sofa and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

All the curtains in the room were drawn, leaving the room pitch-dark. Only a slight glimmer of light seeped through the gaps in the curtains.

Conrad entered the study and approached the sofa quickly. He handed over some documents to Lewis.

"Chairman Alvarez ..." Conrad hesitated, his expression complex.

Lewis opened his eyes and stared straight at him. "Speak."

Conrad handed the documents to him. "Our team found a body at the base of the mountain. However, we can't determine the person's appearance due to the prolonged water immersion." Lewis sat up straight. He opened the folder, took out the photos, and went through them.

The photos showed a severely decomposed body, but the height and the clothing matched Seth's. Even the hairstyle was identical, right down to the gunshot wound.

Lewis frowned. "Was the DNA tested?"

"Yes, but there's no DNA match for Seth in the database. So we can't confirm his identity through DNA comparison for now."

Lewis looked at the photos several times, his brow furrowing deeply. "It's only been three days, and the body is so badly decomposed?"

"Yes, the forensics mentioned that the water quality in that area is poor, with a high level of microorganisms. Given the circumstances, this level of decomposition in three days is within the normal range." After saying that, Conrad glanced at Lewis' expression.

Lewis still seemed tense and lost in thought. Conrad asked softly, "Chairman Alvarez, do you have any doubts remaining?"

"Where is the body located?"

"At the mortuary."

Without a word, Lewis stood up from the sofa and walked toward the study's exit.

"Chairman Alvarez, it's better for you to rest at home and recover from your injuries first. The doctor said that you ..." Lewis stopped at the doorway before Conrad could finish.

He looked up, and his face turned pale. Josephine was standing at the doorway.

The two locked eyes, neither saying a word.

Josephine's eyes welled up with tears. She parted her lips, but not a single word escaped them.

She reached out to take the photos from Lewis' hand, but Lewis held them tightly. He resisted her pull even though she tugged with all her might.

"Don't look," Lewis finally spoke.

Josephine was stubborn. She still attempted to wrest the photos away. She strained with all her might. Nobody knew whether she was purposely going against Lewis or desperately seeking confirmation. Sighing, Lewis placed his hand on her shoulder and released the photos.

Josephine staggered back a couple of steps as Lewis suddenly let go. Fortunately, Lewis grabbed her.

She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself before lowering her head to look at the photos.

Despite bracing herself, the sight of the utterly decomposed face in the photos still shocked her to the core. Trembling, she went through the pictures. Her vision was blurred by tears that fell onto the images.

Flashes of his handsome face crossed her mind. The way he smiled at her, his angry expression, his indifferent look... No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reconcile the person in the photos with the face etched into her memories. Lewis watched her intently, his grip on her shoulder growing ever tighter.

After going through the photos, Josephine lifted her head and gazed at the man before her. "So, is he really dead?" Lewis' expression was inscrutable. He opened his mouth and took a while before saying, "I don't think he's dead."

"You think?"

"Can't you make something up anymore?"

Faced with Josephine's questioning, Lewis took a deep breath. He looked away for a moment to regain his composure. Meeting Josephine's weary gaze again, he said, "He's dead. Does this answer satisfy you?"

Josephine's grip on the photos loosened, and they slipped from her hand, scattering onto the floor.

Her whole body slumped, and her eyes went blank. She pushed away the man's hand and turned to leave.

Lewis stared at her retreating figure. Her footsteps were so light. It was as if she could vanish at any time.

Behind him, Conrad cautiously asked, "Chairman Alvarez, are you still going to the hospital?"

"Yes." Lewis kept his gaze fixed on Josephine until she disappeared from sight. Only then did he look away. "Why wouldn't I?"

With that, he strode out. Ignoring his injuries, he walked quickly.

Conrad hurriedly followed from behind, worried that he might collapse.

Back in her room, Josephine sat by the window for a long time. She stared fixedly at the willow tree outside. She didn't realize when the branches had grown thick with green leaves. After a while, Josephine picked up the internal line and asked Mrs. Larson to bring her some food.

Mrs. Larson was delighted to hear that she wanted to eat and quickly brought the meal to her.

"Mrs. Alvarez, please take a look at these dishes. If they don't suit your taste, I can make something else for you."

Josephine glanced down and noticed that even the bowls and plates had been replaced with plastic ones.

"You can leave now."

Mrs. Larson nodded. "Please enjoy your meal."

With a respectful nod and a bow, Mrs. Larson exited the room. She thoughtfully closed the door behind her.

Josephine touched the plate, finding it quite stiff. She emptied one of the plates and tried to break it, but it wouldn't snap.

Taking the plate with her, she got up and headed to the bathroom.

Dr. Halliday came to examine Josephine, but Mrs. Larson stopped him at the door. "Please wait a moment before entering. Mrs. Alvarez is currently having her meal."