Chapter 25

It was so pretty.

She admired the bracelet on her wrist. It fit her as if it was made for her. Tristan truly knew her, knowing exactly what she liked.

On the other hand, she had no words to describe the beautiful necklace in the palm of her hand. The gold chain was nothing special, but the pendant was exceptional.

It was stunning.

It was a locket decorated with tiny diamonds magnificently crafted and shaped into an A, and nestled on its base were small, red gems.

Wow! It was indeed beautiful.

She had never received anything like it before as she stared at the present he gave her. He must have given his gift serious thought because it was indeed one of a kind.

When she turned it over, underneath, she found an engraving of a distinctive image on the metal surface of a full-blown rose with its stem curve into an infinity symbol. It must have cost him a fortune.

Of course, she knew what the symbol meant. She loved the gift as she enclosed her fingers around it and pressed it to her heart.

"Do you like it?" Suddenly, his voice echoed in her ears. "I had it made especially for you."

I love it!

She would cherish and wear it for the rest of her life.

"I love you!" She eagerly declared as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

She could feel her heart erratically beating inside her chest while her breath panted like she had just run a marathon.

"I love you, Lucas!" She repeated, waiting to hear him repeat the words out of his lips.

Unfortunately, when her face looked up, his face was not what her eyes saw. Instead, bright lights flashed before her, blinding her until she could see nothing else but the horror that ensued.

"No!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. But the voice did not sound like hers.

Then, crashing sounds of metals reverberated around her. Cries for help echoed in the tiny space. Pain surrounded her.

"Help us!"

"Wake up, Austin!"

"No, not my son."

"Save her!"

A constant familiar voice shouted, begged, and cried. However, she could hardly understand what was happening.

She wanted to say something, but she felt trapped inside her body, unable to move or do anything. It was as if she was watching a terrible scene, but all she could do was cower down, hide, and cover her mouth.

"Save her!" It was the last words that had drilled in her brain. It was her last thought before the darkness engulfed her.

It was the last time she heard her voice. It was her last words to her.

Mom!

"No! Take me with you." She cried out. "I don't want to live without you, Mom."

She wanted to run to the light. She wished to follow them. But something stopped her as firm arms held her in place.

"Let me go. I have to go with them." She thrashed against the one who tried to keep her from leaving.

"Andy!"

"Andy, wake up!"

Lucas! Huh?

She abruptly opened her eyes, surprised to hear his voice and see his face. Panting heavily, she stared into his eyes, confused and curious.

"Lucas?" She questioned if she was still dreaming as she felt his arms around her shoulders and her cheeks pressed comfortably on his bare chest.

Honestly, it felt nice.

But that was not the problem. "What are you doing?" Why was he on her bed and holding her in his arms?

She automatically looked around, checking if she was still in her room. But her things on the table, her robe on the chair, and her shoes on the floor confirmed that she was where she was supposed to be.

It is my room.

Therefore, he was not supposed to be there with her. He should be in his room, sleeping in his bed. At least, that was what her brain surmised in her current sleepy, chaotic state.

"Are you ok, Andy? I heard you scream, so I rushed into your room to check on you." He hastily explained as he gradually let her body go. But he still kept his hands on her arms.

"I think you had a nightmare." He added, appearing sincerely concerned. "Just breathe." He reminded her when she still found it hard to catch her breath.

She gradually regained a steady heartbeat and leveled breathing as her body stopped shaking.

"Yeah! I guess it was a terrible dream." She could not deny it.

Her dreams had plagued her for years since her family died in that tragic accident. The therapies worked as they lessened its recurrence, but sadly, they did not eliminate her nightmares.

Once in a while, just when she thought she was over her trauma, her dreams suddenly showed their ugly heads, reminding her of the past she had tried so hard to leave behind.

"Do you recall what it was?" Her husband asked as he stared down at her. "Maybe it might help if you talk about it."

She could see he was sincere in wanting to help. However, she knew talking about it did not do much to stop the dreams from coming.

"It is nothing." She did not feel like sharing it with him. Besides, she never liked to burden other people with her problems. "I don't even remember it."

Not even Tristan knew about her recurring dreams. Yet, he was her close friend. The only ones who knew about her nightmares were her best friends, Lindsey and Violet.

"Are you sure, Andy? I think this is the second time..." He reminded her of the first time he came to her rescue.

"Yeah! I'm fine, Lucas. It is just probably the stress." She did not want him to think that she was a nutjob with PTSD, a post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I'm fine now." She emphasized, hoping he would take a hint and leave her alone. "You can go back to sleep." She just wanted to be on her own.

"If you're sure." He reluctantly stood up and walked out of her room. "But holler if you need anything." He said before he completely disappeared into the adjacent room.

She knew he was not a total arrogant jerk if he wanted to, remembering several times he had helped her. But then again, it was rare that he showed his affectionate side.

Once alone, the dream played again across her mind as she stared into a blank space. It still hurt her that much to think that she had lost her family in that tragic accident.

But the car crash was not what bothered her at that moment. A part of the dream was new to her. She believed it was the first time she had remembered that part of that unfortunate event.

Was that an illusion? Or did that happen?

The pendant?

She remembered receiving the necklace. But she probably blocked the details since she lost it during the accident. Eventually, she had forgotten all about it.

But her dream seemed to remind her about her lost memory.

But that was not all it seemed.

There was the part where she spoke about something she had no recollection of saying.

I love you, Lucas!

What was that?

Why would she say that?