The Medicine is Fine?

To check the previous surveillance footage, I would have to access Sean's computer. But how could I get into it? I sent Chloe another message, and she told me to wait patiently.

I dozed off for a bit, not daring to sleep too deeply, constantly listening for any sounds outside.

When I woke up, numerous problems surfaced, making me realize how terrifying my situation was. First, I noticed my body was unusually weak, and my heart was struggling. I suspected that something was wrong with my heart.

Moreover, my calves were severely swollen, and I had a strong urge to urinate but could only manage a little. Even my face was puffy—symptoms of kidney failure, perhaps.

Looking at my swollen, puffy face in the mirror, I felt a wave of fear. If it weren't for Max's gluttony, I might have "died without knowing how I died."

The only pleasant surprise was that after stopping the medicine for just three days, my hair loss significantly reduced, and I felt increasingly hungry.

To avoid arousing Anna's suspicion, I used the fallen hair I had previously collected in my pocket and made sure Anna saw me gathering it. Whenever she lingered in my room, I would touch the spot where I was pricked and complain of pain, causing her to leave guiltily.

In the afternoon, the electrical repairman appeared again. Anna seemed suspicious, following him around and questioning why he needed to check again. I knew this was another attempt by Inara to retrieve the medicine, but Anna's constant presence left no opportunity to hand it over.

Feigning sleep, I didn't dare make any move. The worker, showing remarkable patience, meticulously inspected the room with his equipment.

He then asked Anna, "Please switch off your circuit breaker so I can test this point."

"Are you sure it's here?" Anna asked impatiently. "There's nothing wrong with our house."

"If it's not confirmed, we need to switch off the power. If we don't test it, we'll have to come back. Ensuring your house is safe saves trouble. We need to perform these checks regularly to prevent power outages that disrupt everyone's lives. You always complain when there's an outage! We can't keep up with the workload!"

"Fine, just hurry up. Why is this so troublesome..." Anna grumbled as she walked away.

I quickly got up, ran to the bathroom, retrieved the medicine-filled condom, and handed it to the worker. He glanced at me and took it.

Before I could think further, I heard Anna's footsteps returning. I swiftly got back into bed, covering myself just as Anna re-entered the room.

The worker fiddled around for a bit longer, gave some final instructions, and then left.

Anna, still suspicious, stood by my bed for a while, prodded me, and, seeing no reaction, left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Everything returned to normal. I exhaled and took out my phone to check the surveillance footage. The first thing I did after getting my phone was install the surveillance software.

On the screen, I saw Anna go to Kyle's room. It was Kyle's naptime, and she seemed quite attentive, taking care of him meticulously.

Then she closed the door and went out, returning with a lot of groceries. It looked like she had gone to the supermarket.

I noted her outing time, planning to check Sean's study again the next day when she went shopping. However, I couldn't find the key in the hidden compartment.

This made me uneasy. Had Sean noticed the key had been tampered with? Otherwise, why would he suddenly take it? I searched for a while longer but found nothing and had to give up.

I went downstairs and tested the front door lock. Sure enough, after she left, the door was locked from the outside. I couldn't open it from the inside.

Inara was right—I was indeed being imprisoned, with the outside world thinking I was abroad for medical treatment.

It was all meticulously arranged. Even if I died, no one would know.

On the fourth night, Sean, whom I hadn't seen for days, finally returned.

He came straight to my room and sat by my bed, staring at my "sleeping" form for a long time.

He only left when Anna called him for dinner. Squinting my eyes, I watched him walk to the door, suddenly turning back to give me a sinister smile that sent chills down my spine.

At that moment, my phone, hidden under me, vibrated silently. I quickly grabbed it, staring at the door, and answered the video call.

On the screen, Inara looked puzzled. "Chloe, the medicine test results came back... The medicine is fine; it's a tonic to strengthen the body, with no harmful effects!"

"What?"

I sat up in shock, murmuring incoherently, "Impossible, this can't be!"

The result was beyond my expectations. How could it be a tonic? If it were, how could it make me look like this? I shook my head at Inara on the screen, "This can't be right. Absolutely not. My cat showed the same symptoms as I did after drinking the medicine. I watched it happen. How can there be nothing wrong? Inara..."

I hesitated, looking at her, unsure what to say.

"Spit it out, Chloe! You're killing me with suspense!" Inara urged.

"Are you sure the person you sent is trustworthy?" I asked, doubting the worker since he was the only one who had access to the medicine outside my sight.

"Absolutely! He's Andrew's cousin!" Inara affirmed.

"Andrew?" My heart skipped a beat.

"Yes!" Inara gave an awkward smile. "Chloe, you know we need reliable people for this, so... he's definitely trustworthy!"