With panicked eyes, I glanced at Felix, standing frozen on the stairs, then quickly shifted my gaze to the diabolical woman lurking behind the fence. My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I caught the faint, cruel smile curling on her lips.
"Don't do this. Please," I begged, my voice trembling. "You'll only make his condition worse. He believes you're dead—that he killed you long ago."
"Did he kill me?" she repeated, her voice dripping with venom. "Does he hate me that much?"
Before I could respond, Eve burst out of the house, shouting as she brushed past Felix's shoulder. "Mom, what are you doing here? Stop controlling us every step of the way! I'm not giving up Mike! He's the best man on earth! We have a child together!"
Eve's quick wit always amazed me—she could think on her feet, saving us from disaster in the nick of time.
Felix's eyes flicked between the tense scene and Mike, who stood beside him, looking just as confused.
"Is that your mother?" Felix asked, his voice heavy with disbelief. "What's all this about? Why did she come after you?"
Mike shifted nervously, draping an arm around Felix's shoulder. "It's a long story," he said quietly. "Let me explain inside. Meanwhile, let my girlfriend handle her mother."
Felix wasn't letting go. "Why would she want to separate you two, especially with a child involved?"
I exhaled sharply, relief washing over me as Eve stood beside me, furrowing her brow at Felix's mother.
"You have a lot of nerve," Eve said coldly.
The woman's glare was like ice. "You think you can protect him from me? It's only temporary," she spat, her voice cutting deep. When her eyes locked onto mine, a shiver ran down my spine. "Now that I know he thinks I'm dead, I want him back even more—to make him see that his mother is still here."
I clenched my fists, anger burning through my veins. I had no strength left for this wretched woman.
"So, you want to kill him?" Eve challenged her directly. "Is that your plan?"
The woman sneered, "Don't meddle, snot. This isn't your concern."
Suddenly, a chilling presence made me jump. Lucas appeared behind us, like a shadow in the night.
"Do you have the audacity to show up at my house after I forbade it?" His voice was sharp, ice-cold. "I think I made it clear you should stay away from Felix and never show your face to him again."
"Son, don't be a hypocrite," the woman spat back venomously. "You say both I and Selena are poison to Felix, that we're banned—but she's right here in your house, isn't she?"
Lucas's eyes hardened. "I was wrong. Selena is his only salvation. I've seen with my own eyes how much better he's getting. She needs to be by his side."
The woman's voice was stubborn and desperate. "I need to be there too. He's my son, my child. He needs me."
"Are you kidding me?" Lucas's voice dripped with pure hatred as he stepped closer to the gate, his glare fierce enough to burn through steel. I half expected him to throw the gate open and tear his mother apart with his bare hands. "I warned you: defy me again, and you will regret it bitterly. Leave. Don't ever appear before Felix again. This is your last chance."
Her gaze snapped back to me, terrifying and dark.
"Should I not appear before Felix?" she asked mockingly. "Fine. I'll keep my word—since you're just like your father. You could kill me whenever you want."
Lucas's reply was brutal. "Don't do anything foolish. I swear, I won't tolerate it."
His words shocked me, but I couldn't help but admire the fierce protection behind them.
She snorted in disdain, her eyes full of contempt. "Take care of yourself, eldest son. Take care of Felix too. I worry about you both every day."
"Stop pretending you care and get out of here," Lucas hissed, his glare cutting through her like a blade. If I were her, I would have run screaming long ago.
She smiled cruelly, casting me one last venomous glance before turning and walking away without another word.
An uneasy chill settled in my chest—not for Felix, but for myself.
"She won't hurt me, right?" I asked Lucas, voice barely above a whisper.
He studied me in silence for a long moment, as if weighing some terrible truth.
"I can't guarantee that," he said finally. "From now on, you have no choice. You'll have to come with us permanently—to New York."
I caught Eve's worried gaze fixed on me. I was her only friend. The thought of leaving terrified her more than she let on.
*
I nervously twisted my fingers together as we sat in the quiet living room. My eyes kept drifting to Lily, who was peacefully sleeping on Mike's lap, her tiny chest rising and falling with exhaustion. It was so late—no wonder their daughter had finally succumbed to sleep.
I sensed Felix's gaze lingering on me. He watched me intently, as if some restless thought refused to let him be.
"It's been lovely, but we should get going now," Eve said, rising from the couch with a heavy sigh. "Lily's so tired she's practically out cold. I'm truly sorry for what happened with my mother… I'm ashamed of her behavior."
Felix frowned, eyes narrowing as he glanced at Eve suspiciously. "That's really strange. Is she okay? Because… thinking about it, it sounds like she might have some kind of mental health issue. You've been together for years, have a child, and she's still stalking you?"
