CHAPTER 3
656 Words
Ethan’s POV
Night sits heavy on my chest.
Maybe it’s the exhaustion. Maybe it’s the silence. Or maybe… something else.
I don’t know.
All I know is—
At first, it’s just darkness. Like a thick fog swallowing everything around me.
Then—
A sound.
Soft. Breaking. A sob.
Someone crying.
I try to see, but the darkness doesn’t lift.
Her voice comes next. Shaking. Desperate.
“Please… believe me…”
My heart clenches so tight.
Another sob. Another breath that shatters. Tear-stained cheeks, a trembling mouth—
Then suddenly—
A smile.
Bright. Beautiful. Like someone who once made the world feel warmer.
But the images shift too fast— From tears to a smile to empty eyes to a hand reaching out to a shadow fading—
And then—
A whisper.
“Why didn’t you listen to me…?”
My pulse spikes.
I try to speak. I try to answer her. But my throat locks, like the words are glued inside me.
Her silhouette flickers— crying, pleading, disappearing.
“Don’t leave me…”
Her voice trembles like it’s breaking into a thousand pieces.
“Why didn't you believed me?”
The sobs become louder.
Broken. Filled with pain.
I reach out.
The darkness collapses—
And I jerk awake.
My chest heaves as if I ran miles. Sweat clings to my back.
The room is dim. The only light comes from the faint glow of the street lamps outside.
Lilly lies beside me, back facing me, breathing steady.
Peaceful.
Untouched by whatever storm just ripped through my head.
I sit up slowly, rubbing my face.
My hands are trembling.
“Why… again?” I whisper to myself.
These nightmares aren’t new. They come and go, but lately…
Lately it's become a daily basis.
I slide out of bed carefully so I don’t wake Lilly.
My feet touch the cold floor. The silence of the penthouse rings loudly in my ears.
I open the bedside drawer.
Inside lies a half-used pack of cigarettes.
I haven’t touched it in months. I had promised Lilly I would quit.
But tonight…
Tonight something inside me feels hollow, restless, aching.
I take one out, slip it between my fingers, and walk to the balcony.
---
The night air hits me like a shock— cold, sharp, almost cleansing.
I pull the lighter from my pocket.
The flame flickers.
Just as I’m about to light the cigarette—
A voice echoes in my head.
Soft. Warm. Scolding in a gentle way.
“Don’t smoke… it’s not good for a handsome man like you.”
I freeze.
My fingers go still, lighter inches from the cigarette.
The voice is so clear, her voice.
Coated with sweetness.
I swallow hard.
“Why now…?” The word escapes me before I can stop it.
No answer.
Just the sea of city lights below and the night breeze brushing my skin.
I exhale shakily.
Then I ignore the voice— or try to.
The lighter clicks. The tip glows.
I inhale deeply.
Smoke fills my lungs, hot and bitter.
The night feels even colder now.
I lean against the balcony rail, staring at nothing and everything.
The cigarette burns slowly between my fingers.
My voice breaks the silence.
“I have everything I ever wanted,” I murmur to the empty sky.
A beautiful home. A stable life. A woman who loves me. A career people dream of.
Everything.
And yet—
“Why does it feel…” My throat tightens, the confession scraping out raw.
“…like it’s nothing close to what I need?”
The words hang in the air, unheard by anyone.
Except maybe the night.
Except maybe… something in the past I remember correctly.
Smoke drifts upward, disappearing into the dark.
Just like the face in my dream.
Just like the voice.
Just like the pieces of myself I feel slipping through my fingers, one by one.
---
- Writer
