My breathing grew weaker, my thoughts drifting. For a moment… I thought I heard his voice.
Soft.
Calling me.
Dad, are you here? Did you come to take me with you?
…
I had a long dream.
In that dream, Celine hadn’t come back yet, and everything was different.
Argus and I were still together like a normal couple. No tension, no fear. He would introduce me to his friends without hesitation, his hand always around my waist like he was proud of me. Like I actually belonged there.
He even took me to the hospital to visit my dad. He would talk to him, sit beside his bed, and try so hard to please him. I still remembered how awkward he looked sometimes, like he didn’t know what to say but still tried anyway.
“Sir, I’ll take care of Dahlia,” he said once, almost seriously. “You don’t have to worry about her.”
Back then, I believed him.
I really thought… we had a future.
He gave me so many firsts. First time feeling wanted, first time feeling like maybe I wasn’t alone. I held onto those moments like they were real.
Then suddenly—
Cold water poured over my head.