My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 44

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 44

I didn’t have time to explain the situation to Jessie in detail right now.
“I’ll tell you everything later, Mom. Are you certain the intruder has been caught?”
Jessie had countless questions, but seeing Harry’s urgent expression, he held his tongue for now.
“Yes, I’m sure. I was waiting at the Cafe while Robin finished play therapy when I ran into Maji. The Police Station happens to be right nearby.”
“Oh, right. I remember.”
“The Police Officer caught a suspect and asked Maji to come identify him, so she was on her way back from the Police Station.”
Harry’s Mother took a sip of coffee and paused to catch her breath.
“When she saw his face, it was definitely the man who broke into our house last night. But you know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“The fingerprints on that strange candy Robin received yesterday matched his.”
“What?”
“Strange candy?”
Jessie sensed something serious had happened in his absence and furrowed his brow.
“The truly ridiculous part starts now. When they asked the intruder why he did this, he said he couldn’t stand seeing everyone else look happy except him.”
“That’s…”
The absurdity was so complete that I couldn’t even muster a hollow laugh.
Harry’s Mother shook her head in disbelief and continued.
“So he secretly laced candy with drugs, hoping to catch anyone at random, but then he came to his senses later.”
“Because he realized he was about to hurt someone?”
“Hardly.”
Harry’s Mother scoffed dismissively.
“He regretted wasting the drugs. I don’t know exactly how much it was, but it must have been very expensive.”
“So the intruder was actually targeting us. He came back later looking for the drugs.”
“Exactly. It’s a blessing that he was a drug addict and out of his mind. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made the mistake of confusing Maji’s house with ours. It’s terrible for Maji, but…”
“Good heavens…”
“The intruder panicked when he broke into the wrong house. He expected to find Asian children, but instead there was a white couple. Startled, he even broke a window as he fled.”
As the cause of the breaking glass became clear, a chill ran down my spine and spread through my entire body.
It had been such a close call.
‘If the intruder had found the right house…’
Just imagining the scenario made my fingertips turn cold.
The intruder would have threatened them to get the drugs back.
And Aemerus would have fought him.
To protect Harry and Robin.
But how well could a high school student fight, really?
He would certainly have been injured somewhere.
Seized by an eerie feeling, Harry wrapped both arms around herself.
“The intruder ran away the moment he encountered Maji, didn’t he? But I kept hearing sounds like they were fighting afterward….”
“That was probably Maji trying to restrain Gary.”
Gary was Maji’s husband.
Jessie, who had once lived in the neighbor’s house next to mine, knew this fact well.
“Gary wanted to chase after the intruder with a gun, so Maji had to struggle to talk him out of it.”
I brushed my chest with my hand in relief.
“I’m just grateful no one was hurt, but I feel terrible that we’ve caused Maji so much trouble.”
Mother laughed bitterly as well.
“I already told her we’d compensate for the broken window, but Maji refused. She said it was enough that she finally realized how inadequate the security company she trusted really was.”
“Really?”
Perhaps because they had been neighbors for so long, Maji showed such warmth and understanding.
I felt both gratitude and guilt toward her simultaneously.
“Still, I think it would be nice to give her a gift of comfort. I’m thinking of buying her some flowers tomorrow.”
“That’s a good idea.”
While we were discussing which flowers to buy, Jessie quietly raised his hand and interjected.
“I don’t mean to interrupt your conversation….”
“Hmm?”
“But the intruder knows this house’s address. He might come back for revenge.”
Mother shook her head firmly at Jessie’s concern.
“That won’t happen anytime soon. So you don’t need to worry too much. With drug possession and illegal trespassing charges, he’ll be in prison for at least two years.”
I calmed myself, determined not to be unnecessarily frightened.
The simple fact that the intruder had been caught so quickly was reason enough to be relieved.
“By the way, Robin doesn’t seem to know anything about what happened yesterday.”
“Ah….”
I laughed with my eyes downcast.
“I told him Aemerus was playing pretend. I said that since it’s Halloween, ghosts are wandering outside, so we can’t let him find out.”
