Chapter 513

Chapter 512:

Her own exhaustion finally caught up with her. The adrenaline of the day, the emotional violence of marriage and confrontation and this terrifying intimacy, pulled her down into darkness.

And in the darkness, the dreams were waiting.

She was standing in rain. Cold, driving rain that soaked through her clothes in seconds, plastered her hair against her face, made her shiver with a chill that felt like grief.

The building behind her was familiar — red brick, ivy-covered, the architecture of old money and older traditions. An Ivy League campus. She knew this place. Had walked these paths in another life, another self.

“Why p>

The voice came from in front of her. She turned, and he was there. Younger — so much younger. His hair longer, his face softer, but unmistakably Justin. He stood in the rain without an umbrella, water streaming down his cheeks like tears.

“Why are you doing this?” he demanded. His voice broke on the words. “Carmen, talk to me. Tell me what I did. Tell me how to fix it p>

She opened her mouth to answer. But the words that came out were not her own. They were cold, cruel, and calculated — the words of a stranger wearing her face.

“There’s nothing to fix, Justin. This was never real. You were a distraction. A phase. A poor law student with big dreams and no connections.” She heard herself laugh, a sound like breaking glass. “I’m going to Europe. There’s a man there. Old money. Real power. Everything you can’t give me p>

The pain in his eyes was devastating. She wanted to reach for him, to take it back, to explain. But her body wouldn’t obey. She was turning, walking away, her heels striking the wet pavement with a sound like gunshots.

“You’re lying.” His voice followed her, desperate and disbelieving. “Carmen, look at me. Look at me and tell me you don’t love me. Tell me to my face p>

о𝗋𝗀аn𝗂𝘻𝗲 у𝗈𝘶𝘳 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝘢ry о𝘯 𝗴𝗮𝘭ո𝗼𝗏e𝗹s.с𝗈m

She couldn’t. In the dream, she couldn’t turn around. She was moving faster, then running, her heart tearing itself apart, tears mixing with rain on her face.

“Carmen p>

She woke with a gasp, sitting upright, one hand pressed to her chest where her heart hammered against her ribs. The room was dark. Justin was beside her, already awake, his hand on her shoulder.

“Carmen. You’re safe. You’re here. It was a dream p>

She stared at him. At the man in the bed beside her — older now, harder, but with the same eyes. The same pain, carefully hidden. The same love, twisted into something that looked like possession.

“It wasn’t just a dream.” Her voice was hoarse, barely audible. “It was real. I remember. The rain. The campus. What I said to you.” She pressed her hands to her face, trying to hold back the images. “I was so cruel. I destroyed you. But I didn’t want to. I didn’t p>

“Shh.” He pulled her against him, his arms wrapping around her shaking shoulders. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s past. We’re here p>