They Replaced Me... Until the Government Wanted Me

Chapter 8

I pulled myself out of the memories.

Ryan Collins, who was driving beside me, handed me a tissue. It took me a moment to realize my eyes were wet.

When I agreed to join Professor Knox’s ten-year confidential medical research program, I thought I had moved on.

But now, I realized that revisiting those memories still brought tears to my eyes.

It’s fine. It’s fine.

People always need a little more time to forget and let go.

I returned to campus, moved into the dorm, and buried myself in finishing my nearly completed thesis.

The next day, when Ryan and I went to the library, we ran into Ethan Parker and Lucas Parker again.

They were with Lily Thompson—probably because she had taken a sudden interest in visiting the university library for a change of scenery.

Ethan, now a research institute mentor, had already become an associate professor at thirty. It wasn’t surprising to see him here.

I pretended not to notice them, found a seat, opened my laptop, and continued working on my thesis.

But Lily dragged them over, sitting down not far from me.

From time to time, I heard the girl’s soft laughter.

Ethan seemed uncomfortable and tried to hush her a few times, but she kept chattering away.

Lucas gently reminded her, "Be good, alright?"

Suddenly, I remembered the words Lucas used to sigh and say to me when we were kids: "Next time, be good."

I finished the last section of my thesis and hit save.

Feeling suffocated, I got up to grab some water.

When I returned, my laptop was in Lily’s hands.

Ethan and Lucas had left to browse the shelves.

Lily was alone, clicking through my files with practiced ease.

Alarm bells rang in my head. I snatched the laptop back from her.

She immediately threw herself to the ground with exaggerated force, hitting her forehead against the chair and letting out a dramatic scream.

Students around us turned to stare.

My hands shook as I frantically searched the recycle bin for my thesis.

When I finally reopened it, half a year’s worth of work—every word, every chart—was gone.

All that remained was a grotesque smiley face made of symbols, leering mockingly at me.

My head buzzed with white noise.

Then Ethan stormed over, demanding without hesitation,

"Paige Anderson, why did you push Lily?!"