THREE PEOPLE ONE BOOK

Lily's phone suddenly rang again. She was still in a daze when the ringtone made her flinch. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at the screen—her mother was calling. Lily let out a shaky breath and picked up the phone.On answering, she learned that her father was unwell. Her mother asked if she could come home for a while to see him. After being on edge for so long, the news made everything else fade away. The picture, John, even her own fear—it all vanished. All she could see was her father's face in her mind.Lily talked to her mother for a while, then hung up. She immediately started packing her bag to leave early tomorrow morning. While sorting her things, she completely forgot about the picture she had received and sent to John .*Courtroom Scene*The air in the courtroom was heavy with silence as today's hearing commenced. For Oliver, this was more than just another case—it was the moment that could change everything. It washis duty to present the disputed photograph, the one piece of evidence that could shift the balance of justice.But the photograph never came.With a composed expression, though tension tightened in his jaw, Oliver stepped forward. He adjusted his black coat and addressed the judge, his voice steady yet carrying the weight of urgency."Your Honor, today I was entrusted with the responsibility of presenting a crucial piece of evidence on behalf of my client. Circumstances beyond my control have prevented me from obtaining it in time. I stand before this court not with excuses, but with a plea—grant me one final opportunity to fulfill my duty."His eyes held firm as he continued,"If I fail to submit this evidence within the time granted, I will bear the full weight of that failure. I will accept the consequences without hesitation, without defense. My reputation, my word—everything rests on this."The words echoed through the silent hall. Every eye turned toward the judge, waiting. One decision now held the power to shape Oliver's fate—and the fate of the case itself.*Courtroom Exit & Library SceneThe presiding judge agreed to Oliver's request.As Oliver rushed out of the courtroom, the opposing counsel stepped in front of him and stopped him."Hey Oliver," he said, "have you even thought about the future of what you said in there today?"Oliver replied with full confidence, "Huh! Of course I know what I'm doing. The future will take care of itself. Everything is just a matter of time, got it? Nonsense."Without another word, he walked past and immediately called Noah."Noah, do whatever you have to do, and do it fast. I've put my life on the line for this case."With that, he hung up.On the other end, Noah was left stunned. Oliver had spoken so fast that he barely understood anything."What the hell just happened? Oliver's acting crazier than usual."Ethan urged him, "We'll call him back later and find out. For now, let's go to that library like we planned."The three of them headed to the library they were supposed to visit. They were glad to find it open today.Inside, they saw the librarian sitting at his desk. Noah asked why the library had been closed yesterday, since they'd been waiting for so long.The librarian put down the book in his hand and replied, "I was at a seminar yesterday, and we also received new books, so the library stayed closed."*CCTV Scene*Hearing this, they realized that was probably why they hadn't found the library open.Noah asked, "Ah! So you don't have a library here, right? Oh sorry, my bad. I meant, do you have CCTV?" He started rambling nervously.The man replied, "Yes, we do. Both outside and inside."Aron quickly jumped in, "Actually, we urgently need to check the CCTV footage. It's really important." Noah and Ethan nodded along in agreement.The librarian looked at all three of them carefully and asked, "Suddenly? Why do you need the CCTV?"Noah explained a bit about why they needed it. After listening, the librarian said, "Alright, no problem. Come on, I'll show you."The three of them sat down to review the footage. They asked him to pull up the footage from the 15th. The librarian worked quietly and seriously while they all watched closely, waiting.After scrolling back and forth for a bit, they finally saw the tall man enter the library. They checked the inside footage too—the man walked straight to a shelf, slipped something into a book within seconds, and left quickly.Outside, Noah noticed something else. He paused the footage and said, "Hold on. Rewind it." The librarian stopped the video as Noah instructed.We could hear Noah speaking in detail, "Zoom in. Look here—those two are police officers outside, and see that tall man in the hat?" The librarian rewound the video a little more.Noah continued, "See, maybe he came in here out of fear because the police were here. And I'm guessing the police might have suspected him too?"Ethan added, "Yeah, that's what it looks like. He probably panicked, came in here, didn't know what to do, and just left the photo in the book before leaving."While they were discussing the details like this, the librarian paused, looked at them, and said,"Bravo! You've identified everything... But why are you following this man? Is he a criminal?Noah exhaled, still rubbing his temples. "We don'thave time to wait around. If that photo's in one of these