TWENTY-TWO

Adam escorts Juliette back to her room and silently disables Warner’s surveillance devices. Because Warner gave the order, Adam should be protected from punishment, and Juliette finally has the privacy she demanded. Instead of relief, Juliette feels devastated by Warner’s claim that Adam had been spying on her and wonders whether the Adam she remembers was ever real.

Juliette recalls childhood, when she was ostracized after changing schools because of her dangerous touch and the rumors surrounding her. She remembers seeing Adam as a hungry, poorly clothed boy in her class, then witnessing Adam’s drunken father beat him outside school. After that, Juliette began watching Adam closely and saw him as one of the few people who seemed to understand pain.

In the present, Adam speaks to Juliette, and Juliette confronts the fact that Adam always knew who she was. Juliette admits that the story about the little boy is true, explaining that the child’s death was an accident while Juliette was trying to help him. Adam says he believes Juliette because Adam knew Juliette and never thought the accusation made sense.

Adam reveals that the day the school heard about the incident was the day Adam had finally planned to talk to Juliette. Juliette then admits that Juliette remembers Adam too: Adam was the boy who looked at Juliette like a human being, sat near her fence, and defended Juliette from bullies. This shared recognition breaks the distance between them.

Juliette and Adam embrace, and Adam touches and kisses Juliette without being harmed, intensifying their emotional connection and proving their bond is real despite Warner’s manipulation. Their intimacy is interrupted by the intercom, where security questions Adam about the disabled cameras. Adam cites Warner’s order, and after the line goes quiet, Adam pulls Juliette close again and tells Juliette they need to escape.