Chapter 384: Chapter 382: She Wants to Die
"Kitty, are you feeling unwell?"
Pulled from her thoughts by her roommates’ concerned gazes, Mia Grant offered a smile. "No, I’m fine. It’s probably my brother’s colleague, dropping something off for me on his behalf."
"I’ll go down and see. I’ll be right back."
Mia Grant changed out of her pajamas and went downstairs.
It wasn’t actually that late, and the campus was still bustling with activity.
But Mia had nothing else to do, so she had changed into her pajamas and gone to bed early.
When she came down, Dr. Quinlan was waiting for her, sitting on a bench not far away.
A few girls were standing next to him, chatting. As soon as Mia approached, she saw Dr. Quinlan give them an apologetic smile. "Excuse me, the person I’m waiting for is here."
Mia met the girls’ gazes and found their expressions baffling.
Once the girls had left, she crossed her arms and took a step forward. "Was I interrupting your date?"
The smile on Dr. Quinlan’s face didn’t fade. "Not yet. But if you’d come down a few minutes later, you might have."
Mia really wanted to roll her eyes, but she managed to hold back.
"Did you need something from me?"
"Nothing too important. I happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I’d swing by to see how you are."
That sounded a bit strange.
"Are you this concerned about all your patients?"
"It depends on the situation." Dr. Quinlan stood up, looking utterly nonchalant with his hands in his pockets. "Come on, give me a tour of your school."
"..."
’It must be genetic,’ she thought. ’The two of them, uncle and nephew, can both be so baffling at times.’
Mia sighed and followed him.
The athletic field was nearby, and it was crowded with students.
Dr. Quinlan remarked with surprise, "So even the athletic field of a top university has young couples on dates."
Mia felt like he was just making small talk. After walking a few more steps, she couldn’t help but ask, "What is it you really want?"
"No need to be so tense. I’m just here to check on you for Yates Donovan. He’s abroad and can’t come back."
Hearing this, Mia silently swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
’It’s probably because I haven’t been answering his calls.’
"I heard you went to the city hospital today? How did it go?"
"They said it’s probably PTSD."
"And what do you think?"
"I’m not a doctor."
Faced with such a difficult patient, Dr. Quinlan’s smile remained unwavering. "Have you been sleeping well lately?"
"It’s been okay." Mia nodded.
"What dreams have you been having?"
"None."
After a pause, she added, "I’m basically certain now."
"Oh?" Dr. Quinlan looked at her with interest.
"Those fragments from my dreams... they must be real events. Some of the details keep replaying, and I couldn’t have imagined them with such precision if I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes."
"Is it still related to that ’Empress’?"
"No." Mia shook her head. "The dream about him..."
Mia frowned, her voice trailing off.
"I don’t want to talk about this right now."
Dr. Quinlan nodded. "That’s fine. After a major trauma, the brain automatically engages a protective mechanism, helping you erase past events you’re unwilling to face."
"Since you’ve forgotten, it means that part of your story wasn’t a pleasant experience. Perhaps not remembering is the best possible outcome."
"There’s no need to be so fixated on it, don’t you think?"
"But I don’t want to keep living in this muddle-headed state."
"You’re too focused on logic. Have you ever considered that many things in this world simply can’t be explained by science?"
She nodded. "I know."
"But I’m still curious."
"Even if this unpleasant memory plunges you back into pain?" Dr. Quinlan stopped walking. "You don’t seem like the type of person who would put herself through that."
"But if I let myself go on living like this, I’m worried that one day in the future, my peace will be shattered by some unknown factor."
"You think very far ahead." Dr. Quinlan gave a helpless smile. "You’re too fond of making plans."
"Try to relax a little. The source of your anxiety is that you always look at things from a pessimistic angle, worrying about future events that haven’t even happened."
"Overthinking isn’t necessarily a good thing."
"Want to give it a try?"
Mia thought for a moment, then, as if she hadn’t heard his previous words, said, "I do want to try something. It’s just... the idea is too crazy."
"And what I’m planning to do will affect a lot of people, whether it succeeds or fails."
"But I still want to try, even if there’s no coming back from it."
"Because I know that recovering my memory is a long marathon, and I might reach the finish line without remembering what I want to."
"So, I might as well try a different way to find the truth."
Dr. Quinlan met her gaze for a long time, then nodded gently. "Then give it a try."
Mia looked at him. "But what if..."
Dr. Quinlan shook his head with a smile. "You’re not asking for my opinion. You must have already made your decision before you even said it out loud."
"So, there’s no need for me to try and persuade you otherwise."
"You’re so young. You can afford the cost of trial and error."
Hearing this, Mia also shook her head. "Actually, I only get one chance."
"I don’t know what I’ll do if the worst-case scenario happens."
"Then don’t think about it so much."
Dr. Quinlan said, "Like I just said, try taking a journey without a plan. Think of it as a grand adventure."
"Go on, try it."
---
Faking her death.
This wasn’t the first time Mia Grant had done it.
The first time is always the hardest; the second is practically routine.
Compared to the excitement and anxiety she felt when she prepared to jump into the sea last time, her heart was completely calm now. She was much more composed.
This time, however, she definitely couldn’t do it alone.
There was no way around it; those men were watching her too closely.
She had considered taking a leave of absence from school or becoming an exchange student—anything to get out of Jynsia first.
But if she did that, they would probably block her in the principal’s office before she could even walk out.
After thinking it over and over, faking her death seemed like the only way.
As for who to ask for help, she hesitated for a long time.
She contacted Simon Adler.
Simon Adler was extremely surprised that she had called him. "What’s the special occasion?"
Mia didn’t beat around the bush. "I need you to help me with something."
"What is it?" Her tone was so serious that Simon found it strange.
"Do you remember, a long time ago, you told me you could get me out of Jynsia?"
"..." Simon Adler thought back carefully. He did seem to remember saying something like that.
He had said he could give her a sum of money to run far away and leave these men behind.
But she had refused last time.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Simon tightened his grip on his phone. "You want to leave?"
"Yes. But I have a feeling it won’t be easy, even with your help."
"So, I’ve come up with a plan, and I need you to help me."
Simon’s mind reeled as if from a blow; he felt a bit dazed.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, not agreeing immediately.
"You... tell me about it first."
"I want to..."
Mia licked her dry lips and then, with a sudden smile, said, "Die."
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