CHAPTER 2: Compare

— LIA —

My eyes were stuck on the photo that the man is holding. I can’t believe it! She really looks like me!

We have the same eye shape and eye color, both eyes are rounded and black. We have the same small nose and lips. If I was a different person, I will really think that this woman in the photo is me, or a twin.

Wait… do I have a twin?

I shook my head at that thought. That's not impossible. I don't know who my parents are. This lady might be my twin, without me knowing.

Thinking that I have a twin, I might meet my true family!

I want to laugh at myself because of that thought. Happenings in real life isn’t the same as the happenings in the movie. This man might be making fun of me. The lady might be a photoshopped one. I might not have a twin.

“Let me see this,” I said as I grabbed the photo from the bed.

I tried to look for the flaws in the picture. There has to be something here that isn’t right. I’m sure I can find something from this photo that can be an evidence that it is not me.

I can almost kiss the photo because it is so near to my face. I want to see every little detail that this woman has in the photo.

I looked at the man in front of me. He is staring at me, with his bloodshot eyes. It looks like he is going to hurt or kill me in any second.

If this man is the ex-boyfriend of the woman in this picture, that looks like me, why is he so mad? Did this woman do a lot of bad things to this man?

I want to pity him; however, he is currently thinking that I am his ex-girlfriend, which is not true. I’m sure that he is ready to catch me if ever I will do something bad or wrong, and use it against me. From the looks of his face, I can say that he has his guards up.

“Do you have any other photos of this woman? The more, the better,” I asked him, hiding the nervousness because I am now starting to feel scared of him.

He smirked at me, as if I said something funny. “Why do you more of those? Isn’t that picture enough to say that you are really that woman?”

“Or you just using it to buy more time to find a better excuse and lie?” he added. He is spitting those words as if those are insults.

I raised my left eyebrow at his question. “Excuse me, Mr. Whoever You Are. I’m not asking for more photos just so I can find an excuse.”

I crossed my arms and continue speaking. “I want more photos because I think you’re insane, and this picture is edited. Besides, why would I need think for excuse and lie? I don’t need to lie, because I already told you that I am not your ex-girlfriend. Meaning, I am not this woman in the picture.”

He spat out an insulting laugh. He laughs like I am saying the most insane thing in the world, even if he is really the one insane between the two of us.

He raised his two hands like he wants to surrender. “Okay, okay. I can’t believe you will get to this point just so you can run away from your crimes,” he said that made me raise my eyebrow more. “Okay, I’ll get more pictures. More pictures than you can imagine.”

He walked towards the door. I ran towards him because I want to go out. But he is fast. He successfully locked me at the room, again, before I can even reach the door.

I hissed at him because of annoyance.

Waiting for him to comeback from getting the pictures I wanted is so boring, and it increases my anxiety. I walked back and forth from the door to the window while waiting for him and thinking about who the hell is the woman on the photo, and why that woman looks like me.

I am 100% sure that I am not that woman. It’s impossible. I haven’t met that man in my life. I didn’t have a boyfriend, or a fling, or a husband.

Base on the photo that the man showed to me earlier, the photo was taken in Plaza de la Reina. That is located in Valencia, here in Spain. I haven’t been to Spain. This is my first time to visit this country, so if this is the case, I can say that I am not that woman.

Also, the picture has a date and time on it. It was taken on November 2023. What was I doing during that date?

I tried to squeeze my brain, thinking back to what was happening on my life on November 2020.

November 2020. I was in my senior year in college. I’m sure that during that month, I’m finishing our thesis. Why would I be in Spain, travelling and feeling happy with my “boyfriend” if I have a thesis to finish? Also, I’m sure that I’m currently on my on-the-job-training at the time. I can remember myself breaking down every night because I have a lot of school requirements to do and the company that I am working for my OJT doesn’t even follow the work hours given to us!

I want to curse that woman if she is just in front of me. Slap her and pin her face to the ground because I am in this mess because of her!

I was in the middle of being angry at the woman when the door suddenly opened. The man entered with a worn-out book in his hand. He handed it to me. When I already touched the book, he suddenly removed his hand like I have a contagious disease and he doesn’t want to be infected.

“Open that book and see if you can still deny your identity,” he said as he sat on the one-man sofa beside the bed.

I stared at the book for a long time. It looks old. No… not old, rather, it looks like someone destroyed it and left it in a dirty place for a long time.

“Why does it look like this?” I asked while flipping through the pages.

“I already asked the maid to throw that out and burn that together with the other photo albums,” he answered with a bored voice.

Although I want to ask him why this is still in his possession and not burned like the others, I can’t open my mouth to speak. The more I flip through the pages, the more confuse I got. Every photo of the woman is the same; she still looks like me. Even if the photo was taken in a different angle, it still looks like me.

