In Forever

CHAPTER FOUR: AWAKENING

Darkness pressed against him like deep water.

Not the peaceful kind that came with sleep.

This was thick and endless—sinking with no strength left to swim upward. His body felt numb. His chest burned.

Somewhere in the distance, voices echoed faintly, distorted and far away.

Then came pain.

Sharp. Violent.

It tore through his skull so suddenly that Elias gasped.

His eyes snapped open.

A blinding chandelier greeted him first. Crystal lights shimmered overhead like frozen stars, forcing him to squint.

The ceiling stretched impossibly high, decorated with intricate gold patterns he couldn't begin to understand.

For several seconds, he simply stared.

Confusion crawled slowly through his mind.

This wasn't a hospital.

It wasn't his apartment either.

Nothing about the room looked remotely familiar.

The bed beneath him was enormous, softer than anything he had ever touched. Dark silk sheets tangled around his legs.

The scent of expensive cologne and alcohol hung heavy in the air.

Alcohol.

The smell was suffocating.

Elias pushed himself upright too quickly and immediately groaned as dizziness slammed into him.

A splitting headache pulsed behind his eyes. His throat felt raw, dry enough to tear apart.

"What..." His voice came out hoarse.

He froze.

That wasn't his voice.

His breathing hitched.

Slowly—almost fearfully—he lifted his hands in front of him.

Large hands.

Smooth skin.

No callouses.

No scars from years of labor.

His heart began pounding violently.

"No..."

The word trembled from unfamiliar lips.

Elias stumbled out of bed, nearly collapsing as his legs struggled to support him.

The room spun around him in dizzying luxury—black marble floors, towering glass windows, modern paintings on the walls that probably cost more than his entire life savings.

He staggered toward the nearest reflective surface.

And stopped breathing.

A stranger stared back at him.

Sharp jawline. Dark hair slightly disheveled. Piercing grey eyes.

A face he recognized instantly.

Damien Vale.

The billionaire heir whose face covered business magazines and financial news channels almost weekly.

Elias's knees nearly buckled.

His trembling fingers touched the mirror. The reflection copied him perfectly.

"No... no, this isn't possible..."

Panic clawed up his throat.

His mind raced wildly, desperately trying to make sense of reality.

The last thing he remembered was blood, truck, his sister screams and then darkness.

So why—

Why was he here?

Why was he inside another man's body?

A violent wave of nausea hit him. Elias stumbled into a nearby bathroom and barely reached the sink before vomiting. His entire body shook afterward as cold sweat coated his skin.

The bathroom alone was larger than his entire apartment. Marble counters. Golden fixtures.

A bathtub that looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel.

He gripped the edge of the sink tightly, staring again at the unfamiliar face in the mirror.

Damien Vale.

This wasn't a dream.

It couldn't be.

Dreams didn't feel this real.

A sudden pounding on the bedroom door made him flinch violently.

"Mr. Vale?"

A woman's voice. Careful. Concerned.

"You missed two meetings already. Are you alright?"

Elias's heartbeat quickened.

Meetings. Right. Damien Vale wasn't some ordinary man. He was one of the richest businessmen in the country.

What was he supposed to do now?

Tell them the truth? That he was a dead nobody trapped inside a billionaire's corpse?

They would lock him in a psychiatric hospital immediately.

"Mr. Vale?"

The voice sounded closer now.

Elias swallowed hard.

"I..." His voice cracked. "I'm fine."

Silence lingered briefly before the woman spoke again.

"Should I send breakfast upstairs?"

Breakfast? The mere thought made his stomach twist again.

"No."

"Very well, sir."

Footsteps retreated.

Elias released a shaky breath.

Sir.

Nobody had ever called him that before. Not once in his entire life.

Slowly, he returned to the bedroom. His eyes drifted across the luxurious space until they landed on several framed photographs resting atop a black shelf.

Curiosity pulled him closer.

The first photo showed Damien beside an older man with silver hair and a stern expression.

Even smiling, the man looked intimidating.

Arthur Vale.

The founder of Vale Corporation.

Next to him stood a graceful older woman wearing diamonds around her neck like they were ordinary decorations. Her beauty looked cold somehow.

