Caspian tossed the phone aside, and it hit the carpet with a dull thud.

My eyelashes trembled.

He lifted his eyelids, his smile incredibly cold. "Nothing I can do. It seems your childhood sweetheart has really captured my friend's heart."

"Why can't you just be good and try to capture mine?"

"Come here. Hold me."

4

I stepped out of bed in my slippers.

I opened the door and stared dazed at the apartment across the hall.

The night light in the old building was dim.

It was two in the morning.

Lucas should have been asleep.

But there was a faint noise from behind the opposite door, and then it opened.

Lucas was carrying a trash bag. When he saw me, he looked startled for a moment.

"You..."

"I had a nightmare," I blurted out.

As soon as the words left my mouth, tears began to fall uncontrollably.

Knowing I was losing my composure, I wiped my eyes and explained, "Maybe the exam pressure has been too much lately. Sorry you had to see that."

Lucas was silent for a moment. He leaned down and placed the trash bag by the door.

Then he turned and went back inside.

The apartment was small. Standing at the doorway, I could clearly see him go back to wash his hands.

Then he walked toward me.

I didn't move.

Lucas reached out and awkwardly patted my back to comfort me. "Are you hungry? I can make you some noodles."

The faint scent of laundry detergent on him caused my tears to spill over.

I gripped the hem of his shirt, murmuring instinctively, "I have money. I don't need anyone else's money. Lucas, please don't do anything stupid..."

Just then, an impatient, lazy voice drifted up from the stairs. "I know, I'll bring him back for you in a bit."

"If they were going to be together, it would have happened long ago. What are you worried about? Lucas doesn't even like you—how much could he possibly like her?"

The next second, the voice stopped abruptly.

5

In that instant, the voice-activated light at the staircase flickered on.

The dim, yellowish light spilled downward, casting a cold hue over Caspian’s usually nonchalant face. He had one hand shoved into his jacket pocket while the other held his phone, as if he had just ended a call. The faint, trace of a smile on his lips froze in place.

He saw me.

He also saw Lucas with his hand on my back, comforting me, while I gripped the hem of Lucas's shirt, my eyes red and swollen as if I had just finished crying.

The air suddenly tightened into a suffocating silence.

The blood in my veins turned cold, inch by inch, and even my breath felt trapped.

Images from my past life rushed at me—

The sealed room, the heavy curtains, the door that could never be pushed open.

And that look in his eyes whenever he leaned over me—a gaze filled with scrutiny, obsession, and mockery.

He was always like this: seemingly indifferent on the surface, yet a master at quietly pushing someone into a corner until there was nowhere left to run.

At this moment, the emotion in his eyes was faint—so faint it terrified me even more.

Lucas took a step forward, shielding me from his sight.

"It's late. What are you doing here?"

Caspian looked up, his gaze lingering on Lucas for a few seconds before he let out a low, short laugh.

"I should be asking you that."

His gaze drifted past Lucas and landed on my face, his tone so lazy it was impossible to read. "Not sleeping in the middle of the night, but running to a boy’s door to cry?"

My fingers tightened their grip.

Lucas’s voice was heavy. "It has nothing to do with you."

"Is that so?" Caspian stepped onto the stairs, approaching one slow, deliberate step at a time. "I seem to recall you both being quite prideful today, talking about winning the lottery and not needing anyone's charity."

He stopped right in front of us, looking down at me.

"So, what kind of act is this supposed to be?"

I forced my voice to remain steady. "I had a nightmare. I came out for some air and happened to run into Lucas."

"Oh." He sounded like he believed it, or perhaps he didn't care if it was true or not. He simply noted, "What a coincidence."

I knew he was already suspicious.

Caspian was the type who never voiced his doubts openly. He would tuck them away in his mind and then, in the most casual manner, slowly verify and test them until every exit was blocked.

Lucas clearly realized this as well.

He pulled me slightly further behind him, his tone icy. "If you have nothing else to say, go back."

Caspian watched the movement, and the last trace of a smile finally vanished from his eyes.

"Sloane asked me to check in," he said, lifting his eyelids slightly. "She was afraid you’d run off with someone."

Lucas sneered. "Who does she think she is?"

"It doesn't matter who she thinks she is." Caspian’s voice remained calm. "What matters is that when she wants something, she usually doesn't let go easily."

Those words felt like a needle of ice driven straight into my heart.

The Sloane and Caspian of my past life were exactly like that.

One was obsessive; the other was malicious.

They never believed that liking someone meant respecting or cherishing them. They only knew how to turn "affection" into possession and plunder, trampling over others under the banner of love.

I took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Lucas.

"Well, now you see. I haven't been taken away, and he hasn't eloped with me."

Caspian looked down at me, his eyes darkening.

"Eloped?" He seemed to find the word interesting, the corners of his mouth twitching. "You certainly have a way with words."

I didn't respond, only staring at him. "Can you leave now?"

He suddenly leaned down, bringing his face closer to mine.

I froze instinctively.

He seemed to notice my reaction, pausing for a moment as a strange look flashed through his eyes. Then, he spoke in a measured pace, "Are you afraid of me?"

My heart constricted.

Lucas yanked me back, his voice freezing. "Stay away from her."

Caspian straightened up and rubbed the back of his neck as if he had lost his patience.

"Fine, I'm done messing with you two." He turned and walked down a couple of steps, then looked back at me as if remembering something. "But, for your sake, you better really have had a nightmare."

"Because I hate it when people lie to me."

With that, he turned and left.

Soon, only the sound of his footsteps remained in the hallway, growing more distant.

Only when the sound had completely vanished did I feel as if the strength had been drained from my body. A cold sweat began to break out across my back.

Lucas looked down at me, his brow furrowed. "Do you know him?"

My eyelashes fluttered.

This was a question I would have to face sooner or later.

But now was not the time.

I bit my lip and said softly, "Not exactly."

Lucas clearly didn't believe me.

"Then why are you so terrified of him?"

I was silent for a long time before I looked up at him. "Lucas, if I told you that Sloane and Caspian are dangerous people and that we have to stay away from them... would you believe me?"

He looked at me, his dark eyes steady.

"I believe you."

I was stunned for a moment.

"You're not going to ask why?"

"If you don't want to say, I won't ask." He paused, then added in a low voice, "But if you say it, I believe it."

My eyes stung instantly.

In both my past and present lives, Lucas had always been this way.

He wasn't good at sweet talk, nor did he make grand, dramatic promises. But as long as I said something, he would listen seriously and take it to heart.

I turned my face away and sniffled. "I'm okay now. Go back to sleep."

Lucas didn't move. "Will you be alright alone tonight?"

I knew what he was worried about.

And I truly was afraid to be alone.

But I knew even better that at a time like this, I couldn't let anyone catch us in a compromising position. Sloane was already obsessed with Lucas, and Caspian had started paying attention to me. If I stayed with Lucas tonight, what awaited us tomorrow wouldn't be a simple test.

I shook my head. "I'll be fine."

Lucas watched me for a few seconds before finally nodding.

"Don't double-lock the door too tightly," he said. "If anything happens, knock or call me."

My heart ached as I gave a soft "Okay."

After returning to my room, I stood leaning against the door for a long time.