Chapter 4

At nine in the evening, Chloe set up a makeshift bed for Toby on the living room floor.

A thin blanket, a pillow, a sheet, and a glass of water.

She was still polite and thorough.

But her warmth from the afternoon was gone.

I held my small pillow, standing at Chloe's bedroom door.

"I want to sleep with Chloe."

Chloe patted my head.

"Okay, you sleep with me tonight."

Toby sat on his makeshift bed, looking up at us.

"Stella is getting so big, yet she still can't sleep without Chloe?"

He made it sound like a joke.

But my stomach churned with nausea.

I hid behind Chloe, ignoring him.

Chloe said calmly, "Get some rest, Toby."

"The living room light is on, and there's water on the coffee table."

We went into the bedroom.

The moment the door closed, Chloe turned the lock.

She was finally on guard.

Only a small nightlight was lit in the bedroom.

Chloe sat on the edge of the bed, her phone never leaving her hand.

She whispered, "Stella, if you hear any noise tonight, don't run around."

I nodded.

It didn't take long before soft footsteps echoed outside.

Very light.

From the living room to the hallway.

And finally, they stopped right outside our door.

I immediately grabbed Chloe's pajamas.

Chloe held her breath.

From outside, Toby's high-pitched voice called, "Chloe."

Chloe didn't answer right away.

He called again, "Chloe, are you asleep?"

Chloe asked through the door, "What is it?"

Toby said, "I can't sleep."

"When I was little, my mom used to tell me stories before bed."

"Can you tell me a story for a bit?"

I felt like throwing up.

A twenty-two-year-old grown man.

Standing outside a young girl's bedroom in the middle of the night.

Asking for a bedtime story.

But if this were the Chloe of my past life, her heart might have softened.

She might have pulled up a chair to sit in the living room for a bit.

She might have gently told him to go to sleep.

She would have surrendered her boundaries, step by step.

I yelled out loud, "Chloe is tired!"

"No stories!"

Chloe pressed a hand over me, her voice calmer than before.

"Toby, I'm tired too."

"You can listen to the radio. There's one in the TV stand drawer."

It was quiet outside for a moment.

Then he spoke again. "There are so many mosquitoes in the living room."

"Can I come in and sit for a while?"

Chloe answered even faster this time.

"That's not appropriate."

"The bug spray is under the coffee table."

The shadow remained under the door crack.

He didn't leave.

After a while, he kept making excuses.

"Chloe, my stomach hurts."

"Can you come out and help me find some medicine?"

Chloe gripped her phone, her knuckles turning white.

"The first-aid kit is in the cabinet to the left of the TV."

"The instructions on the bottle are very clear."

Toby's voice dropped a pitch.

"Chloe, do you hate me?"

"I know people like me annoy everyone."

I was so angry I wanted to rush out and scream at him.

But Chloe didn't let him manipulate her.

"No, I don't."

"But it's late."

"We need to sleep."

The noise outside stopped completely.

Footsteps slowly faded away, but they were incredibly slow.

It sounded like he was measuring the distance.

Chloe sat on the edge of the bed, her face ghostly pale.

It took a long time before she asked me, "Stella, in your dream... what else did he do?"

I looked at her, tears spilling over.

I wanted to say that he ruined your entire life.

I wanted to say that you never dared to open a window again.

I wanted to say that you sat in a dark room, cutting your arms over and over.

But I couldn't say it.

I could only hug her tightly.

"Chloe, don't sleep."

"He's waiting for us to fall asleep."

Chloe's body stiffened.

Then, she held me incredibly tight.

"Okay."

"I'll stay awake with you."

In my past life, I couldn't wake her up.

In this life, she had finally woken up on her own.