Chapter 61: MASKED DOM

I stood frozen in the middle of the road, my feet refusing to move no matter how much I forced them to. My breath came in short, uneven puffs as I stared ahead at the man standing just a few feet away. A black mask covered the lower half of his face, and his outfit was as dark as the shadows creeping along the empty street. But I knew him.

The white hair. Those green eyes. Those enchanting green eyes that seem to draw people in or look deep into their soul, into their darkest mind. Makes one thing he knows what they're hiding. That familiar look. It was him, the one Tabitha called Dom.

My fingers curled into shaky fists as his gaze locked onto mine. He wasn’t doing anything—just standing there like a statue, he did nothing to help me move, and he only watched.

And it was infuriating. The road stretched on endlessly, bordered by dense forests on either side. The weather was strange, like the world itself was stuck between day and night, the sun dimmed to an unnatural glow. Not a single car in sight. No movement. Not a soul, except us, Not a sound, except for the whispers.

*"Come."*

*"Come to me."*

A chill ran down my spine. The voices fell in-between male and female, they were soft, almost gentle, but they made my stomach twist, and turn. My eyes darted around, looking for the source, but there was no one else here. Just me. And him.

Is it… is he the one saying it? Is he the one calling me?

I tried to step back, to move even an inch, but my body wouldn’t listen. My lips parted, and I fought to speak, but no words came out. It was like my voice has been stolen, my mouth stitched shut. A strangled, broken mumble escaped me, it was garbled and unfinished, frustrating me to no end.

He felt so familiar, And the ache in my chest deepened because of it. I'm sure it wasn't the familiarity if us meeting at Tabitha's. A connection I couldn’t explain, like we knew each other. Like we’d always known each other.

And it hurt.

I lifted my hand, reaching for him, desperate to touch him—to prove he was real. But the moment I did, I saw it.

Blood.

My palm was drenched in it, it was thick and dark, oozing from the scar.

Panic surged through me. I pressed my other hand over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it just kept slipping through my fingers. My breaths grew shaky, my vision blurring, and it made me wonder if I was I dying?

He suddenly moved. Slowly, he took his time, step by step, he walked toward me, unbothered by my panic, until he was right in front of me. I swallowed hard, my throat dr, and my heart pounded against my ribs.

He raised a hand—gloved hands—and touched my cheek.

My breath hitched.

His gloved fingers were warm against my skin, different from the eerie cold air around us. I shuddered, my body betraying me as I leaned into the touch. His head tilted slightly, studying me, watching the way I caved so easily as though it's a new thing to him.

Then, he leaned in.

His face was close to mine, so close I could feel his breath against my ear, I felt like he was about to say something.

And just as he made to whisper something—

A loud, shrill noise follow by my stray kids hall of fame ringtone tore through the moment.

\---

I woke up with a sharp inhale, my chest heaving as my phone blared next to my ear.

For a second, I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, trying to remember where the hell I was. My heart was still racing, and my hands felt clammy. The phantom sensation of his touch lingered on my cheek.

I turned my head and looked at my phone. 7:00 AM on a Wednesday morning.

I groaned, rubbing my face. The damn thing had nearly ruptured my eardrum. Why the hell did I fall asleep with my phone close to my ear?

Reaching for the phone, I declined the call without even checking who it was. My fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before I let my hand drop onto my chest.

What was he going to say?

Ugh, why didn't my body wait to hear it before it woke up?

My nightmares had always been the same—that room, that statue, that scar. But now he was in it too.

Was it just my mind messing with me?

Or was there a reason he kept showing up—everywhere?

The phone rang again, cutting through my thoughts. I exhaled sharply and grabbed it, narrowing my eyes when I saw Xinmei on the screen.

I swiped to answer and put the phone to my ear. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” My voice was groggy, laced with exhaustion and anger. “You do not call me this early. No one calls me this early. If we’re going walk around together, you need to understand that. I only take calls from 9 AM.”

There was a pause. Then, “Uh… I’ll take that as I woke you up at the wrong time.”

“No shit.”

“The trip is tomorrow,” she continued, ignoring my annoyance. “I wanted to know if you wanted to grab some new clothes for it. The stuff in my closet is looking weird. Like, everything suddenly makes me look like a pregnant woman. I think I lost some weight.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Seriously. Is she fucking kidding me?

“I’ll call you back when I decide,” I muttered, then ended the call before she could say anything else.

I switched off my phone and tossed it onto the bed before flopping back onto my pillow, throwing an arm over my face.

And why did I feel like I was supposed to remember something?