Chapter 7 — Diary of Someone Who Shouldn't Exist

Midnight. The old villa of the Mo family. The whole house was in darkness, with only the pale yellow streetlight shining in through the broken window. The air was so cold that breath turned into thin strands of smoke. Mo Than pulled out a metal key from his pocket. The heavy door opened, emitting a deafening "click" in the darkness. “Hurry, we only have twenty minutes.” His voice was whispery, filled with tension. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, his breathing was rapid, his hand clenched the flashlight. “You bribed a guard.” “But he was only able to paralyze the main surveillance system for a very short time.” We walked quickly through the dark hallway, straight to the second floor —— mother's bedroom. The room was quiet, filled with a faint, familiar scent. On the wall opposite the bed, a large mirror almost as high as the ceiling stood tall. I stopped, my fingers trembling with tension: "It's... this place." I ran my hand along the edge of the mirror, tracing the vague memories of my previous life. A small “click” sounded as I pressed on an extremely secret floating point. Mirror… slides aside. Not a sound. Behind it, a thick metal door appeared silently, the cold steel reflecting the flashlight. Mo Than opened his eyes, his face pale: "Until now... you never knew there was a door here." I looked at the door, my voice was low and hoarse: "Fingerprints... can be used for mom." I turned to look at him: "And... the password?" He shook his head. "Don't know." We tried all possible related numbers: Date of birth, ID number, wedding date, even the day I was born... But... The door didn't budge at all. Time… every second… every minute… passes heavily. The ticking sound of the wall clock echoed clearly like a countdown to life and death. My uncle walked back and forth in the room, each step heavy, his palms sweaty. "No! We have to leave here now! If we hesitate... we won't make it in time!" I stood in front of the password keyboard, my eyes unblinkingly looking at the cold series of numbers, my brain seemed to operate at maximum speed. Suddenly, a light flashed in my head — a name. I turned my head, looked straight at Mo Than, my voice was low and slow: "You..." "In the house... is there anyone named Mo Tu?" His body suddenly shook. His eyes widened, his whole body seemed to be struck by lightning, he stood frozen in place. “You… How do you know… this name?” His voice trembled, so hoarse that it almost broke, as if an old wound had just been torn open. Mo Than's breathing became more rapid, his hands clenched fists. After a while, he opened his mouth, each word falling as heavy as a rock: "Mo Tu..." "It's your youngest aunt." He paused, his eyes dark, his voice so low it was almost a whisper: "Also... your mother's twin." My whole body was numb. It was as if an invisible hand was squeezing my chest, my breath stuck in my throat. Mo Than gritted his teeth, looking at me as if struggling with himself: "But... Your aunt... is dead." “Twenty years ago.” “In the house… no one has ever talked about aunty again.” His eyes fixed on me, trembling: "Nim Niem... How do you... know this name?" I don't answer. I just asked, my voice cold and calm, scary: "When is her birthday...?" He pursed his lips, his face pale. After a long while, with his lips trembling, my uncle quietly read out a series of numbers. I took a deep breath, turned around, each finger pressing down on the table keys. “Tick…tick…tick…” “Beep ——” A “click” sounded, the red light went out, and the metal door slowly opened. A cold, damp air rushed out, carrying the smell of old dust, like the breath of twenty years of sealed secrets. When the scene in the room appeared before our eyes, both Mo Than and I were frozen on the spot. Behind the door —— Is a room. A room... as if frozen in memory. A young lady's bedroom, restored intact down to every detail. The dim yellow light reflects pale pink, turquoise, creamy white... Each delicate piece of furniture is covered with a thin layer of dust, as if its owner had just left yesterday. On the wall, there are pictures of the same girl hanging. Brilliant smile, eyes curved like a new moon, delicate face, bright like the early summer sun. I took a step forward, my hands shaking slightly. The girl in the photo... resembles me to the point of being scary. In the middle of the room, on an antique wooden table, lay an open diary. I walked over, my cold, shaking hands picked it up. The yellowed page, the neat, soft writing... It's my mother's handwriting. 【April 15, clear sky】 【Today, Niem Niem smiled at me. Her eyes... are exactly like Si Si.】 【I succeeded.】 【My Si Si... has returned. In a different way.】 【This time, I won't let you leave me again.】 【That man... is not important. He is just a gene delivery tool.】 【Nim Niem… She is not Tham Niem.】 【She is my Mo Tu.】 【I will give her the best things in the world.】 【I will turn her into the most perfect version.】 【Anyone who wants to take her away from me… is my enemy.】 【Si Si… My sister… This time, I will protect you. Forever.】

“Thud…” The diary fell from my hand, making a dry sound on the cold wooden floor. My fingers trembled, feeling the blood drain from my body. Everything… I finally understand.

