Chapter 6

Serin can tell right away that the girl is not okay, for she’s shaking and sobbing fearfully. She tries to calm her the best way she can, holding her cold, trembling hands. “I’m here, miss.. You’re okay now. Don’t be scared anymore. What is it? Please tell me..”

Yenny cries silently but more fearfully. “P..Please.. h..help--”

“It’s getting colder, let’s get inside now.” A man’s voice interrupts.  

Serin turns to where the eerie voice comes from and sees a tall man through the gaps of wide fences of the European-styled mansion behind him. He is standing in the front yard that is so dim and gloomy, for the only glow illuminating there is from the golden lights circling the big fountain in the garden. 

“We’ll catch a cold if we stay here longer,” the creepy man tells Yenny. 

Serin catches on. The girl before her is definitely in danger. “I will help you,” she tells her, looking deep into her frightened eyes. “First, we have to get out of here. Let’s--”

But Yenny suddenly steps back. It just occurs to her that she has left something really important in the mansion. 

“What’s wrong??” Serin asks, puzzled and worried. “Please tell me so I can–”

“I.. I’m so s..sorry.. It’s j..just a misunderstanding..” Yenny turns around, then hastens back to the mansion. 

Something is not right, Serin worries terribly. She looks at the man again, and even though she can’t see his face clearly because of the dimness surrounding him, her instinct tells her that the creepy man could be so dangerous. If only she had a phone, she would have already called the police. Now she regrets why she has kept refusing a phone as a gift from Chris and Ken.

But it is never too late, Serin leaves with haste to ask the two guys to help the girl. However, upon arriving outside Gail’s mansion, the sight of the two cars suddenly showing up from different directions has Serin realizing she acted thoughtlessly again for wandering in a place she hasn’t been to, causing Chris and Ken to drive around just to look for her.

“Let’s go..” Chris opens the door for Serin, and it is visible on his face the worry he is trying to keep to himself only. 

Feeling so guilty, Serin takes the passenger seat wordless. At this rate, she knows she can’t help the girl in danger anymore because shas no more face and courage to inconvenience the two guys again. As they leave Horizon Town, along with Ken driving behind them, she feels so heavy her heart could explode out of her chest, terribly worrying for the girl. 

Back in Lewis City, Jeremy’s worry for Yenny only grows intense because she’s not in her apartment when she clearly told him this afternoon that she would be home tonight. Deeply troubled and uneasy, he returns to Tiffany Blue and waits for his best friends and Serin in the living room. An hour passes by, and they finally arrive.

“I need to talk to Serin now,” Jeremy tells his best friends right away. 

Chris sighs. “Bro, you better do that tomorrow.”

“Right. It’s not a good idea if you guys talk now,” Ken backs him up. 

“Please,” Jeremy stresses the word, pushing his two best friends to leave him with Serin in the living room. 

Jeremy stands by the glass walls and faces the night view, but the tranquility before his eyes can’t console him at the moment, not only because Yenny has been out of reach since afternoon but also because Serin has already experienced Gail’s heartlessness. 

“Why did you let Gail trample on you?” He’s clearly upset and frustrated. “She didn’t just insult you once but repeatedly in front of her guests and right to your face.” 

Serin pauses in big surprise. She thought Jeremy believed she did steal the necklace, but she’s completely wrong. It’s clear to her now why he wanted her to get out of the party, and that was to shield her from taking more insults from Gail and from her guests. 

Guilty and deeply moved, she stands close behind him to apologize and thank him for believing her when he suddenly turns around, making them face each other intimately. But instead of avoiding Serin’s eyes, Jeremy looks deep into them. A scenario instantly appears in those eyes, like what he’s really expecting. He is with Serin, and they are beaming in happiness while walking alongside the dazzling reeds under the golden sunset. It is such a warm and consoling scenario until it fades and is replaced by something tormenting. They are in mountains filled with pain and misery, hugging each other while crying sorrowfully. As Serin rests her head on his shoulder, she bids him the saddest goodbye. He wails in deepest agony. 

“No!!” Jeremy screams so suddenly, for what he has just seen in those eyes felt real, as if he already experienced it. He hastily steps back, trembling in great shock and inexplicable pain. 

But Serin holds his arms without hesitation because he looks horrified and fearful. “What’s wrong, Sir Jeremy??”

He says nothing but holds onto her tightly, for he feels like falling on his knees any moment, paralyzed by such a haunting mystery again. 

“What was that??” Chris comes rushing into the living room. Ken is with him. “What happened??”

Serin, also puzzled, shakes her head in response while Jeremy covers his face as he sits strengthless on the couch, haunted and agitated again. Ken discreetly signals Serin to leave them, and as soon as she does, he sits beside Jeremy. 

He sighs at him. “Bro, we do understand where you’re coming from. Yenny has been out of reach, and Gail humiliated Serin terribly. But come on, Jeremy, Serin is not your punching bag whenever things go wrong. Why shout at her when you could have vented your stress and frustrations in other ways?”

