Chapter 224: Finding Comfort Under Water
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In my dream that night, the gala turned into a total shit show. Chandeliers dripped blood-red light, and guests wore masks that sneered at me as I walked by.
Whispers followed like freaking smoke: "Step-brothers... disgusting... what would their parents think?"
Familiar faces...Mom, Keith, Ethan, loomed from the crowd, eyes full of disgust. Mom turned away, Keith disowned us with one cold word, and Ethan... Ethan just walked away, heartbroken and silent, leaving me alone in the center of the ballroom as the whispers turned to shouts.
I’ve had multiple dreams of being trapped and drowning...but why did this one feel so close to home?
I jolted awake, heart racing, sheets damp with sweat. The suite was pitch dark except for the faint glow of the city outside, the clock on the nightstand reading 2:47 a.m. I sat up, disoriented and trembling, the dream clinging to me like cobwebs.
Unable to even think about falling back asleep, I grabbed my phone and texted him.
Me: You awake?
His response came almost immediately,
Adrien💀: yeah, I’m at the indoor pool. Can’t sleep. Wanna join me?
I slipped on the thick hotel robe over my shorts, a warm, comforting hug and padded out into the hallway. The marble floors felt cold under my bare feet, the corridors eerily quiet at this hour, the soft hum of distant elevators the only sound breaking the silence.
I took the private elevator down to the spa level, the doors opening to a dimly lit atrium filled with potted palms and the faint smell of chlorine.