Fate Escape

CHAPTER 16

"A few days had passed since the Maria incident. That morning, I woke up early and went shopping. When I got home, I messaged Lisa to let her know. Shortly after, my phone rang. Thinking it was Lisa, I answered.

"Hello." The other side didn't respond. I looked at the caller. It was an unknown number, not saved in my contacts. "Who is this? Hey, why aren't you answering..." The call was abruptly ended.

I was puzzled. Who was the caller, and why had they called me? These two questions kept repeating in my mind. There was only one answer that came to mind, and at the same time, I thought I might be paranoid. Was it Will who called? Oh no, no. Why would he call me?

The idea that only he could be the caller was quite strange. Or maybe, involuntarily, I wanted him to call me. No, no. There's no such thing, Suena! You can't fall for a conceited, arrogant guy like Will.

Especially if that guy has expressed that he doesn't feel anything for you. The only way to find out who the caller was, was to call him back. It's cliché, but for now, we'll have to settle for that.

I checked the last dialed numbers on my phone and called that number. It rang the first time, but no one answered. I tried again. This time, the number was busy. Undeterred, I tried again. It didn't surprise me; it went to busy again. To break this cycle, I sent a message.

"If I wanted, I wouldn't take two minutes to find out who you are. I suggest you take advantage of the explanation I gave you and answer the phone! Although a bit threatening, I assumed my words were sufficient for him to understand me. Just as I was about to call, he called me. Without thinking, I answered the phone.

"Who are you?" An unfamiliar male voice spoke.

"I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself earlier. I found it hard to muster the courage to talk to you."

"Do we know each other?"

"No, but I called to get to know you. I am your cousin from your mother's side."

"What?"

"I know, we haven't been around for so long. We never had the chance to get to know each other. I don't know if you'll believe me, but unlike other family members, I just found out that I have another aunt and another cousin. When I learned about you and the events you've been through, which they kept as a family secret all this time, I wanted to meet you."

So, it seems that my mother and I have been kept as a secret by my mother's family. I wonder what else I don't know?

"I understand. What do you want?"

"To meet you and get to know you. If you say no, I can look for you on TV programs that search for missing persons, and I can make headlines by searching for the cousin she never knew for years," he said, laughing. Somehow, these words broke through my steel armor and softened my heart.

"Alright, fine. Let's meet tomorrow at 2 PM at the Monster Cafe across from Central Park."

"Deal. Take care until then."

"Until then," I said and hung up. Let's see, how else will fate play games with me?

                                                                                        ...

I arrived at our meeting place fifteen minutes early. While waiting, I noticed that I was unusually excited. Well, what's the big deal? I'm going to meet a cousin I've never known. Maybe I'll learn more about my mother's past. There shouldn't be anything to get excited about. As I sat in the cafe, a tall, blond, blue-eyed, quite handsome young man entered. When he saw me, he approached. This must be him. I was too tense, and I needed to break the ice.