My False Protector

My name is Anne Shaw. When I was twenty, I finally resolved to end that dark and hopeless life. In my stepfather Pete Chandler's room, sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, casting slender shafts of light across the desk. I clenched the white powder in my hand, my knuckles paling from the strain. This was medicine I had saved up three months' allowance to buy; I was told just a pinch could send someone into an eternal sleep. The cup of water rested on the corner of the desk, the plain boiled water still giving off a faint warmth. I took a deep breath and slowly poured the powder into the cup; it dissolved instantly, vanishing quickly, leaving only clear liquid behind. Just as I was about to set the cup back in its place, the door suddenly swung open. Startled, my hand trembled, and the cup nearly slipped from my grasp. The one who entered was Lucien Sue, dressed in a simple monk's robe, his eyes bearing an ethereal gentleness; everyone called him the Buddha's Child. I had known Lucien Sue for three years. He was a monk from the temple at the foot of the mountain, who would occasionally come to the village to offer blessings. I thought he would reprimand me, stop me, or even call the authorities. But he did none of that. He simply looked at me silently, his gaze without surprise, but filled with a complexity I couldn't begin to understand. "You should leave." Lucien Sue's voice was soft, yet carried an unchallengeable authority. I stood frozen, unable to believe my own ears. "If you don't leave now, it will be too late." He said once more, reaching out to gently push me toward the door. I staggered out of the room and hid around the corner in the hallway, my heart pounding wildly. I didn't know what Lucien Sue intended to do, but I dared not leave; my gaze remained fixed on the ajar door. Before long, a muffled thud sounded from the room, followed by the crash of something heavy falling to the floor. I was so frightened that I covered my mouth, tears streaming down uncontrollably. I wanted to rush in, but Lucien Sue stopped me from inside. His monk's robe was stained with blood, and in his hand he still held a bloodied fruit knife; drops of blood fell from the blade onto the floor, making a soft dripping sound. "I am the one who killed him." Lucien Sue looked at me with unwavering eyes. "It has nothing to do with you." I shook my head, unable to speak, my tears blurring my vision. Lucien Sue raised his hand to gently wipe away my tears. "Anne Shaw, you are still young, and you have a long road ahead." "I will bear the burden of this matter. From now on, you must live well and learn to appreciate the beauty in the world." "I will protect you forever, no matter where I am." That afternoon, the police arrived. Lucien Sue did not resist and was calmly taken away. I stood behind the crowd, watching his figure vanish into the police car. It felt as though something was blocking my chest, making it hard to breathe. From that day forward, the news of the monk's imprisonment spread throughout the entire village. Some sympathized with Lucien, others blamed him, but no one knew the truth—that the one who truly sought to kill was me. I began, just as Lucien had said, to strive to discover the beauty in the world. At dawn, I would ascend the mountain to watch the sunrise; at dusk, I would go to the riverbank to witness the sunset; I would converse with the village elders and listen to their tales of old. Yet whenever the night falls silent and deep, I always remember Lucien Sue, the blood on his monk's robe, and the words he spoke: "I will protect you forever." I know that Lucien Sue bore the burden for me; what I owe him can never be repaid in this lifetime. Five years later, Lucien Sue was released from prison. I went to the prison gate to greet him. He was thinner than he had been five years before, and his gaze had grown infinitely more profound; the transcendent gentleness that once enveloped him had vanished, replaced by an icy sharpness. He saw me, his gaze softened briefly, then he quickened his steps to stand before me: "Anne Shaw, I'm back." I looked at him, tears spilling down again despite my efforts: "Lucien Sue, you've finally come back." Lucien raised his hand to wipe my tears, his touch as gentle as it was five years ago: "Don't cry anymore. I'm back now, and I won't let you suffer again." From that day forward, Lucien began to protect me with an almost obsessive intensity. Anyone who whispered about me over what happened five years ago found themselves beaten so badly they were admitted to the hospital the very next day. Anyone who tried to bully me was stopped by Lucien before even approaching—and after that, they never appeared in the village again. The villagers all say Lucien Sue changed after he came out of prison, but only I know that everything he did was for me.