Ophelia woke up gasping.
Her body jerked forward violently as she struggled to breathe.
Cold.
She still felt cold.
Like the river from the vision had followed her back.
Her chest rose unevenly while panic crawled through her entire body.
The dark gardens slowly came back into focus around her.
Right.
She wasn’t drowning.
She was outside the Vale estate.
Alive.
Probably.
“What the hell was that?” she whispered shakily.
The voice from the vision still echoed inside her head.
“You were never supposed to wake up again.”
It sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
And somehow that scared her more than the actual drowning part.
Footsteps approached quickly behind her.
“Ophelia.”
Alekxander.
Of course.
She turned sharply toward him.
His expression immediately changed when he saw her face.
“You saw something again.”
Not even a question anymore.
Ophelia laughed weakly.
“At this point I should start charging people for these visions.”
He stopped in front of her.
Close.
Too close.
“You’re shaking.”
Only then did she notice it.
Her hands trembled badly.
Alekxander removed his coat immediately and placed it around her shoulders before she could protest.
The warmth hit instantly.
And annoyingly enough…
It comforted her.
Ophelia looked away quickly.
Bad.
Very bad.
This was exactly how people ended up emotionally attached to mysterious men with unresolved trauma.
Alekxander studied her carefully.
“What did you see?”
There it was again.
Honestly, she was starting to think this man’s entire personality was asking her about visions.
But this time…
This time felt different.
Because fear still sat heavily in her chest.
“There was water,” she said quietly.
“A river maybe.”
Alekxander went still.
Completely still.
Oh no.
That reaction again.
Ophelia’s stomach dropped slightly.
“You know what I’m talking about.”
Silence.
Then he asked softly:
“What else?”
She hesitated.
Then quietly repeated the words from the vision:
“You were never supposed to wake up again.”
The moment she finished speaking, something changed in Alekxander’s expression.
Not shock.
Something worse.
Recognition.
Ophelia’s heart started beating faster immediately.
“Who said that?”
A long silence followed.
Then finally.
“I don’t know.”
Liar.
She knew immediately.
Not because of his words.
Because of the way he avoided looking directly at her afterward.
Ophelia stepped back slightly.
“You’re lying.”
Alekxander’s jaw tightened.
“I’m trying to keep you calm.”
“Oh that’s funny because I’m actually losing my mind.”
Her voice cracked slightly near the end.
Not anger this time.
Fear.
Real fear.
Because the vision felt wrong in a different way.
More personal.
Like it wasn’t just the original Ophelia’s memory anymore.
It felt connected to her.
To her death.
Ophelia rubbed her arms slowly beneath the coat.
“I died before coming here.”
The words slipped out quietly.
Alekxander looked at her sharply.
For one second, panic flashed across his face.
Gone immediately after.
But she saw it.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
“You remember your death?” he asked carefully.
Not what do you mean.
Not confusion.
Just immediate understanding.
Ophelia frowned slightly.
“I remember parts of it.”
Mostly confusion.
Rain.
A bright light.
Pain.
And then nothing.
She looked up at him slowly.
“Why are you acting like that matters?”
Silence.
Again.
God, everybody in this world needed communication skills desperately.
Alekxander looked genuinely conflicted now.
Like he was debating whether to tell her something.
That immediately made Ophelia nervous.
“No.” She pointed at him immediately.
“That face is illegal. Stop making that face.”
“What face?”
“The ‘I know something life-changing’ face.”
A tiny breath escaped him.
Almost amusement again.
Then it disappeared completely.
“You need to trust me.”
Ophelia stared at him blankly.
“You say that after lying every five business days?”
“I lied to protect you.”
“And somehow that keeps sounding worse.”
Silence stretched between them again.
Cold wind moved softly through the gardens.
Somewhere nearby, water dripped quietly from the trees after the rain.
Then suddenly.
Another voice interrupted them.
“You shouldn’t be telling her this much.”
Ophelia turned immediately.
Celestine stood a few feet away beneath the garden archway.
Perfect.
Exactly who she wanted to see right now.
Alekxander’s expression darkened instantly.
“You were listening.”
Celestine looked completely unbothered.
“You were speaking loudly.”
That was actually fair.
Unfortunately.
Ophelia crossed her arms.
“Okay, since everyone enjoys speaking in riddles around me, can someone finally explain why my death matters?”
Celestine and Alekxander exchanged a look.
A silent one.
Like they were communicating entire paragraphs without words.
Ophelia hated it immediately.
Then Celestine finally spoke.
“Because people who carry the Ashbourne gift are connected.”
That explained absolutely nothing.
Ophelia blinked slowly.
“Wow. Amazing explanation. Truly life-changing.”
Celestine ignored the sarcasm easily.
“The memories you see aren’t only from the original Ophelia.”
Silence.
Ophelia frowned.
“What?”
“The dead leave echoes behind,” Celestine continued quietly.
“Especially violent deaths.”
A cold feeling spread through Ophelia’s chest.
“The river vision…” Celestine paused slightly.
“…that one was yours.”
Everything stopped.
Completely.
Ophelia stared at her blankly.
No.
No no no.
That didn’t make sense.
“How would you even know that?”
Celestine looked at her calmly.
“Because your death is the reason you’re here.”
The world tilted slightly.
Ophelia felt dizzy immediately.
Alekxander stepped closer instinctively like he thought she might fall again.
But Ophelia barely noticed.
Her thoughts were too loud now.
“This doesn’t make sense,” she whispered.
“You died in your world,” Celestine said softly.
“And Ophelia Ashbourne died in this one.”
The garden suddenly felt freezing cold.
“The moment both deaths happened…”
Celestine’s gaze stayed fixed on her.
“…something answered.”
The whispers exploded loudly inside Ophelia’s head again.
“Remember…”
“The gate opened…”
“She crossed over…”
Pain shot through her skull violently.
Ophelia stumbled backward immediately.
Alekxander caught her before she hit the ground.
“Enough,” he snapped sharply at Celestine.
But Celestine didn’t look sorry.
She looked worried.
Actually worried.
And somehow that terrified Ophelia most of all.
Because if even Celestine was scared…
Then whatever was happening to her was far worse than she imagined.
Ophelia grabbed Alekxander’s sleeve tightly as another realization slowly settled in.
If her death brought her here…
Then maybe…
Just maybe…
It wasn’t an accident either.
Hey guys, so I’m currently sick and therefore can’t update till on Monday.
So sorry about that, I promise to come back with more interesting chapters.
And thank you for giving the book a chance.