Chapter 105

Shirley said that she and Bob have been together for three years.

Her home was in Shadow City. After graduating from college, she started teaching art and dance at a local elementary school. She met Bob by chance when the school's art teacher was exchanging ideas with the Shadow City Drama Troupe.

Witty, humorous, optimistic, versatile, friendly in dancing, such an excellent young man like Bob, which girl wouldn't like him?

But this time Bob was different from before. His previous relationships never lasted more than two months. This time with Shirley, it seemed like he had settled down and wanted to live a good life together.

Shirley said Bob had told her about his past. He had many girlfriends in college, but he didn't know why he would forget them from time to time as if he never knew them. He tried hard to remember them, but looking back, it seemed like it wasn't him dating them, but someone else.

At first, Shirley simply thought Bob was telling her a joke, so she listened as if it were a story. Bob said she was the first girl he hadn't completely forgotten, maybe it was luck brought by God, and he wanted to cherish it.

For Shirley at that time, it was a romantic expression.

But to me, it was a deeply emotional and unforgettable feeling, truly unforgettable. I understood why Bob kept changing girlfriends. It might be one personality at one moment and another at another moment, intersecting with each other. The memories between the two personalities wouldn't be shared, or even completely forgotten, so naturally, changing girlfriends quickly made sense.

Shirley said she gradually noticed something was wrong in the past two years. One day Bob came home, and she was lying on the bed, which startled Bob. Bob said he didn't know her and asked why she was lying on his bed. That time it caused a big commotion, even calling the police.

The next day, Bob returned to normal and called Shirley to ask where she had gone. At first, she was very angry, thinking the man had changed his heart or something.

After two or three times, Shirley understood that it wasn't Bob's fault, but his mental state had a problem. He had two personalities, one was the Bob who wanted to stay with her in Shadow City for the rest of his life, and the other was the Bob who was crazy in college, living in the past.

Finally, one day, Bob proposed to break up, saying he couldn't harm Shirley anymore. As a result, Shirley rented the house opposite Bob's.

"When you don't remember me, I am your neighbor. When you remember me, I am your lover. I will always be with you."

This was what Shirley said to Bob.

From November 8th to 11th, Bob was missing for three whole days. Shirley couldn't reach him by phone and searched all over Shadow City but couldn't find him. During that time, the drama troupe went to other cities to perform. David thought Bob went out to find women, and Shirley came to question him, making excuses for him repeatedly.

On the morning of the 12th, Bob returned home and slept on Shirley's bed for a whole day and night.

I called in the middle, and Shirley thought it was one of Bob's ex-girlfriends calling, so she made an excuse and said that men's words couldn't be fully trusted, telling me to stop thinking about contacting Bob.

Shirley asked Bob where he had been these days, but Bob didn't say, only mentioning that he had finished dealing with past matters, everything would be fine, and he was back. Shirley didn't want to continue arguing.

But unexpectedly, the condition worsened. Bob didn't want to talk to her for more than a week, and there were intertwined and confused memories between the two personalities, vaguely indicating a third personality.

At this point, Shirley realized the seriousness of the situation and started consulting doctors for treatment plans. But unless the patient came in person, how could the doctor know the specific condition just from someone else's description? Bob's identity had been switching for more than a week, and the normal Bob hadn't returned.

Then I came.

Shirley's explanation was complete. According to what Shirley said, Bob must have been present on the day of the True Love Entertainment Club incident, and he saw Alan with Mike. Moreover, it wasn't just that day; Shirley also mentioned that Bob had been missing since November 8th.

In other words, the preparation for this case might have started two days earlier.

Could it be that during this time, they contacted Alan, and Alan also noticed something unusual?

I mentioned the names of Frank and others, but Shirley said she hadn't heard of them. It seemed Bob hadn't mentioned anything about his past.

As for Bob's split personality, I estimated it might have started when he was very young, possibly after seeing or experiencing something at the old steel mill, leaving a psychological trauma. At that time, the symptoms of split personality were not obvious and might have appeared only occasionally over a long period.

In college, it only manifested as memory lapses in relationships, while everything else was normal.

But after graduating from college, in these few years, the condition suddenly worsened, and the degree of split personality accelerated, even vaguely indicating a third personality.

What happened during this time? Why did the condition worsen so quickly?

With Bob's dancing skills, as Zoey said, he was one of the best in the Silverlight City Drama Troupe. Why did he come to Shadow City? Even if Frank had been planning this, wouldn't it be more convenient to stay closer for contact and practice? Why come here?

There was only one possibility, something might be left here, or he left Silverlight City voluntarily to seek refuge. Otherwise, a young man with a bright future wouldn't come to the poorest city in the state.

I looked up at the old man basking in the sun. Could it be him?

He was Ronald's informant, holding many secrets about the old steel mill and the deteriorating relationships between Laura, Frank, and others. If he stayed in Silverlight City, he might not have survived until now.

Or there was another possibility, Frank arranged for Bob to do something here.

But with Bob's current state, he didn't remember anything from the past, only his college life. Asking him would be a waste of time.

While I was racking my brain to eliminate various possibilities, Shirley's phone rang. As soon as the call ended, Shirley rushed out of the room in a flash.

Zoey and I sensed something was wrong and quickly followed, asking what had happened.

"Bob fainted at the Farmers' Market. The police called me to go to the hospital."

"Why did he faint? Was he beaten?"

"No."

Shirley said with a bitter expression, "He argued with the vendor. One said it was 2012, and the other said it was 2024. Upon hearing the news, Bob fainted on the spot."