He nced at the clock. It was gettingte, but he grabbed his keys and dashed out anyway.


    After filming for some days on the ind, Amara was exhausted and had gone to bed early. In the middle of the night, she was jolted awake by a nightmare. She sat up, touched her forehead, and felt the fine sheen of sweat on her fingertips, her back damp and mmy.


    The image of falling into a ck hole from her dream still haunted her. She got up, took a warm shower, and then headed to the kitchen for a ss of water, sipping it slowly.


    Usually, Amara slept well, but ever since she identally fell into the sinkhole a few days ago, as if traumatized, she''d been having recurring nightmares. This was the third one, and she wondered when they''d finally stop.


    After finishing her water, she intended to return to bed when she heard a faint rustling outside the door. The sound startled her.


    At first, she thought her mind was ying tricks on her, but after holding her breath and listening closely for a few more seconds, the sound came again.


    It was quiet enough that it wouldn''t have been noticeable with hypothetical the TV on, but the house was silent, and at this hour, with hardly any cars on the road, it was so quiet that every little noise was expressly evident.


    Amara nced at the clock. It was already past four in the morning. Who could it be outside? On tiptoe, she crept to the door and peeked through the peephole.


    To her shock, a familiar figure stood by the wall. Her eyes widened in disbelief. What on earth was he doing at her doorstep in the middle of the night?


    She nced down to make sure her body were decently covered, then swung the door open and asked, "What are you doing here?"


    The man outside looked up at her. He had been leaning against the wall with his eyes downcast, but when he heard the click of the door opening and saw her head poke out, he immediately straightened up.


    It was none other than Finnian. He stepped toward Amara and asked, "Why aren''t you asleep?"


    Amara opened the door wider. A wave of alcohol hit her. Had Finnian been drinking?


    "I was sleeping but got woken up by a nightmare," Amara replied. "Mr. Everly,


    what brings you here? Do you need anything?"


    Finnian leaned against the doorframe, staring into Amara''s eyes without saying a word. His gaze was intense, and Amara found it unsettling. She took a step back and asked again, "Do you need something?"


    Finnian continued to look at her and slowly said, "I missed you."


    Amara froze for a moment. She raised her head. "Mr. Everly, have you been drinking? Are you sure


    ???


    Voe thinking straight? Let me help


    you get home."


    "Ever heard of the saying, ''in wine, there''s truth"?"


    Amara''s expression remained stoic. "I tend to believe people talk nonsense when drunk."


    Finnian''s lips curled into a slight smile, teasing, "You''re like a rock, aren''t you?"


    Amara was curious why he was here at this ungodly hour? She didn''t want to see him.


    "Mr. Everly, you should head back," Amara said. "It''s reallyte, and you need rest. I need rest too."


    She emphasized thest part. Hearing that she also wanted to rest, Finnian couldn''t argue.


    Truth be told, he hadn''t wanted to


    disturb Amara''s sleep. When he arrived at her doorstep hours ago, he refrained from knocking, feeling guilty about waking her at midnight.