Isabella Vale.

Damien's mother.

Then there was another picture.

Twin men stood side by side in elegant suits.

Damien. And Lucien.

Even in photographs, the difference between them was obvious.

Damien's expression looked restrained, almost detached, while Lucien smiled confidently at the camera with natural charm.

Elias stared quietly.

They looked alike physically.

But emotionally, they felt like opposites.

Another frame caught his attention. This one made his chest tighten unexpectedly.

A woman.

Long dark hair flowed over her shoulders in soft waves. Her eyes were beautiful yet strangely sad, even beneath her gentle smile.

She stood beside Damien in a wedding photo.

Serena.

His wife.

Elias frowned slightly.

There was distance between them even in the photograph.

Damien's expression remained cold while Serena smiled alone, as though trying desperately enough for both of them.

Something about it hurt to look at.

A sudden buzzing sound interrupted his thoughts.

Elias startled before realizing a phone was vibrating on the bedside table.

The screen lit up with a name.

Celeste.

The name sent discomfort through him despite knowing almost nothing about her.

He remembered reading gossip articles occasionally while waiting in grocery store lines years ago.

Celeste Laurent. Actress. Socialite. Beautiful enough to ruin men.

The phone continued vibrating insistently.

Elias hesitated before answering.

"...Hello?"

Silence.

Then a woman laughed softly on the other end.

"Well, you sound terrible."

Her voice was smooth, confident, and intimate.

Elias said nothing.

"I heard about last night," she continued. "Honestly, Damien, drinking yourself half to death over me is becoming pathetic."

His chest tightened.

So Damien really had died drinking.

"You should've just accepted reality," Celeste sighed dramatically. "Lucien understands me better than you ever could."

Something cold settled in Elias's stomach.

The words felt cruel. Not teasing. Not playful. Cruel.

"You know," she continued lazily, "I almost felt bad watching you embarrass yourself."

Embarrass yourself.

Elias gripped the phone tighter.

All his life, he had endured humiliation silently.

People spoke carelessly when they believed someone beneath them had no pride left to wound.

But hearing this woman speak to a dead man like this filled him with strange anger.

Not for himself.

For Damien.

Because regardless of who Damien had been, nobody deserved to die feeling unwanted.

"I won't call again for a while," Celeste said casually. "Lucien doesn't like it."

Click.

The call ended.

Elias stared at the phone silently.

Then slowly lowered it.

So this was the woman Damien destroyed his marriage for.

A woman who sounded completely indifferent to his suffering.

Before he could think further, another knock sounded.

This time gentler.

"Damien?"

A woman's voice. Soft. Careful.

Elias looked toward the door instinctively.

Serena.

For reasons he couldn't explain, nervousness gripped him immediately.

The door opened slowly before he could answer.

And there she was.

More beautiful than her photograph.

She wore a simple cream-colored dress, elegant despite its simplicity.

Her long dark hair rested loosely over one shoulder while faint exhaustion lingered beneath her eyes.

But what struck Elias most wasn't her appearance.

It was her posture.

Careful. Guarded.

Like someone entering a room with a wounded animal, uncertain if it might bite.

Her eyes briefly met his, before lowering almost immediately.

"I heard you were unwell," she said quietly.

Elias stared.

No anger. No accusations. Just concern.

Even after everything Damien apparently put her through.

"I'm... alright," he answered awkwardly.

The moment the words left his mouth, Serena visibly froze.

Confusion flickered across her face.

Elias realized too late that perhaps Damien normally spoke differently.

"You missed breakfast," she said after a pause.

He nodded uncertainly.

Silence stretched between them painfully.

Then Serena stepped farther into the room and placed a glass of water beside him.

"You should drink something."

Elias blinked.

Such a simple action. Yet the gentleness behind it stirred something unfamiliar inside him.

Nobody had cared for him quietly like that in years. Not since his sister was little.

"Thank you," he murmured instinctively.

Serena looked at him sharply.

As if shocked.

Elias's stomach sank.

Right. Damien probably never thanked her either.

The atmosphere suddenly felt strange.

Serena studied him carefully now, suspicion beginning to replace concern.

"You're acting unusual today."

Elias forced himself to calm.

