Chapter 22
She watched Peter’s retreating figure, his slightly limping right leg making her heart feel like a torn fabric, cold wind seeping through every gap.
Just before boarding the car, Peter turned to look back.
“Kim, don’t be afraid. I’ll be right back.”
His eyes held such tender affection that a young tourist nearby gazed at him with undisguised admiration.
“He must really love his partner?”
The guide nearby responded: “Yes, but they broke up three years ago. This reunion is a matter of life and death.”
After Diana took Peter away, the young woman pressed the guide for details.
“What exactly happened between them?”
The guide, eager to engage visitors while promoting the mountain, began recounting Peter and Kim’s story.
Elsewhere.
After being taken to the rehabilitation center, Peter was confined to a small room.
Inside the darkened space, various instruments hummed as they conducted comprehensive scans.
Everyone claimed he was delusional, yet he knew with absolute certainty that the Kim before him was real.
Her soft skin, genuine emotions, even the warmth of her breath when she spoke-all felt undeniably authentic.
If even this could be false, he wondered, what in this world could possibly be real?
Following the exhaustive examination, he faced Diana again.
“Mom, will you let me go now?”
Diana shook her head: “Peter, focus on your treatment here. When you’re better, I’ll take you home.”
With that, Diana exited the room.
Peter shouted desperately: “Mom, let me go back! Kim’s waiting for me at home!”
Kim had finally forgiven him. If he didn’t return, she’d be furious.
He’d already angered her multiple times-he couldn’t risk it again.
Those three years apart had been agony enough.
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Now that they’d reunited, he refused to be separated.
Frantically, he dialed Diana’s number repeatedly, begging for release.
But his calls never connected.
As dusk deepened, Peter’s anxiety intensified-until a woman in a white coat entered.
“Mr. Jackson, I’m your primary physician-”
“Angela!”
Angela extended her pale right hand toward him.
He met her gaze with bloodshot eyes, refusing the handshake: “I need to leave.”
She withdrew her hand: “Not yet. Only through active treatment can you return sooner.”
“I’m not ill.”
Peter insisted.
Unlike previous doctors, Angela didn’t argue. She simply pulled a chair opposite him and opened a notebook.
“I know you’re not ill. But you must answer some questions for me.”
Her sincere expression made Peter’s eyes flicker: “You actually believe me?”
Angela nodded: “Yes. I’ve thoroughly researched Kim’s case, but inconsistencies remain. So I choose to trust you.
His tension eased slightly at her words.
“Ask away.”
Angela straightened her posture: “When did you last see Kim before your Alpine Mountain Range accident?”
Peter Jackson replied, “The day we returned to Philadelphia, she vanished after I drove to the funeral home.”
“She was still in the car before we arrived at the funeral home.”
Angela Carter jotted down notes before pressing further.
“What was Kim Lee’s attitude toward you?”
At the mention of Kim, Peter’s expression softened considerably.
“She’d been cold toward me before, but now it’s gentler.”
Angela asked a dozen detailed questions before concluding: “I’ll take you back.”
Peter looked surprised. “Didn’t you say I had to stay here until I recovered?”
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Chapter 22
Angela smirked. “What you saw was Kim-but not Kim. You won’t get better here.”
