I had a dream.
I dreamed that William Spencer had died.
When I woke up, everything around me was pitch black.
I tried to get up to turn on the light, only to realize that William Spencer was holding me.
He also opened his eyes, his hand gently resting on top of my head as he whispered:
"Snoring doesn't scare me."
He had probably just woken up, his voice rough with sleep.
In that moment, memories I had long forgotten rushed back to me.
I was an orphan.
At the orphanage, I was often bullied, and that's how I developed a strong character. No matter what, I would always get back at anyone who wronged me.
Once, I saved a boy who was being picked on.
He was older than me but weaker.
Later, I learned that he, too, had lost his parents and been sent there.
Perhaps because we were both orphans, I felt a special connection to him.
As we grew closer, we became the best of friends.
The orphanage had large dorms, and children of all ages slept together. I often had nightmares, and every time I woke up from one, he would groggily pat my head and say:
"Don't be afraid."
Later, he was adopted, and we lost touch.
I stared at William Spencer's face, trying to see some familiarity, but I couldn't find anything.
But now, he couldn't hear me. I wanted to ask, but I couldn't.
"Good girl, I'm here."
He patted my back and gestured for me to keep sleeping.
But sleep was elusive.
I knew William Spencer was adopted.
The Spencer family had been unable to have more children after they had their biological child, and their child's health was poor. Fearing there would be no heir, they adopted William Spencer.
I planned to ask my parents about it the next day.
The following morning, I called them, but my mother was tight-lipped and didn't mention anything about the adoption.
Reluctantly, I decided to investigate on my own.
Before I could discover the full truth about William Spencer, I stumbled upon a transaction on his computer.
A transaction for a life exchange.
He had hired a sorcerer to exchange lives for me.
The original person passed away due to illness, and I was killed in a car accident. In order for me to survive, someone had to give up their life for mine.
So, he gave his life to me.
I lived, while he, in turn, would die.
The feeling of numbness slowly faded, and his health began to deteriorate, though the cause remained unclear. But his time was running out.
This made me more desperate to understand who he truly was.
Finally, through extensive investigation, I uncovered the truth.
When William Spencer was adopted, it was because the son of a collateral branch of the Spencer family had died, and they had promised to adopt a child to replace him.
At that time, the Spencer family was powerful, and to suppress the ambitions of the collateral branch, they killed the "chicken to warn the monkeys." Fearing they would become that chicken, they hid the truth and began searching for a child of similar age, adopting them, getting them plastic surgery, training them, and then sending them to the Spencer family.
William Spencer was chosen.
That's why I didn't recognize his face, but he still treated me with nothing but kindness.
A pang of pain pierced my heart.
What had I done to deserve him sacrificing everything for me, even his life?
I numbly returned to the room, where William Spencer was quietly sitting by the window. Outside, the snow fell in large flakes.
I walked over and sat beside him, holding his hand.
It took a while before he responded, "Lana, you're back."
His touch, too, was fading slowly.
His life was nearing its end.
I wiped the tears from my face, holding his hand gently and pressing it against my lips.
"I love you."
I repeated it over and over, letting him feel my love for him.
I was so afraid, so afraid that he wouldn't know.
I regretted not telling him sooner, not telling him earlier.
"Lana..."
His voice was hoarse.
"I can feel it."
He slowly cupped my face, his forehead resting against mine, his voice soft and tender:
"I love you."
He held me tightly in his arms.
"I love you too, I love you, William Spencer."
I thought we still had time.
I thought I would have a few more days with him, that I could take him out to feel the snow, touch the snowman I had built.
But that night, the wind and snow were so heavy, they stole that chance away from me.
When I woke up, his beautiful eyes would never open again.
I held his cool body, gazing out at the snow outside the window.
"William, you never said I couldn't come find you, right?"
Later, I fell ill and refused treatment from the doctors.
William Spencer, I've come to find you.
