After leaving Neil's house, Zoe spent his days job hunting and returned to the bar’s cellar to sleep at night. He avoided everyone at the bar, so no one knew his whereabouts. Neil visited the Night bar every night, but despite his efforts, he never saw Zoe and went home feeling disappointed and dejected.
Without anyone around to supervise him, Zoe lived recklessly, losing faith in life and people. Encouraged by Jill, the malicious spirit who used sweet-talking deceit, Zoe was led to believe that no one cared about him and that the world had turned its back on him. Jill persuaded him to live however he wanted and to pursue his own desires.
So, Zoe used this time to hone his mysterious powers, becoming increasingly adept. He planned to use these abilities for revenge—against those who had pushed him into darkness, the people in the orphanage who had covered for him and sent him to the reformatory, and the guards in the detention center. These were all targets on Zoe’s list for retribution.
Jill’s fabricated stories made Zoe feel that his life had been destroyed by these people, so how could they live peacefully while he suffered?
Jill floated around Zoe, whispering cold, soothing words in his ear. “Since society won’t deliver justice for you, you must take matters into your own hands. That’s the rule of retribution, Zoe. So, you’ve done nothing wrong. The ones who are at fault are them, this world.”
In the following days, all those named on Zoe James’s list mysteriously died within just a month. This series of events drew the attention of the Wales City police. In a short period, the primary suspect they identified from surveillance footage was Zoe. However, with no concrete evidence to detain him, they could only invite Zoe to the police station for questioning and then release him. Thanks to the lying skills he had learned from Jill, Zoe managed to evade any incrimination.
Although the surveillance footage showed Zoe near the crime scenes around the time of the murders, it didn’t capture him entering the victims' homes. Moreover, Zoe had a solid alibi from the café he frequented. Ultimately, with no evidence, the police had no choice but to send investigators to the reformatory where Zoe had been held previously. The bizarre deaths in the prison were briefly revisited but were quickly dismissed due to lack of evidence at the crime scenes.
With no evidence to go on, the investigation continued, and the police frequently invited Zoe to the station for questioning. Zoe, far from being annoyed, found amusement in toying with the bumbling officers.
One day, while Zoe was giving a statement, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps approaching. Before he could turn around, he heard the officer greeting the newcomer.
“Neil, it’s been a while. Where have you been these past few weeks?”
“I had some matters to attend to.”
Zoe attempted to turn and hide his face with his hand, but it was too late. Neil walked straight to him and addressed the officer.
“Is it done?”
“Yes, it’s done,” the officer replied, puzzled.
“I need to talk to him for a moment.”
Without hesitation, Neil pulled Zoe out of the police station and shoved him into his car. Zoe was irritated but remained silent. Neil drove to a secluded spot and stopped. The two sat in silence in the car for fifteen minutes. Unable to endure the quiet, Zoe tried to open the car door to leave, but Neil leapt across, grabbing his hand and pulling him into an embrace.
“Let me go. If you have nothing to say, let me leave. I don’t want to see you.”
“Why did you leave home? It took me so long to find you. Why don’t you want to see me? I’ve missed you so much, Zoe.”
“Let me go. Don’t you know why I left?”
Neil froze, as if unable to part from the scent and warmth of Zoe, but eventually, he released his hold and sat back in his seat.
“I’m sorry. I was afraid that if you knew everything, you’d hate me and leave. So I…”
“So you didn’t want to tell me,” Zoe interrupted. “All this is just about making amends, right, Neil? If so, I don’t need your repentance or pity.”
“No,” Neil shook his head in frustration. “At first, I thought it was about making amends, but then it wasn’t. And it’s not about pity. I really care about you, Zoe.”
Zoe forced a smile, “How can I trust you?” He grabbed the car door handle and prepared to leave. “If you’re done, I’m going.”
Neil quickly opened the car door and grabbed Zoe’s hand. “Where have you been? I have so much more to say to you. Let me take you wherever you’re going.”
Zoe pushed Neil away. “Get off.”
He flagged down a taxi, and as soon as it stopped, Zoe climbed in, not sparing a glance at Neil. After the taxi drove away, Zoe looked back through the rearview mirror and saw Neil still standing there, watching him. For some reason, tears welled up in Zoe’s eyes.
They streamed down his cheeks as he thought, “Damn it, it’s really damnable… I thought I’d be prepared for this day, telling myself I wouldn’t feel anything for him anymore, even planning to get revenge on him. But here I am, crying for him. How foolish, truly foolish.”