Faded love 13

Chapter 13 

The cuff of my sleeve lifted in the breeze, revealing a thin old scar on my wrist- 

the one left from the crash three years ago. 

“An accident,” I said quietly. 

He didn’t reply. 

He only stared at me, 

his gaze sharp and unblinking- 

like a wolf studying its prey. 

“Thalia,” 

he said softly, 

“sometimes I can’t tell what’s dream and what’s real. 

In my dreams, you smile at me the same way. 

Cold. False.” 

My chest tightened. 

“Then pretend this is a dream too,” I said, and walked away. 

He didn’t follow. 

Only a whisper fell behind me, 

so faint I almost missed it: 

“I dreamed you died walking away just like this.” 

That night, I couldn’t sleep. 

The wind outside howled like the sea. 

I sat by the bed and unlocked my phone. 

Z Group’s new exhibition announcement had gone live. 

The comments below were filled with noise- 

“Has Rory lost his mind? 

Three years and he’s still holding onto a dead woman?” 

My fingertip slid across the screen. 

I laughed softly. 

“He’s not crazy,” I murmured. 

“He just… finally learned what pain feels like.” 

11:34 Sat, Oct 18 

A few days later, the company arranged a design review at Z Group’s top floor. 

I pushed open the door- 

the meeting room was empty. 

Only two cups of coffee sat on the table. 

The light from outside was blinding. 

I turned instinctively. 

He was standing by the window, 

expression calm. 

“Thalia.” 

“Mr. Zhou.” 

“You know no one else is coming today.” 

My heartbeat stumbled. 

“Then what do you want to talk about?” 

He approached slowly, 

his tone even. 

“A dream.” 

I froze, watching him. 

“I dreamed you walked out of the sea,” he said softly, 

“your hair dripping wet, holding that ring. 

You looked at me and said, 

‘Rory, I died the day you signed.” 

My throat tightened. 

“It was just a dream,” I whispered. 

“But dreams are truer than reality,” he said with a low laugh. 

“Because in dreams, you still exist.” 

I clutched the folder in my hand, 

my voice trembling. 

“What you need is a psychiatrist.” 

He reached out, 

his palm covering mine. 

In that instant, my whole body went rigid. 

2/4 14.0 

86 

11:34 Sat, Oct 18 

His warmth was too familiar- 

: 

the same as the moment outside the operating room three years ago. 

“Thalia,” he said, 

his eyes darkening, 

“it’s easy to lie to me. 

Harder to lie to your own heart.” 

I pulled my hand back. 

“Mr. Zhou, I’m not her.” 

“Then why are you crying?” 

I froze. 

My fingertips brushed my cheek- 

wet. 

I stepped back, laughing shakily. 

“You’re insane.” 

“I’ve been insane for a long time,” he said softly. 

When night fell, I walked out of that building. 

The wind cut through the street like a blade. 

I hailed a cab, 

watched the lights flash by outside the window. 

My mind was chaos. 

I knew- 

this game of his wouldn’t stop. 

He would come closer, 

tear everything down, 

piece by piece. 

And I also knew- 

as long as I was still “Thalia,” 

I had to keep pretending. 

Pretend I never loved. 

Pretend I never died. 

Pretend he never destroyed me. 

OL 

86 

DIA 

142 

(( 

86 

11:34 Sat, Oct 18 

But in the quietest hours of the night, 

I could still hear my heartbeat- 

steady, relentless, 

dragging me awake. 

: 

That night it rained again, hard and endless. 

I stayed up working by the window, 

lamp casting a pale yellow circle of light. 

An email notification blinked on the screen: 

[Thalia, please report to Z Group headquarters tomorrow with the final proposal. 

-Rory] 

He had changed tactics- 

polite, restrained, 

but leaving me nowhere to hide. 

I stared at that line of text. 

My hands trembled. 

Ever since the day he said he dreamed of me walking out of the sea, 

I had been dreaming of that sea too. 

11:34 Sat, Oct 18