Chapter 312: Chapter 312
They wouldn’t have sent someone already, would they?
Chloe drove like a madwoman back home.
On Ijo and On Jurim were looking after the child, but what if they had come in her name and tried to take her away?
Her heart grew frantic.
She hadn’t wanted to get swept around . Why did she keep ending up attached to people?
She hated this. Hated it so much.
The moment she stepped off the elevator, she half tumbled, half sprinted toward the door.
Beep beep beep beep— Beep—
Beep beep beep beep beep— Beep—
Beep beep beep beep— Beep—
Her slippery hands kept hitting the wrong buttons on the keypad.
Just then, with a click, the door opened.
Chloe collapsed where she was and yanked Guru into her arms.
On Ijo hurried after, dropping to one knee to check her.
He brushed back Chloe’s damp hair, cold sweat running down her temple.
Clutching Guru against her, Chloe locked eyes with him.
“CeeCee.” Thɪs chapter is updated by novel·fiɾe·net
In his expression, in his touch, in his voice—concern for her seeped through.
“What is it? You can tell me.”
That kindness made Chloe’s lips almost part on their own.
They’re deceiving you at the lab.
The Wilderness Project has two tracks, and we’re doing things more horrific than you could imagine.
They’re continuing experiments on this child.
Do you know? She could end up just like the children who were disposed of after turning into empty husks while trying to make another you.
The words nearly spilled out.
Then, inside the keypad panel by the door, she spotted something dark and shiny—and clamped her hand over her mouth.
It was a sleek black device.
Her fingertips tingled.
The Company was monitoring her.
Dozens of scenarios flashed through her mind all at once.
Could it really be just the one bug at the door? How many of them were inside the apartment?
What if there were hidden cameras, too?
Were they tailing her?
It couldn’t just be about Guru.
The obvious suspect was...
If the Company had picked up on her personal involvement with him, then they would watch her.
To stop her from saying anything to him?
Or to see how far that personal involvement had gone?
'Pregnant with On Ijo’s child, for instance.'
Chloe clenched her fist so tight her nails cut into her palm.
“I think... I overdid it. I’m just tired.”
She spoke as normally as possible, not letting slip to the Company that she had noticed the bug.
The worried look on his face made her want to laugh.
All this is just to deceive you, to use you like a puppet. You shouldn’t be worrying about me...
Chloe looked up at the ceiling once, then back straight ahead.
If I ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) told him everything, everything I’ve built up until now would be gone.
She had already experienced what it meant for life to become meaningless because of love.
She wanted to go on living a flat, uneventful life.
A life where love had no place.
Lying in the same bed as Guru, Chloe stared at the ceiling for a long time, lost in thought.
Guru brushed her hair aside and patted her chest.
'What could she be thinking so deeply about?'
When she opened the [Caregiver Registration] window, the names On Ijo and Chloe Han were listed.
“What if... you have someone you wuv, but you gotta bweak up?”
“Does dat mean you can’t wuv dem?”
What a heavy question for a little one.
Chloe rolled onto her side and pulled Guru into her arms.
At once, warmth spread into her chest.
“Did someone catch your eye? You said you went to a kids’ café today—did you meet some rascal there?”
At the word “wascaw,” Guru burst into giggles.
“What kinda rascal? How old? Hm? That brat you just met already said you should break up?”
Snuggling in, Guru wrapped her arms around Chloe’s neck and went on.
“Even if you don’t wanna bweak up, if you have to, dey said you shouldn’t wuv.”
That since they had to return to the timeline they came from, she shouldn’t get too attached.
That they were just people who would forget everything they had shared and part ways.
“Do we weawwy gotta do dat?”
“...That’s a tough question. What do you think, Guru?”
Chloe toyed with her soft little hand as she replied.
“Right? I don’t really know either.”
Should she have said that loving someone you’re destined to part from is pointless?
Should she have told Guru that loving her, or loving On Ijo, would only leave her with hollow loss?
Then Guru let out a long hum and said:
“Can’t you just wuv anyway?”
“And if you have to say goodbye tomorrow?”
“Den untill tomowwow comes, you say it’s okay to wuv wif aww yoou got!”
Chloe breathed in Guru’s scent deeply.
And recalled the countless pairs of Guru’s eyes inside the lab.
“Unnie, onwy two nights an’ den it’s Chwistmas.”
“Wet’s make a twee togethew.”
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
When was the last time she had ever made a tree...?
If they were going to leave for the lab together tomorrow, they needed rest.
She couldn’t bring herself to say the final words.
When would the experiment begin? Would they open up this little head for neural implantation?
Forcing her eyes shut, Chloe tried to sleep.
Then, a tiny whisper drifted in the quiet room.
“Unnie, Gwuu weawwy weawwy wuvs you.”
The child’s hand patting her chest made her heart ache.
A day passed somehow, and suddenly it was already Monday.
Today, the On brothers didn’t appear—maybe they had gone to training.
After several noisy mornings in a row, the quiet felt strange.
She had lived every day, and had even wished for quiet again.
But now that it was quiet, she wished for noise. How laughable.
Chloe carefully tied Guru’s scarf and glanced nervously at her wristwatch.
She had to bring the child to the lab, but her feet just wouldn’t move.
She wished someone would stop her. Tell her it was okay, that they would fix everything.
Why wasn’t he here today?
“Unnie, Gwuu put on shoes aweady!”
The girl stood there in ankle-high Uggs.
Chloe pressed a hand to Guru’s forehead, then raised her voice a little louder, as if for someone unseen to hear.
“Guru, you have a fever.”
“A high one. We can’t go to the lab today.”
How much time could she buy?
A month? A week? Or just a few days?
Guru’s eyes sparkled.
Of course she didn’t want to go to a place like that.
Feeling sorry for her, Chloe gave a bitter smile.
“Not going ’cause you’re sick.”
“So today you’ll have to eat what I cook.”
“That’s right. Killer taste.”
Chloe and Guru grinned at each other, showing their teeth.
She automatically opened the freezer, but the fridge was full of side dishes and food.
“Oh, wight. Samchun said Unnie should eat dis.”
Guru wriggled and pulled out a shake bottle.
“Samchun said it’s good fow when you can’t digest.”
Chloe looked at the shake, then set it on the table.
Instead of frozen pizza, she pulled out piles of side dishes.
She took a big spoonful of rice, and when she said it was tasty, Guru giggled.