Chapter 193: Testing
'Brad! Where the heck are you? I need you here right now!'
I was screaming inside, but my lips were shaking so bad I couldn't get a word out.
All those awful memories kept playing on repeat.
My brain was yelling at me to bolt, but my legs felt like they were glued to the ground.
The caregiver whispered something to Daniel, and he turned to look at me. Then she started pushing him my way.
They got closer and closer, and I could almost smell that nasty scent coming off Daniel.
Finally, I snapped out of it, spun around, and ran back the way I came, only to slam right into someone.
"What's the rush?" A familiar, smooth voice—it was Louis. He grabbed my arms and blocked my path, seeing how freaked out I was.
Someone nearby chuckled—it was Timothy, who'd been MIA for two months. Dressed in white, standing in the sunlight, he looked like some angel bathed in golden light.
But this angel showed up a bit late. If he'd come sooner, maybe I wouldn't have gone through all that crap.
But hey, at least he was here now!
"It's Daniel."
"Daniel's over there? What did he do to you?"
I shook my head, not wanting to spill about that nightmare of a night.
Louis sneered, "I was just looking for him. Let's go."
With Louis and Timothy around, I wasn't scared anymore. I followed them around the corner and back to the small square.
The caregiver had pushed Daniel to the center of the square. He was decked out in black from head to toe, even his socks were black, and with his black wheelchair, he looked like he’d rolled straight outta hell, the air around him freezing cold.
Timothy narrowed his eyes and casually strolled towards Daniel, checking him out.
I wasn't sure if I was imagining it, but Daniel seemed to flinch when Timothy showed up, even his gaze was all shifty.
His gaze was too sharp for a blind guy...
The thought that he might've gotten his sight back popped into my head again.
I shook my head hard, trying to shake off the thought. If it was true, Daniel was seriously scary.
Louis took a few steps forward and stood in front of Daniel with Timothy, speaking leisurely, "Timothy, your skills are legendary. Daniel's surgery must be one of your rare screw-ups, what a shame."
Timothy snorted, "Failure ain't in my vocabulary."
"You can't say that when you’ve got a ten percent failure rate. The patient’s right here, facts don’t lie." Louis had his hands in his pockets, tilting his head as he eyed Daniel, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
I wasn't sure if his sarcasm was aimed at Timothy or if it was meant for Daniel.
I had this weird feeling, like something big was about to go down.
Just as I was about to ask, someone grabbed my hand from behind.
I knew it was Brad without even turning around.
"I've said it before, my skills are flawless. If something went wrong, it's gotta be human factors."
Brad saw Daniel and wanted to step forward, but when he heard Timothy's words, it was like a lightbulb went off. His body shook, and he stared at Daniel in disbelief.
"Brad, could it be that he..."
Before I could finish, I saw Louis take a few steps back, quickly pulling something out of his pocket and chucking it at Daniel. A golden object shot straight towards Daniel's left eye. Louis's throw was wicked fast and powerful.
I shoved Brad's hand into my mouth, stifling the scream that was about to burst out.
Honestly, I didn't care if Daniel got hurt, but I didn't want Louis to get dragged into this mess because of me. Maybe with his status, this wouldn't be a big deal and he could handle it, but still, it wasn't cool. I didn't want to owe Louis any more; I was scared I couldn't pay him back.
If Daniel was really blind, Louis's throw would definitely mess him up.
The throw was so sudden that even the caregiver couldn't react in time. Just as the golden object was about to nail Daniel's left eye, Daniel swiftly turned his wheelchair, just barely dodging the hit.
His reaction shocked all of us.
Louis and Timothy exchanged a knowing look and immediately stepped forward. Louis kicked the wheelchair. The wheelchair, suddenly propelled, slid forward rapidly. One kick wasn't enough; he followed up with another.
If I had only suspected before, now I fully understood Louis's intention.
He was testing Daniel.
If Louis's suspicion was right, then what were the pain and suffering Brad and I had endured all this time?
How could Daniel mess with others' genuine feelings for his own selfish desires?
He was truly insane.
The wheelchair kept sliding forward, heading straight for a lamppost.
The lampost was made of stone with sharp edges. If it hit with such force, the result would be a head injury, and I couldn't bear to think of the more severe consequences. My palms were sweating with anxiety.
At the last moment before the wheelchair collided with the lamppost, Daniel deftly pushed off the armrests, using his legs to leap out of the wheelchair, landing safely on the ground, avoiding the fatal crash.
The wheelchair crashed into the lamppost and then toppled over, its deformed right wheel spinning helplessly in the air.
An awkward silence filled the air.
I stared in shock at Daniel, who stood steadily in front of us, his complex gaze falling on me. Maybe knowing he had done something shameful, he quickly lowered his head and turned away. The caregiver, realizing what had happened, stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
So Daniel had recovered long ago, his eyes could see, and his legs could move. He had deceived us all!
Brad's chest heaved violently, his face darkening. To be deceived by his own brother for so long, his anger must be immense!
I couldn't help but feel relieved that Daniel had let me go that day.
Should I be grateful that in my final desperate struggle, he had shown mercy and released his grip, allowing me to escape?
I felt heartbreak once more.
"Daniel, why did you do this? You made everyone uneasy, but what did you gain? Was it really the resentment from our youth that made you so unrecognizable? Did you understand that the past has long gone with time, never to return?" Inwardly, I sighed.
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