Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 484

"What if he's not dead?"

"Who's not dead?"

"Who?"

For a split second, Mila wondered if she'd misheard. As the words sank in, she couldn't help thinking Eugene had lost his mind.

Her instinct was to refute him-anyone would. But when she opened her mouth, for reasons she couldn't explain, what came out was not a denial but a question. "What... do you mean?"

She didn't even know why she asked.

It was almost a reflex-questioning, but not denying.

Eugene said nothing, a heavy silence settling between them, their breathing the only sound echoing down the phone line.

After what felt like ages, she finally heard Eugene's voice again, calm and collected. "It's nothing, Mila. I'm a little out of it today, just talking nonsense. It's a hypothetical. I just wanted to know how you felt about my brother... Never mind. Don't worry about it. I'll call you when I'm in a better state."

He rambled through a muddled explanation, then hung up.

Mila didn't stop him. She wanted to-wanted to call out and demand answers- but her throat felt blocked, no sound coming out at all.

Or maybe it was instinct-she was afraid to ask.

She didn't know.

Students streamed past her in the dorm hallway, the air buzzing with chatter and footsteps, but to Mila, the world felt utterly silent. Her hand, still holding the phone pressed to her ear, was frozen in place. It wasn't until a jostling student bumped into her, knocking her phone from her numb fingers, that she snapped out of it.

to retrieve it, the student who'd bumped her picked it

She turned away in a fog, nearly walking into a tree by the sidewalk more than once before

get

she called

replay Eugene's words in her mind. He'd claimed he was speaking nonsense, that she shouldn't take it seriously, but she couldn't let it go. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that

wasn't the first time she'd

could it be

right in front of her, in her

scattering roses-red and black-the man's body collapsing to the floor, her hands slick with blood... blood

in her lap, an odd sense of dread swelling inside her, like she was on the verge of piercing some dense fog but couldn't find the

Blood?

What about the blood?

was still lost in thought when a familiar

she looked up to

front

moment, she thought

emotionless eyes, but it

to its usual calm

Mila hardly noticed.

of the car, then

here?" She was sure

to get rides alone at night," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing

Mila didn't answer.

stared at him for a long moment, her grip tightening on the car door handle. After a pause, she got in without another word, her face

her mind was in

it was the shock of the call, or maybe it was the overwhelming sense of déjà vu, but she stayed silent the entire ride. Even after she got home and locked the door