The Soft Whispers of Love

"If it weren't for the reputation of the two families, who would even bother with her?"

"Alright, alright. Don't be mad. You need to be celebrating tonight. Don't let her ruin your fun."

Andrew turned his gaze toward his gorgeous new girlfriend and promptly discarded the thought of the annoying Kaylee from his mind.

After all, by tomorrow, he thought I would be acting as if nothing had happened again. He thought I'd be waiting for him at his dorm and pestering him to go to class together like usual.

He had already seen similar antics from me in all these years.

...

The rain was pouring down while I was walking along the riverside.

I stood under my umbrella in the rain, thinking about the dreams I had a few days ago.

In these dreams, I had caused a huge scene when Andrew confessed his love to Sienna Slangdon. I even jumped into this river that very night in order to force him to break up with her.

In the end, I nearly lost my life.

Andrew only stayed with me for five minutes at the hospital before leaving resolutely.

The Johnsons, my adoptive family, found my attempt to end my life to be a stain on their reputation. Furthermore, because of Andrew's attitude, they concluded I was of no more use.

So, they forced me to drop out of school and sent me back to my biological parents—parents who were involved with every imaginable vice one could think of.

My life continued to spiral downward from there. In the end, I died a horrible death in a foreign land.

After I died, the one who took care of my body was the one who I had always kept a distance from and was afraid of.

In the meantime, Andrew was in his honeymoon period and enjoying life. Not once did he make an appearance through it all.

These past few days, the events from the dreams were materializing one by one.

If it were not for them, I would have already started spamming Andrew's phone with calls and eventually tried to force his hand by jumping into the river.

I was very thankful for these dreams. It felt as if I had been reborn; I could make changes so I did not end up with the same horrible fate.

Finally, on the third try, my call was picked up.

I held the phone tightly and held it close to my ear.

The name "Spencer" rolled across the tip of my tongue multiple times before I was able to say it out loud.

The rain was still pouring heavily, and it muted the surrounding noises.

Only Spencer Lithgow's voice, with a hint of tiredness, rang out, "Kaylee?"

"Spencer, it's raining heavily right now. I'm stuck by the river and can't get back. Can you come pick me up?"

The person on the other end of the phone fell silent, and I clutched tightly onto the umbrella. My palm was damp with sweat.

In my dreams, it seemed as if Spencer had cried when he took care of my skeletal remains. His tears dripped one by one onto my decomposed body and exposed bones.

I could feel the burn of those tears even through my dreams.

Afterward, he would carry a tiny bottle of my ashes with him, and it would remain with him for the rest of his life—a life that he spent by his lonesome as well.

I could not help but tear up, and a sob escaped from my throat.

"Why are you crying?" came Spencer's voice suddenly.

It was still the same indifferent tone, with just a hint of exasperation.

"I never said I wasn't going to get you."

"Then when are you coming?"

"Wait there. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

"Okay. I'll wait for you, Spencer."

He hung up the call without another word.

15 minutes later, I handed my umbrella to a mother and son pair who were waiting for the rain to stop.

So, by the time Spencer arrived, I was already fully drenched.

When he came out of his car, his lips were pressed tightly together, and his expression was as icy as a cold winter's morning.

I ran my fingers through my matted-down bangs, raised my head, and beamed at him. "Spencer, you're so punctual!"

"Kaylee, you might as well die from stupidity."

With a stony expression, he tugged on my arm and shoved me into his car before throwing a plush blanket at me.

"Wipe yourself clean. Don't dirty my car."

He peered at me using the rearview mirror, then swiftly turned his car around.