"Lilah, just wait and see. I will come to you sooner or later."

Darian's furious roar echoed in her ears, jolting her upright. She shook her head, trying to dispel the disturbing thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Gerard asked gently, pushing open the door. His eyes filled with concern as he saw her sitting there, her hair tousled.

Lilah forced a smile. “It's nothing. I was just thinking about tomorrow's program. I don't know what will happen."

Gerard undressed and slipped into bed, wrapping her in his arms, offering a silent comfort that words could not convey.

Gerard seemed to possess a kind of magic that effortlessly soothed Lilah. Whenever she was near him, her nerves settled, and the chaos of her thoughts cleared away.

“Is it fun? Can I do anything for you?" Gerard murmured, his chin resting gently on her forehead, his voice deep and comforting.

Lilah's heart softened at his words. She smiled up at him and replied, “Nothing. I just took this as an opportunity to unwind and adjust my mood. After all, I promised Effie I'd help."

Contentedly, they fell asleep leaning against each other.

In the dead of night, Lilah's eyes fluttered open to see a figure standing at the foot of the bed.

The figure turned, revealing a face identical to Lilah's, as if she were looking into a mirror.

“Lilah, I'm your sister, your younger sister," the girl said, extending her hand. “Touch my hand. I'm right here. Feel it..."

Shock rooted Lilah to the spot, her voice trapped in her throat as if she were witnessing a ghost in broad daylight.

“Lilah, help me I am your younger sister. How can you just watch as I'm taken away?"

The voice echoed as though from afar, tinged with a chilling eeriness.

Fear gripped Lilah, a cold shiver running down her spine, rendering her speechless for a long moment.

She realized it was a dream, but the nightmare was oppressively vivid and disturbingly real.

The following morning, dark circles marred Lilah's eyes. Gerard noticed her pallor and suggested she take a leave of absence, but she declined.

The unnerving dream had left her restless; she figured staying busy might help dispel the lingering dread.

Upon arriving at the production set, Effie immediately noticed Lilah's weary appearance and handed her two pieces of cake from her bag. "Lilah, you really need to take better care of yourself. Gerard can be so thoughtless sometimes. Can't he just control himself?"

Her words amused Briseis.

Lilah merely rolled her eyes, speechless. In her view, Effie was nearly perfect, if only she could keep her comments to herself.

"I also think you should look after yourself better, Lilah. You look quite pale," Briseis joined in, teasing Lilah further.

Lilah responded with an eye roll and remained silent.