Jeremy lifts his head and looks at Ken intently. “I didn’t shout at her.”

“What was that then? The loud scream we heard even from our rooms?” It is Chris, sitting on the single couch across from them and staring at Jeremy with such worried eyes.

“If I tell you what exactly happened a while ago or what has kept haunting me since I crossed paths with Serin, you will surely think I have already lost my mind.” 

“But you’re not concerned about us thinking you have become mean and disrespectful?” Ken turns to him closer. “Bro, whatever it is, you should tell us, especially when it’s already giving you a really difficult time.”

Chris nods to agree. “At this rate, we’re forcing you to share it with us. We will help you the best we can. You know that.”

Silence covers Jeremy, and after a few moments of hesitating, he finally thinks it’s a lot better to reveal the truth to them than to keep it to himself only.

“Serin has mysterious eyes,” he spills nervously. “The day after Serin got discharged from the hospital was the very first time I saw two scenarios in her eyes. It was me and a girl I couldn’t recognize, and the scenes were so familiar to me. But I was sure I had never experienced them before. I thought I was only overly stressed because of Dave’s worsening condition, but I experienced it again on the night you showed me her new sketch. That time, I already recognized the girl I was with in the scenarios, and it was Serin. It was so clear I couldn’t be wrong. Then a while ago, it happened again, and it’s the most unthinkable because I was already taken inside her eyes and experienced that scene. It was real, I felt it. I was in that tormenting scenario, making me wail without even realizing I screamed because of so much agony.”

Chris and Ken secretly glance at each other, with the same thought that Jeremy is already hallucinating. They worry for him the saddest way, but they can’t let him see it, for he’s already nearing the end of the rope. Times like this, what he needs is sturdy strength from them. 

Ken pats Jeremy on his back. “We’ll try to look into her eyes and see if what you’ve experienced is true.”

Jeremy nods in hope that he is just overly distressed. 

“And about Yenny, stop worrying about her, bro.” Chris gives him a worry-free expression despite being troubled also because Yenny has been out of reach since her last phone call with Jeremy. “We all know that she hates attending parties, especially when it’s Gail who invites her.” 

“Absolutely.” Ken backs up. “So it’s not new that she didn’t show up there. She must have left Horizon Town this afternoon to avoid us.”

“But why would she avoid us?” Jeremy can’t stop worrying.

“Because she broke her promise that she would attend the party to finally meet Serin in person,” Chris answers. 

“That’s the thing.” Jeremy sighs heavily. “We know that Yenny hates breaking promises. She was even very excited to meet Serin.”

He has a point, Chris and Ken can't help but agree with him in silence.

“Also, why would she ignore our calls and turn off her phone when she hates making us worry?” Jeremy adds. 

“She must have a reason, dude,” Ken replies, then stands up to erase the unsettling mood. “We should de-stress from Gail’s stupid show.”

“Pass.” Jeremy rises up from sitting and excuses himself. 

His two best friends exchange heavy sighs but they still think it’s better for Jeremy to get enough rest because of what has been going on since this afternoon. 

“I don’t think Serin is okay. Let’s go check on her.” Ken leaves first, then Chris walks behind him. 

Early morning comes, but Jeremy is still on pins and needles because of Yenny. Also, he is in the shadows of deep gloom, for he has just made a saddening decision. 

“I’m letting you go,” he tells Serin straight to the point. The fact that he has to let Serin go when he already cares for her is too painful to handle. But he knows he deserves the pain. “I’m very sorry. If I didn’t use you as my fake girlfriend to stop Gail from liking me, things wouldn’t have gotten worse.”

Serin can’t say anything despite knowing right from the start that Jeremy only used her as a fake girlfriend to protect her from Gail. Even up to now, she’s still sorry for misreading the situation on the day she first met Gail. She would have taken terrible insults from Gail if Jeremy exposed who she really is.

“About your questionable identity..” Jeremy continues, “I no longer desire to find answers to it. But I can still help you register your name and acquire legal identity if you want. That way, you can start a new life.” He is composed as usual but deep in his heart, he feels crushed especially that he’s about to give her something.

He takes it out from his pocket, then hands it to Serin. It’s a long envelope containing paper bills and a card key that is obviously to her newest place. For one last time, Serin feels Jeremy’s pure kindness.

She tears up, returning the envelope to him. “You’ve already helped me more than enough, Sir Jeremy.”

“Just take the card key please. You don’t have a place to–”

“I will have.” She smiles her pain and sadness away. “I will live well. I promise I won’t waste the kindness and generosity you and your friends have shared with me. Thank you for everything, Sir Jeremy. I will never forget you.” Hurting so deeply, she turns around and hurries to her room, not only to get ready to leave but more to cry there alone. 

Jeremy sighs so heavily all the corners in his spacious place can tell he’s hurting as well. He throws the envelope to the center table and races to the basement parking lot, suffocated by the heaviness in his heart. But he has to endure all the pain for Serin’s sake. Letting her go now means finally giving her peace. 

However, two months later.