Chapter 132 — The Brother I Thought Was Dead
I woke up a few minutes past 5 a.m. My heart was racing. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.
The room was quiet. The curtains were still drawn. The faint light of early morning slipped through the edges, painting soft lines across the walls.
But my chest felt tight. Because of the dream. Felix.
I sat up slowly in bed, pressing my hand against my heart as if that would calm it.
I had seen him. My elder brother. The last time I saw Felix was seven years ago.
On the night my family was murdered.
The night everything burned and I lost everything. At least… that was what I believed. Until now.
I swallowed hard and leaned back against the headboard.
In the dream, I was standing in an empty space. It was neither dark nor bright. It was just… there. Like fog without cold.
And then I saw Felix. He looked older. But it was him. His eyes were the same.
Warm and protective, like they always used to be.
“Elara,” he had said softly.
The sound of my name on his lips had broken something inside me.
“Felix?” I had whispered.
I remember stepping closer to him in the dream, afraid that if I moved too fast, he would disappear.
“I’m alive,” he told me.
Alive. The word echoed in my mind even now.
“I thought you were dead,” I had told him in the dream. My voice was shaking. “I thought they killed you.”
He shook his head slowly.
“No,” he said. “They enslaved me.”
Enslaved.
I closed my eyes now, remembering the look on his face when he said it.
My breathing grew uneven as I remembered what I saw next. I had stepped closer to him in the dream.
And that was when I noticed it. The markings. Strange lines across his arms.
Scars on his wrists. Marks around his neck.
I had seen those before. In another dream. The young man in chains. The one I kept seeing. The one whose face was always hidden in shadow.
My heart nearly stopped when I realized it. It was him.
“You’re the one,” I whispered. “You’re the one I’ve been seeing.”
He looked at me with something close to sadness. He tried to speak again but couldn’t.
Then everything faded. And I woke up.
Now, sitting on my bed, I pressed my fingers against my temples.
Was it real? Was it truly a vision?
Or was it my heart trying to bring back someone I missed too much?
It felt so real. Not like other dreams. It felt like he was there. Flesh and blood. Alive.
My eyes filled with tears before I could stop them.
“All these years,” I whispered to myself.
For seven years, I believed my brother was dead. I mourned him. I cried for him.
And now–What if he was alive?
What if he had been suffering all this time? Enslaved.
The word hurt more than death. Death is final. But slavery?
That is living in pain every day.
“I should have known,” I murmured. “I should have felt it.”
But how could I? I was just a frightened girl back then.
The sound of my phone ringing broke through my thoughts.
I wiped my face quickly and reached for it. Edward.
I inhaled slowly before answering. “Good morning,” I said softly.
“Good morning, Elara,” Edward replied, his voice warm and steady.
Just hearing him calmed me a little.
“You’re up early,” he said.
“So are you,” I replied.
He chuckled softly. “I have to leave for the office very early this morning.”
“Oh,” I said. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” he assured me. “Just some things I need to handle personally.”
There was a brief silence.
“You sound different,” he added gently. “Did you sleep well?”
I hesitated. “I had a dream,” I admitted.
“Another one?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“Was it bad?”
I swallowed. “It was… emotional.”
He didn’t push me.
“I saw my brother,” I said finally.
There was silence on the other end.
“Felix?” Edward asked carefully.
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
I leaned back against the pillows.
“He told me he’s alive,” I whispered.
Edward didn’t speak immediately.
“I thought he died that night,” I continued. “But in the dream, he said he was enslaved. That they dragged him away.”
“Elara…” Edward’s voice was softer now.
“I saw the markings on him,” I said. “Scars. Chains. Edward… he was the young man I’ve been seeing in my dreams.”
The line was quiet for a few seconds.
I closed my eyes.
“What if he’s alive?” I whispered.
“Then we’ll find him,” Edward said firmly.
The certainty in his voice made my heart ache.
“I don’t even know where to start,” I said.
“We’ll take it one step at a time,” he replied. “You’re not alone in this.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Always,” he said.
His tone shifted slightly.
“I also called for another reason,” he continued.
“What is it?”
“I asked a few boutique owners and clothing brands to bring their collections to the mansion today.”
I blinked.
“What?”
He laughed softly.
“You need clothes, Elara. Proper ones. You can’t keep wearing the same few dresses.”
“That’s too much,” I protested immediately. “Why would they bring everything here?”
“So you can pick what you want without stress,” he replied casually. We couldn’t shop the other day because of Vivian.
“Edward,” I groaned softly. “I wouldn’t even know what to pick.”
“You don’t have to worry,” he said. “They’re bringing their stylist too.”
“This is unnecessary.”
“It’s not,” he said gently. “But you deserve it.”
I fell quiet.
No one had ever said that to me before.
“Elara,” he said softly, “let me do this for you.”
His voice held something deeper. Care. Affection.
“Fine,” I said reluctantly.
He chuckled. “That’s better.”
I hesitated before speaking again. “Can I call Seraphina over?” I asked.
“Of course,” he replied immediately.
“Really?”
“Yes. You and Seraphina can pick whatever you want.”
I smiled faintly. “She’s going to scream when she sees all those clothes.”
Edward laughed.
“Thank you,” I said again.
“Are you feeling better now?” he asked gently.
“A little,” I admitted.
“Try to relax today,” he said. “Don’t overthink the dream.”
I looked down at my hands.
“I’ll try.”
“I’ll call you later,” he said.
“Okay.” The call ended.
I sat there for a long time after that. My mind was still on Felix.
If it was a true vision, then somewhere out there, my brother was breathing. Suffering. Waiting.
I wiped my face and forced myself to stand.
If Edward was bringing half the fashion world into the mansion today, I needed to prepare myself. Also, I need to prepare his breakfast too.
But even as I walked toward the bathroom…
Even as I turned on the water and let it run over my hands…
One thought would not leave me.