I'm not your daughter. I'm just a substitute. A shadow. An urn containing memories, bearing the form of the deceased. My uncle knelt to the ground, his hands shaking, his eyes looking confusedly across the wall filled with photos of a single girl. That girl... smiled brightly, her eyes curved like a crescent moon. Like me. Terrifyingly similar. Mo Than clutched his head, his choking scream tearing at his lungs: "So... That's all..." His voice trembled, hoarse, filled with pain and helplessness. Hot tears flowed out, falling to the cold floor.

"That year... Si Si argued with her family because of a poor boy... That rainy night, she ran away from home..." He sobbed, tightened his hair, tremblingly continued: "It was her... She always believed that she indirectly killed Si Si..." "Twenty years ago... She... has never stepped out of the past."

I bent down, picked up the diary, holding it tightly to my chest. The fingers are cold, each joint is shaking... This is the evidence. The final link. But just as I was about to put it in my shirt — “WEE—OOO—WEE—OOO!” A shrill siren rang out, tearing apart the quiet of the villa!

“Crap!” The metal door behind him suddenly slammed shut, emitting a heavy sound that made the entire secret room vibrate. Mo Than and I were startled at the same time, our hearts beating rapidly, our breath choking in our throats.

My uncle quickly rushed towards the door, knocked hard on the cold surface, a metallic sound rang out “Cang! Cang!” dissonant. He hissed through gritted teeth, his face as white as paper: "This is not good... This is a double security system!" “We… are locked inside!” Mo Chen used all his strength to bang on the door, the loud noise echoed throughout the secret room, but... The door was as thick and heavy as if it were forever buried deep under the rock. It… didn't move at all. In the suffocating silence, only the sound of the siren could be heard echoing straight into my chest, steady, urgent, urging - Someone... is approaching. Outside, the sound of footsteps echoed, each step making the atmosphere in the secret room even more stuffy. A familiar voice, carrying coldness and ridicule, came from outside: "That Mo Uyen woman... Turns out she's hiding a lot of interesting things." Lam Kien Quoc. My heart tightened in my chest, every nerve was tense to the point of numbness. He… why is he here?!

“You... didn't expect it, right?” His voice was filled with pride and pleasure, echoing through the thick metal door: "I bribed the butler a long time ago." “From the door lock to the surveillance camera… everything in this villa… I know it very well.”

Mo Than clenched his jaw, the murderous aura in his eyes overflowed, blue veins appeared on his hands, and he clenched his fists. "Lin Kien Quoc! What do you want to do?!" Lam Kien Quoc sneered, his sharp laugh made my scalp tingle: "Do what? I don't need to do anything." “I will leave you two to die in there.” "Wait until the police arrive, I will say - You guys broke into Mo's villa late at night, intending to steal property." His voice was so cold that it seemed like it could penetrate through the thick door and stick straight into my ear: "At that time... I'll see how you two explain." In the distance, a shrill police siren rang out, from vague... to closer... finally stopping completely in front of the villa gate. You and I looked at each other. Both of our eyes were heavy. Locked in a closed room, with no way out. In our hands —— is the diary. It's fatal evidence. It… suddenly turned into burning embers. Outside, the sound of leather shoes hitting the tile floor was mixed with the sound of walkie-talkies and the loud talking of the police. Lam Kien Quoc's voice rang out, full of drama: "Where are you? Quickly arrest these two thieves!" "Police, hurry up! They broke the lock on my ex-wife's secret room! Inside... there must be valuable things!" He "disguised" his panting and showed a panicked face very skillfully. Just like an "innocent victim" asking for help. The police's footsteps quickly gathered at the bedroom door. A deep male voice rang out, sternly: "Listen clearly inside! We are the police! Open the door immediately, get out!"