"I just have a headache."

She continued staring.

For one terrifying moment, he wondered if she somehow knew.

But then her expression softened slightly.

"...You should rest then."

She turned toward the door.

Something inside Elias reacted before he could stop it.

"Serena."

She paused. Slowly glanced back.

Elias opened his mouth, then hesitated.

What exactly was he trying to say?

Sorry? For another man's sins? For the loneliness in her eyes? For a marriage that looked dead long before he arrived?

In the end, only one word came out.

"...Thank you."

Serena's expression shifted again.

Not warmth. Not happiness.

Confusion. Deep confusion.

Because perhaps Damien Vale had never thanked her for anything before.

Without another word, she left the room quietly.

The moment the door shut, Elias exhaled heavily.

This was impossible. Completely impossible.

He wasn't Damien. He didn't belong here.

Yet somehow he had inherited this man's life.

A life filled with wealth beyond imagination... and relationships already broken beyond repair.

His gaze drifted once more toward the wedding photograph.

Serena's smile looked lonely now that he stared closely enough.

Had she always looked that way?

A sudden sharp pain stabbed through his head.

Elias staggered as fragmented images flashed across his mind.

Champagne glasses.

A lavish ballroom.

Damien shouting angrily.

Lucien smirking.

Celeste walking away on another man's arm.

Then—

Serena standing alone beside a window while Damien ignored her completely.

The visions vanished instantly.

Elias gasped softly.

Memories. Not his. Damien's.

His pulse quickened.

So traces of the original owner still remained inside this body.

The realization terrified him.

Would Damien eventually return? Would Elias disappear?

Or worse—

Was he slowly becoming Damien?

A knock interrupted him again. This time firmer.

"Brother."

Lucien.

Even hearing the voice sent tension through him.

"Mother wants everyone assembled tomorrow."

Elias turned toward the door cautiously.

Lucien entered without waiting for permission.

The resemblance between the twins was unsettling face-to-face.

Yet where Damien's features carried cold sharpness, Lucien radiated effortless charisma.

But his eyes...

His eyes were calculating. Sharp enough to dissect people alive.

Lucien stopped mid-step, studying him carefully.

"You look awful," he commented lightly.

Elias said nothing.

Lucien smirked faintly.

"So the mighty Damien Vale can bleed after all."

There was mockery hidden beneath the humor. Years of resentment disguised as brotherly teasing.

Elias recognized it immediately because he had seen similar expressions among coworkers and struggling families all his life.

People rarely hated strangers as deeply as they hated their own blood.

"You missed Father's calls," Lucien continued. "That's unlike you."

"I wasn't feeling well."

Lucien's gaze narrowed slightly. Something about the answer clearly bothered him.

But eventually he shrugged.

"Well, try looking alive before dinner. Mother already thinks you're embarrassing enough."

And there it was again. Cruelty wrapped casually inside conversation.

This family really was broken.

Lucien turned to leave, then paused near the doorway.

"Oh, and Damien?"

Elias looked up.

"For what it's worth... Celeste was never going to choose you."

The door shut behind him.

Silence consumed the room once more.

Elias stood motionless.

He suddenly understood why Damien drank himself to death.

This life might have been rich, but it was painfully empty.

No warmth. No sincerity. No peace.

Just masks, expectations, and emotional starvation hidden beneath designer suits and luxury walls.

Slowly, Elias sank onto the edge of the bed again.

His head lowered into trembling hands.

What was he supposed to do now?

He didn't know business. He didn't understand high society. He didn't even know how rich people behaved.

One wrong move and everyone around him would realize something was terribly wrong.

Yet beneath the fear, another emotion quietly emerged.

Sadness.

Not for himself.

For Damien.

Because somewhere along the way, this man had become so unloved that nobody seemed shocked he nearly died alone.

Even his wife approached him cautiously. As if kindness toward her had become unnatural.

Elias closed his eyes.

For most of his life, he believed wealth solved everything.

But sitting inside Damien Vale's luxurious prison, he finally understood something terrifying.

Money could buy comfort. Power. Status.

But it could not force people to love you.

And somehow, despite inheriting everything a man could dream of—

Damien Vale had died with absolutely nothing.