Chapter One Hundred and Eleven
Steve
 
     Steve was having breakfast with Morgan. It wasn't finished yet when he said, "You come here, and without eating anything, you look at me with those curious and questioning eyes. Well, break this silence." Then he asked Morgan, "Where is Evelin now?"
   Robert replied, "We want the truth about this complicated affair from you, Dad. Our patience has run out."
***
     At this moment, as Robert began the discussion, Anna was busy with her mobile phone. After a few moments, she put her phone face down on the table and focused all her attention on the three of them.
***
     Steve sighed and said to Morgan, "Morgan, you need to leave us alone for a while. It might take some time." But Morgan didn't budge, until Steve whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to me."
   This time, Morgan left the room without saying a word.
   Mr. Dixon sighed and said, "I never thought you would come to me to uncover the past. Our patience has indeed worn thin."
   Anna said, "Steve, do you know about my past? An unknown man told me that our house in Alaska caught fire when Mr. and Mrs. Collins were guests of my parents. I heard about this incident from my mother, but that man said, 'Don't trust your mother's words too much, and consider the possibility that Mr. Collins wasn't there that night.'"
   Steve remarked, "So he finally started his determined move." Then he noticed that Robert clenched his fists in anxiety and anger. Although he didn't know the exact reason, it was a sign of his son's distress.
   Robert asked, "Dad, do you know that man?"
   Mr. Dixon nodded and said to Anna, "If you want me to tell you this story, you'll have to be patient because I want to talk about people who may be unfamiliar to you, especially Anna."
   Anna nodded, ready to listen to the story; it seemed she wasn't feeling well, hence her lack of appetite.
   Steve continued, "In this story, two people play important roles. One of them is a young man who had a terrible accident with his family; he was the only survivor. He blamed himself for the deaths of all his family members; he was the driver and considered himself responsible. He spent some time in the hospital because some of his gears were broken. This young man became the Collins family's protégé. They even brought him home and supported him like their own son. He became close friends with their son. However, when he developed an attachment to the Collins family, he became depressed and suffered from generalized anxiety disorder, a mental illness characterized by severe anxiety about family and loved ones."
   Robert wanted to say something, but Steve interrupted, "If you want me to tell you this story, you'll have to be patient because all my words are important; I'm not playing games with you. So, please be patient."
   Anna replied, "I'll listen patiently and calmly, so please continue."
"Several years passed, and when that young man turned twenty, he developed a fear of open spaces and locked himself in a large room. He never came out again."
   Anna said, "This boy, isn't he the same mysterious man who came to me? The strange man who said, 'I must choose whether he lives or dies.' Am I right?"
   "Most likely your guess is correct."
   "But it doesn't seem like he would be afraid of open spaces!"
   "Another person who plays an important role in this story is Amy Webster; she was the one who made Martin overcome his fear of open spaces and see him."
***
     Mrs. Webster was sitting on a chair a short distance across from the door; she said softly, "You know, since the first time I came here two months ago, the second time due to a problem with my university project, two or three times for curiosity and help."
   Martin, who was busy programming with the computer, stepped away when he heard the word "help" from the computer and walked toward the door; he leaned against the wall and said quietly, "But I don't need anyone's help, so if you're just coming here for that reason and standing behind the door, it's better for you to leave."
   "Did you get upset that I said I want to help?"
   Martin said, "My parents used you to convince me to start this ridiculous pain treatment again; I'm upset about this matter." He looked at the metal pendulum on the table as it moved.
   "Listen, your parents didn't ask anything from me; I think if you treat this fear, it won't be a bad thing, so try it yourself."
   "You can't understand me, so change the subject; I don't want to talk about it."
   "We've talked about a lot of things in these two months; we discussed this topic last time, and I promised you not to come here again."
   "But you broke your promise."
   Amy said, "You forgot that you called me yourself and asked me to come here."
   "So can I ask again if I can hope that you've accepted my request?"
   "Last time I said no because it's very strange; this mysterious wall and door won't even let me think about this topic."
   "But right now, you're thinking about this topic; you asked me to start treating this fear; did you forget?"
   "You didn't want to start the treatment; did you forget?"
   Martin turned back to the table, picked up a knife from it, then quickly turned toward the door, put his hand on the doorknob with hesitation, and said, "Either I'll leave this fear now or I'll live in this cursed room forever and lose you forever." Then he quickly turned the doorknob and opened the door, then tore the wallpaper into pieces; he went a few steps forward and faced his fear. He wasn't feeling well; his heart rate had increased; Martin was dizzy; he lost his balance; he sat on the ground and said nervously, "Why are you so scared of seeing me?" Then he put his hand on his heart and pressed it to calm down, but it had no effect. This mysterious man finally came out of his room, even though his condition didn't seem good at all, but in that state, he proposed to the shocked woman in front of him.
***
   Mr. Dixon said, "When they got married, even though they were happy for a while, this marriage was the beginning of bad events for this family. Including being accused of intentionally killing members of that family."
   Anna, as if the heat of the fire of anger was increasing every moment, said with a relatively calm voice that was shaking, "That family that you talk about their death so easily is my family; why are you trying to portray a murderer as a weak and emotional person in this story?"
   "The death of that family or anyone else in this way is not easy at all; please think for a moment if that family were not your parents."
   Anna laughed and then involuntarily cried and said, "Are my parents still alive?"
   Steve happily said, "Anna, I am infinitely happy that you believed me; I am infinitely happy."
  Anna, while shocked, slowly rose from the chair and said, "I am afraid of lies; what is the reality; a dim light surrounded by a mass of lies and darkness?" Then she looked directly into Mr. Dixon's eyes and said, "Steve, are you lying to me?"
   Steve smiled and said, "Why should I lie to you? Does lying to you benefit me?"
   Robert angrily said, "To protect an unknown friend."
   Anna quickly picked up her mobile phone.
   Steve said, "Why did you get angry? You seem worried!"
   "Don't listen to my father's words, Anna; he is also a good actor, just like me. All these years, I pretended to be a son who not only doesn't hate his father but lives for him."
   Mr. Dixon said, "Do you realize what you are saying?"
   "The truth, father. I'm tired of pretending and lying. You ask why I got angry? The answer is because of the same man you are defending, did you not leave me and mother? Was it not because of the same man that suddenly your behavior towards me and mother changed? You were always arguing, asking him to return to England, telling him that he ruined many people's lives; you hated us; am I wrong?"
   "Okay, you hate me, I understood that very well; but this story has nothing to do with Anna, I did not lie to her."
   "Father, you are surprised, but this is not a nightmare. Father, why did you save me? While I was never your son. I got into trouble; trouble that I knowingly created for myself to end this life and take your reputation; the embezzlement from our own company and the disappearance of that confidential software we made for the government; it was my doing."
   "Fortunately, nothing bad happened except that I became wheelchair-bound. This way of revenge is not right; to take revenge, you must destroy the one you hate, not yourself. Why do you hate me?"
   Robert laughed nervously and said, "Because you changed; because suddenly my kind father hated his son and his wife as well. Because you were always angry and arguing because you made my mother cry; because you continued your life without pain or even remorse. These are not important to me; I just want to ask why you suddenly changed?"
   "I had to, for my family. I didn't want anyone other than me to get hurt, even at the cost of losing them, even at the cost of their hatred."
   "It's a lie, I don't believe it. Tell me, why did you save me?"
   Steve Dixon yelled, "Do you want me to say that I enjoyed hurting you, that's why I saved you? But I loved you because you are my son." He no longer had an appetite.