“Oh my, how cute. The more I see Aemerus, the more charming he becomes.”
Mother chuckled, then excused herself, telling us to talk comfortably together.
“By the way, honey, did you go to the market? Let me see how much you bought this time.”
“I didn’t buy much. This time it’s really true.”
“You said that last time too, and you came back with a month’s worth!”
Leaving my affectionate parents behind, Jessie and I went upstairs to my room.
I sat beside Jessie on the bed and explained everything that had happened yesterday step by step.
“It’s my fault.”
Those were Jessie’s first words after hearing the full account of the incident from me.
“I should have been by your side no matter what.”
I tried to comfort him as he struggled with guilt.
“Even if you had been there, the situation would have been the same anyway.”
“At least you wouldn’t have been scared.”
I was about to say that I wasn’t scared because Aemerus was there, but I held back.
For some reason, Jessie seemed firmly convinced that Harry would have been miserable without him.
If I told him I was fine, he’d only respond that there was no need to pretend to be strong.
‘It wasn’t really that frightening.’
Under normal circumstances, I would have simply enjoyed Jessie’s concern for me.
But today, something felt off.
Perhaps it was because the person who actually suffered was Maji, not me.
Or maybe the fear I felt at the time had faded as hours passed.
Or perhaps it was something else entirely.
‘Why does he speak of what Aemerus did as if it were nothing?’
I wondered if my discomfort stemmed from Jessie’s attitude last night—the way he acted as though Aemerus didn’t exist at all.
‘Aemerus did his best.’
Of course, I kept it secret from Jessie that Aemerus had held me trembling in his arms all night.
But didn’t he deserve praise simply for standing guard over Lili and Robin with a golf club in hand?
“I’m really sorry, Lili.”
“Um… it’s okay.”
I accepted Jessie’s comfort with an unsettled feeling.
“You said you’d give Maji flowers tomorrow, right? I’ll come with you.”
“Huh?”
Why was Jessie insisting on coming along?
It seemed he was overreacting out of guilt for breaking his promise yesterday.
“No, you should rest on the weekend.”
“Lili.”
“Really, it’s fine. Besides, shouldn’t you be thinking about how to appease Robin’s anger?”
“…Yeah, that’s true.”
Jessie let out a heavy sigh.
“I noticed last time that Robin likes cowboy hats. Has he mentioned wanting another one recently?”
I laughed weakly at that.
What Robin truly wanted wasn’t a gift—it was time with Jessie.
If Jessie would just spare a day to take Robin to the Amusement Park or teach him Hockey as he’d promised before, my brother’s heart would mend quickly.
Jessie surely knew this, but I couldn’t tell if he genuinely didn’t understand or was simply turning a blind eye.
‘From Jessie’s perspective, it might feel burdensome.’
I had no intention of being a nuisance to him.
Since things had come to this, wouldn’t it be good if Robin broke his excessive dependence on Jessie?
With that thought, I carefully offered my opinion.
“Your birthday is coming up soon anyway. And we all agreed to celebrate together then—me, Robin, and Aemerus.”
“Oh, right, that’s true.”
At Jessie’s response, as if he’d completely forgotten, my eyes narrowed.
“You’re not going to suddenly have something come up that day too, are you?”
“No. That day I really have nothing except a photo shoot.”
Even as Jessie spoke with emphasis, my eyes remained narrowed, unconvinced.
“Well, we’ll see how it goes.”
“Trust me. I’m serious.”
“Fine. I’ll trust you this time, even if you’re pulling my leg.”
“I’m telling you, this time it’s real.”
Jessie and I were trading playful banter and giggling when my phone suddenly buzzed with a vibration.
The sound came from my phone sitting on the desk.
“Hold on a second.”
“Sure.”
I excused myself to Jessie and stood up to check my phone.
There was a message from Aemerus.
「The police called. They caught the intruder.」
「Are you sleeping again?」
Since I’d left my phone at home when I went out, I hadn’t been able to reply, and she must have thought I was taking a nap.
I chuckled softly and was about to send a reply when Jessie suddenly asked a question.
“Who are you texting with that makes you smile like that?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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