books, it's our only lead."The librarian frowned, glancing between the three of them. "You realize this library has over ten thousand books, right? You can't just tear through everything."Aron leaned forward, voice low. "We don't need to check all of them. He went straight to the fiction section. Remember? CCTV footage?shelf three, row B."The librarian sighed and stood up. "Fine. But if you make a mess, you're cleaning it up. I'll pull the records for that section—see if any books were checked out or returned on the 15th. It might narrow it down."Noah cracked a faint grin for the first time since they got there. "That's more like it. Let's move before someone else gets to it."The three of them followed the librarian toward the back shelves, the silence between them heavier now. Every step felt like they were getting closer... or walking straight intoNoah's face showed tension again. Ethan said, "Bro, so many people come here toread. Do you think that book will still be here? And there are so many shelves here! Finding it is going to be tough."Noah looked at both of them and said, "Listen. Whatever I say now, the three of us will do exactly that. We're three people, so we'll split it up. I'll check the books readers check out."With that, Noah turned to the librarian and asked, "Do you have a registered list or the numbers of the people who take books out?"The librarian replied, "Yep."Noah nodded. "OK."He turned back to Ethan and Aron and continued, "Listen. Like I said, I'll handle the books that get checked out and contact the ones who borrowed them earlier to get them back. Ethan, you check the people sitting here reading in the library—keep an eye out for anything they find. And Aron, you start searching through the shelves."Aron clenched his fist and said with pumped-up energy, "OK!! Got it. We know our duty."The librarian folded the newspaper and asked, "Duty for what?"Noah explained, "The three of us will check every book in the library. We'll also contact the people who took books out and the ones who have them now, and collect the books back. And a lot of times readers mark up the books—we'll keep an eye on that too."After hearing everything, the man hesitated. But seeing their urgency and the photo, he finally said yes. Then, with a bit of doubt, he added, "But what if there's trouble with something?"Ethan cut him off and said, "There won't be any problems, I promise you that!"Noah immediately nodded along. "Yes!! Yesss! Just give us a few days, sir."The librarian sighed and said, "Alright, I'll trust you."The three of them were so happy it looked like they'd already found the photo. Noticing their reaction, the librarian said, "You guys look so happy, like you've already got the picture."Meanwhile, we see Lily at the hospital with her father. He'd gotten sick because of high blood pressure. Lily talks to her mother and finds out that someone killed her father Theo's friend, LEO. Leo's death has shattered Theo—he's fallen ill from the shock of losing his friend so suddenly. Lily is stunned to hear about her father's friend dying.That evening they all go back home. Theo is in a very low mood. He's left only the lamp on in his room, casting a faint light in one corner, and he's sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, lost indeep thought. Seeing her father's room so dark, Lily goes in to talk to him.She slips into the room quietly. When Theo opens his eyes and hears Lily call out softly, "Dad?" he says, "My daughter, sit here." Lily sits down.Theo rocks his chair slowly and asks, "Do you want to say something, Lily?"Lily asks, "Dad, what kind of friend was Leo uncle to you?"Theo gives a faint smile and says, "He was a very good friend, you know, Lily! He was always by my side. If I was about to do something wrong, he'd talk sense into me. One of the most important parts of life is having a good person as a friend..."Lily listens carefully to every word.From the kitchen, Lily's mother calls her to open the main door—she's busy cooking. Hearing her mother, Lily leaves her father's room and goes to open the gate.When she opens the door, she sees a dignified woman. From her clothes and face,it looks like the color has been washed out of her life. Not recognizing the woman, Lily asks, "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"The woman says in a heavy voice, "Just call your mother. That'll be enough."Lily calls her mother. Lily's mother wipes her hands on a towel and says, "Oh, it's you?? Come in, sit down. We just got back from the hospital a little while ago."Lily signals to her mother, asking who this aunt is.Her mother says, "She's Leo's wife, Jasmine."Theo's wife tells Jasmine, "Sit here, Jasmine."Lily closes the main gate and sits down beside them.Jasmine asks, "How's your husband doing now?"Theo's wife replies, "He's okay, more or less. The doctor told him to take proper rest."Jasmine asks, "Is this your daughter?"Lily's mother says, "Hmm, she stays in the hostel. She came home today because her father is sick."Jasmine looks at Lily and asks, "How are you, Lily?"Lily replies, "I'm good. And you?"After a pause, Jasmine says, "I'm managing... somehow. *The one who made me feel alive isn't here anymore.*"Lily's mother tries to calm her. "Everything willbe fine."Curious, Lily asks, "Aunty, how did Leo uncle get killed?"