Chapter 4: Between Dream and Nightmare
1196 Words
It was already late when Crystal Almonte arrived home.
She found her mother sitting quietly on the sofa, waiting.
Crystal walked over and gently took her mother’s hand to her forehead.
“Good evening, Mom,” she greeted softly.
Her mother smiled, but there was worry in her eyes.
“You’re home late, anak. Your dad and I already had dinner. You said on the phone we should go ahead.”
Crystal nodded. “Yes, Mom.”
“It’s already 9 PM,” her mother added. “I saved some food for you. Eat first, okay?”
Crystal paused.
She wasn’t hungry at all.
She was exhausted. Drained. And worst of all—her mind was a mess.
But she didn’t want to worry her mother any more.
“I will, Mom. I’ll just change first.”
Her mother smiled, visibly relieved.
And somehow, that was enough reason for Crystal to pretend she was okay… even if she wasn’t.
—
The moment she entered her room, she dropped her bag to the side.
Her energy drained instantly.
She sat on the edge of her bed and exhaled—long and heavy.
Her body was tired… but her mind was even more exhausted.
Slowly, Mia’s words began to echo again.
“He had an ex-fiancée…”
“…she didn’t show up at the wedding…”
“…she looks like you.”
Crystal closed her eyes.
Her chest tightened.
Now it all made sense.
She finally understood why Dino treated her that way.
Why his gaze always felt heavy… filled with something deeper.
Anger. Pain. Resentment.
None of which she caused.
“I’m not his ex-fiancée… so why am I the one being punished?” she whispered.
But no matter how much she tried to reason it out—
She couldn’t forget the way Dino looked at her.
Cold.
Sharp.
Heavy.
As if he wasn’t seeing her… but someone from his past.
“That’s so unfair…” she murmured.
Because it wasn’t her fault.
She didn’t choose to look like that woman.
She didn’t choose to hurt him.
But somehow—
She was the one carrying the weight of it.
—
Her gaze shifted to the corner of her room.
A small, old box caught her attention.
It had been there for years… untouched.
But now, something was pulling her toward it.
Slowly, she stood and opened it.
Inside—
An old pocketbook.
The cover was faded, worn by time.
But the face printed on it was still clear.
Handsome.
Sharp features.
Mysterious.
Powerful.
Her heartbeat quickened.
“Jimmy Guevarra…” she whispered softly.
“I thought I already forgot about you… I loved you even when I knew you were never real.”
Back then—
He was just a dream.
A man made of words.
Someone she met between pages.
Her fingers gently traced the cover.
Like she was touching a memory.
Like she was waking up a part of herself that had been asleep for so long.
But as she stared at Jimmy’s face…
Another image slowly overlapped in her mind.
Cold.
Distant.
Intimidating.
“…Dino Octavio.”
She froze.
Her chest tightened again.
They weren’t exactly the same—
But there was something.
The same aura.
The same gaze.
The same presence that could control a room without saying a word.
“No…” she shook her head.
That couldn’t be.
The man she once dreamed of…
And the man making her life difficult now…
Couldn’t be connected.
Or worse—
Couldn’t be the same.
—
She didn’t realize she had already lain back down on her bed.
Still holding the pocketbook.
She forgot to change.
Forgot to eat.
Her exhaustion… her thoughts… her emotions—
Pulled her into sleep.
—
In her dream—
Crystal stood in a vast, endless space.
Quiet.
Wind brushing against her skin.
It didn’t feel real.
But she was there.
“At last…”
She turned.
A man stood behind her.
Black suit.
Tall.
Perfect.
He walked toward her slowly.
And with every step, her heartbeat grew louder.
“Jimmy…” she whispered.
He smiled.
That familiar smile.
The one she once loved.
“I thought you forgot about me,” he said softly.
She smiled faintly.
There was warmth… and sadness.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“But you’re here…”
He stopped right in front of her.
Too close.
She could feel his presence—
So real.
He lifted his hand and gently touched her cheek.
“Missed me?” he whispered.
Crystal closed her eyes.
“You never really left… did you?” she answered softly.
For a moment—
It felt like they were the only two people in existence.
But then—
Something changed.
The touch on her cheek became firmer.
Heavier.
Familiar.
Her eyes snapped open.
The face in front of her—
Changed.
The smile disappeared.
The warmth vanished.
The eyes turned cold.
And the man in front of her—
Was no longer Jimmy.
It was—
Dino.
“…Sir?”
The air grew heavy.
His gaze sharp.
Emotionless.
Yet dangerously close.
“Still dreaming?” he asked coldly.
She stepped back.
“I—I thought—”
“You thought I was him?” he cut in.
His stare hurt.
And she couldn’t answer.
Because even in a dream—
She couldn’t lie.
He stepped closer.
Closer.
No space left between them.
“And now?” his voice dropped.
“Who do you see?”
She couldn’t move.
Couldn’t speak.
But her heart—
Was racing uncontrollably.
She didn’t know if it was fear…
Or something else she refused to admit.
—
She woke up suddenly.
Breathless. Sweating.
Her heart pounding violently.
She sat up.
“What was that…?”
She held her chest.
She could still feel it—
His gaze.
His voice.
That overwhelming presence.
Even awake—
It lingered.
“If Jimmy… is a dream…”
She swallowed.
“…then Dino…”
She paused.
“…feels like a nightmare.”
But deep inside—
There was something she didn’t want to admit.
No matter how much she denied it—
Both men affected her.
Both were slowly consuming her thoughts.
And worst of all—
Both were slowly finding their way into her heart.
—
The next morning—
As Crystal stood in front of the mirror—
She stared at her reflection.
As if searching for something.
As if trying to see what Dino sees.
Is it really her?
Or the woman he lost?
She took a deep breath.
Grabbed her bag.
Fixed herself.
But no matter how much she tried—
She couldn’t fix what she felt.
She didn’t know if she was ready to face Dino again.
Or worse—
If she was ready to face her own feelings.
—
If the man in her dreams is Jimmy…
Why is Dino the one slowly taking over her heart?
What if—
The man she dreams of…
And the man she fears in reality—
Are actually the same?
—
What do you think?
Is Crystal still in love with Jimmy…
or is Dino already the one taking over her heart?
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD