"I''m not entirely sure," I said hesitantly. "Lexi told me that her dad used to work with my dad. They were close, so he knew about these things. But after her


    parents divorced, she moved away with her mom. That''s why we lost contact over the years."


    I paused for a moment before adding, "I need to get back to the hospital. My mom''s waiting for me."


    "I''ll drive you," Alex said, picking up his car keys and standing up.


    I didn''t refuse and followed him out of the café.


    In the car, I couldn''t hold back my curiosity. "Alex, why are you helping me this much? I mean... we''re not that close, are we?"


    He suddenly mmed on the brakes.


    I gasped and nearly hit the windshield. I was just about toin about his reckless driving when I looked up and saw the red light ahead.


    He nced at me through the rear-view mirror and said in an unreadable voice, "No reason. Just think of it as me having too much time on my hands."


    That answer made me inexplicably angry.


    Too much time on his hands? He got himself tangled in all of this, and he brushed it off with that?


    I turned my head, stared out the window at the passing cityscape, and said nothing. The light turned green, and the car started moving again. I didn''t know why, but a wave of frustration suddenly welled up inside me.


    Everything-Lexi''s actions, the chaos online, and Alex''s strange behavior-left me feelingpletely drained.


    At some point, exhaustion took over, and I drifted off to sleep. I dreamed of when I was very little, so little that Mom seemed tall-so very tall. I was still learning to walk then. Sunlight bathed her face, and she smiled gently while holding my hand and guiding me step by step.


    I knew it was a dream. Who remembered being that young?


    But it felt so real. The warm sunlight, the softness of her hand, the faint fragrance


    on her clothes-it all made me feel incredibly safe.


    Then, suddenly, the scene shifted.


    I was back in our old house. I stood at the gate, watching as Grandma pointed at Mom''s face and


    screamed at her. Her words were sharp and venomous, stabbing into my ears like needles.


    I wanted to rush forward and protect Mom, but my legs felt like they were made of lead. No matter how hard tried, I couldn''t move. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. I could only watch helplessly as Grandma shoved Mom to the ground. She sat there, crying, while I stood frozen, unable to do a thing...


    "Serena! Serena!"


    A voice yanked me out of my nightmare.


    I snapped my eyes open to find Alex staring at me with concern.


    "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked gently.


    It was only then that I realized my face was wet with tears. I quickly wiped them


    away, forcing an awkward smile. "I''m fine. Just... a dream."


    He reached out and brushed his fingers lightly against my forehead. His voice


    was soft. "As long as you''re okay. We''re here."


    I turned and saw that we were


    the


    parked in front of the hospital. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I pushed door open and stepped out. Standing there at the entrance, 4 took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart.


    The images from my dream still clung to me. The helplessness and fear wrapped


    around me like chains, making it hard to breathe.


    At that moment, I spotted a familiar figure walking out of the hospital.