“You’re quiet. Can’t find an excuse to say?” the man asked when he noticed that I have been quiet for some minutes.

I didn’t answer him, rather, my mind was busy on looking for the very small differences me and that woman has.

After a couple of minutes, I looked at the man.

Although this woman looks like me, we still have differences that a normal person cannot see if he will not observe properly.

“This woman is not me. I am not your ex-girlfriend,” I said firmly and threw the book to his face.

Maybe he has fast reflexes because he was able to catch the album before it landed on his face. Now, he looks more furious than before.

“Really, Dennise?” I furrowed my eyebrows when I heard a name I have never heard before. “Denying the truth even if it’s already in front of your eyes? Did your head hurt somewhere that you forgot who you are?”

I walked closer to him and look at his eyes with full determination.

“My name is not Dennise. Don’t call me that name. I can tell you a lot of things that will prove that I am not that ex-girlfriend of yours,” I told him, starting to get irritated.

He spat out another laugh even if his eyes are bloodshot. “Go on. Tell me more of your lies.”

‘That woman, in every angle, doesn’t have a mole under her right eye,” I told him. I point the mole under my right eye and continue talking, “I have one here. Come and scratch it if you think this is fake.”

“A single mole is not enough to te-“, I cut off his word.

“Shh. I’m not done,” I told him. I pout my lips, as if I am going to kiss him, making him move back a little.

“I also have a mole on my upper lips. Again, you can scratch it if you think it is fake,” I challenged him. “Besides, I’m sure you know how that Dennise’s lips looks like. I’m sure you had kissed her a lot of times and you will know that she doesn’t have a mole on her lips.”

He was quiet for some moment, staring at my lips. I continue saying more proofs.

“That woman, although her hair was curly like mine, it is not as frizzy as my hair. Her canine teeth are not as sharp as mine,” I said as I showed him my canine teeth.

He was about to answer me when we heard a knock on the door. He threw the album on the bed and he walked towards the door. When he opened it, a woman wearing a maid outfit greet us.

“Don, señor y señora estan aqui. Te estan buscando,” the maid told the man. I can understand a little Spanish, but not this one!

“Bueno. Los conocere,” the man replied. All I understand on what he said is “well”.

As the maid left, the man looked back at me. His eyes are still bloodshot as ever, with another emotion that I can't figure out.

“My parents are already here. You don’t know what they can do to you. So, if you still love your life, better tell the truth, and tell them where the necklace is,” he said before leaving and locking me alone in the room.

I was stunned at his word. He said that I don’t know what they can do to me. Why does that sound like a threat?

I can’t just wait here for him to return. I’m sure that when he comes back, his parents will be here. God knows what will happen to me!

I need to escape!

I looked around, again, looking for a way out. I can’t use the door. Even if I’m able to leave the room by the door, I can’t leave immediately because I don’t know the way out of the house.

I ran towards the window I saw earlier.

Gulping, my mind is saying that I should jump down so that I can escape. However, there was a small voice inside of me saying that I will get hurt I do that.

But I will still get hurt even if I don’t jump right? Those people... They will not believe any word I will say even if I have physical proofs that I am not that Dennise. I’m sure they will hurt me, or worse, torture me just so I can tell them the truth that they want to hear, which is not the truth for me.

I took a deep breath. I will escape this place no matter what. I will escape even if that means I will break my leg. From the look of that man, I’m sure that his threats earlier are not bluffs.

As I close my eyes, I can feel my body falling from a great height. When I finally hit something hard, I whole body felt like it’s been electrocuted.

When I open my eyes, I felt a strong pain on my legs. It hurts so much that even if I want to scream, I can’t do it. The pain was overtaking all of my energy that I don’t have a voice to shout anymore.

Damn! This is the highest one I've jump! I never did this in our operations!

Touching my leg and my back that also hurts, I tried standing up. Fortunately, I was able to do it. I can walk, but every time I will move it, the pain became worse that I have to stop.

As I walk towards the small wall, I heard footsteps coming to my way. Panicking, I rushed towards the wall I’m sure I can climb. Every step I make adds to the pain my body is feeling.

I don’t know why, but the footsteps I can hear are so loud even if I can see them. Did I damage my eardrums when I jump?

When I reach the wall, I started jumping up and down while trying to reach the top of it. Every jump is like a torture to my whole body, adding to the pain I am already experiencing.

Finally, I was able to reach the top of the wall after several attempts. I pushed my body to the top even if the gravity and the pain was taking over my whole body. When I can already see the road, I jumped down, giving another electric feeling to my backbone. I felt like I touched something grounded.

When my feet finally landed on the road, I continue running towards a direction I don’t know where will lead me to.

I don’t know where I’m going. All I know is I have to leave and be away from that place as soon as possible.