Facade of Love

Chapter 208 When He’s Out of Line, I Step In

Idris did not seem drunk, but I had this nagging feeling he was a bit off–kilter.

He did not argue when I suggested staying put, just nodded and grunted in agreement.

I dashed into the bakery. Having never seen him indulge in sweets, I had no clue what he would like, so I just picked out a few treats that I liked. On my way out, I spotted a 24–hour convenience store and thought, ‘Yogurt’s good for sobering up,‘ so I grabbed a few cups along with some bottled water.

The whole trip took maybe seven or eight minutes. When I got back to the car, the passenger seat was empty. No sign of him in the backseat either. The street was bustling with people, lovers strolling hand in hand or friends laughing in groups, but no sign of Idris.

At first, I figured he had gone to get something himself, so I climbed back into the car to wait. After sitting there for a good while with no sign of him, worry started to gnaw at me. He had been drinking, and anything could happen to a drunk man alone at this hour.

The thought struck me, and suddenly, I just could not sit still in the car anymore. I hopped out and started searching high and low. The road stretched on forever, and every direction seemed the same, so I had no clue where to begin. All I could do was trust my gut and wander aimlessly in search of any sign.

I must have jogged up and down the road a dozen times without spotting a soul, and my worry only grew. It was not until I decided to get some help that I realized, in my rush, I had left my phone in the car.

Feeling helpless, I trudged back to the car to grab my phone and call for backup.

“Woof…” A sound from a shadowy alley caught me off guard. I was not usually a scaredy–cat, but it was way past midnight, someone was missing, and my nerves were already shot.

into the alley. It was too dark to see clearly, but I could just make out a big dog growling into an even darker corner, like it had seen something

stories I had heard. Old folks always said animals could sense

not help but sweat a little. I was not one to believe in ghosts,

disturb something… something better left alone. With a deep breath,

barely moved an inch when a bizarre hiss

away. Squinting in the dim light, I

tried to bolt, but my legs turned to jelly,

stirred in the shadows where the black dog was glaring–a

208 When He’s Out of Line.

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a white blur.

me, I hung around a few seconds longer, letting my eyes

could finally see the

a person and

but take a longer look at the shadowy figure. I mean, if ghosts were real, I was dying to know what they

made out the familiar face in the dark, I