Eve exchanged a nervous look with Mike before sighing deeply.
"She just can't accept that we already have a big baby and aren't married yet. She can't understand our choices and blames Mike for everything. She keeps telling us to split up since I'm, technically, a single mother. She thinks Mike's not a real man."
Mike shot Eve an offended glance, like he couldn't believe she'd even considered such a thing—or worse, dared to say it out loud.
"I proposed to Eve," he said quietly, "but she was the one who didn't want to get married."
I could feel tension rising, and before things escalated, I quickly interrupted.
"Thank you both for coming. Don't worry about what happened with Eve's mother—nothing serious occurred."
Felix and I stood and walked them to the door. I glanced nervously around the property, wanting to be sure the woman wasn't lurking nearby.
"I hope to see you again soon," Felix said softly, his eyes flicking to Lily, still curled up in Mike's arms.
"Take care. We'll be in touch," I smiled warmly at them. Eve shot me a worried glance, still clearly shaken over the confrontation with Felix's mother.
"See you then," Felix added.
They left the house and got into the car, and Felix and I stepped back inside. I headed toward the stairs, but just as I reached the bottom step, he suddenly grabbed my hand, spinning me gently to face him.
"You know… I have to confess something," he began, his voice low and uneasy. "For a moment, I thought I was losing it again. It was dark and far away, but I could've sworn that Eve's mother looked exactly like my own."
I swallowed hard and averted my eyes, hating that I had to lie.
"Do you miss her?" I asked softly, trying to read his expression. His eyes grew sad.
"Not exactly. It's just… I still can't accept that she's gone. That she was killed because of me—because of my unintentional actions. She and my father… my parents were killed by their own son."
"But… wouldn't you want to see her? After all, she's your mother," I pressed gently, hoping to coax more from him.
"If I saw her," he said, shaking his head, "I'd probably lose my mind completely. She's dead, Selena. That's a fact."
His eyes held such conviction that I couldn't doubt him.
"Seriously?" I tried to lighten the mood with a small smile. "Wouldn't you feel better knowing you didn't hurt them? That maybe it was just an illusion caused by your illness?"
He furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "I'd be relieved to know they're alive… but then I wouldn't trust myself anymore. I wouldn't know what's real and what's not. I might stop believing I even have you or Lucas. I'd probably think I was locked in some mental hospital, trapped in a dream I don't want to wake from."
His words chilled me to the bone. If the truth ever slipped out, I was certain I'd lose him forever.
"How about we turn our lives into a dream, then?" I offered, trying to keep my voice steady. "I've been thinking a lot about what Lucas suggested… and I'd really like to move to New York."
Felix smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth. At that moment, he reminded me eerily of his mother.
"Why do you want to escape Los Angeles so badly?" he asked. "I get Lucas—his whole life is there. But you? Are you doing this just for me?"
"You know you're my whole world," I said simply. "I want to be with you, no matter where."
Only then did he smile warmly, threading his fingers through my hair and resting his forehead against mine, looking deep into my eyes.
"Okay," he whispered. "You just gave me a great reason."
"So… you'll take me with you to New York without any problem?" I teased.
"If you keep pulling stunts like this, I won't," a voice interrupted from upstairs.
Lucas appeared, arms crossed over his chest, descending the stairs with an amused but watchful look.
"Find yourself a hobo, then. Maybe you won't be so unhappy all the time," Felix shot back, smirking at his brother. "The drugs are making me sleepy anyway. I'm going to shower and hit the bed."
"I could have any one of them with just one phone call," Lucas replied coldly, watching Felix head upstairs.
Once we were alone, I looked up at Lucas with concern.
"He told me he thought he saw your mother behind the fence… or, rather, he thought Eve's mother looked like her. I pushed him gently, and just like you said, his psychiatrist was right—he wouldn't handle the truth. He said he'd be happy if his parents were alive but would lose trust in himself completely. He'd think everything around him was an illusion… even you and me."
Lucas sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I don't know what our mother's plan is, or what she wants. We have to get out of here as soon as possible."
"I talked to him about it," I said, forcing a small smile. "He doesn't mind if I move to New York with you. I convinced him."
"I want to embrace this trip as soon as we can," Lucas said, his eyes shadowed with worry. "But I have a bad feeling about all this. I can't explain it… but something's going to go wrong. Something dangerous."
"I feel it too," I admitted softly.
For a long moment, we just looked at each other, sharing a silent agreement that something dark and sinister was looming just ahead—something we were right to fear.