Chapter 15
841words
A voice spoke to her, "Go on. Your wish is about to come true."
She instinctively ran toward the light—and then opened her eyes.
Where was she?
She blinked as she stared up at a ceiling that felt both familiar and strange.
Her body which had been dormant for so long was weak and sluggish. Struggling to sit up, she took in her surroundings.
This was… her old room in the Sloane residence in Oceanus.
Years ago, the family company and shares had been seized by greedy relatives after her parents died heroically. The house itself was auctioned off, leaving her homeless.
But in the end, the property hadn't sold because it was too old and worn.
Later… The family her parents had saved took pity on her and brought her into their home.
Wait, what…
Ember frowned sharply. The couple her parents had saved—what were their names again?
She realized with growing unease that parts of her memory were missing. She couldn't recall anything about the family who had taken her in.
All she remembered was that before arriving here, something had happened to her—an accident, perhaps.
In that moment between life and death, she had struck some sort of agreement with a voice. But the details of that agreement were completely gone.
She hadn't expected that the "new life" the voice promised would bring her back to her childhood home.
Ember found the property deed for the house and her identification documents on the bedside table. It seemed that the mysterious voice had been surprisingly thorough.
As she walked into the living room, she was struck by a wave of nostalgia.
The furniture and décor were exactly as they had been all those years ago. She had left in such a rush that nothing had been changed or taken away.
Ember couldn't stop the rush of memories as she looked at the painfully familiar scene before her. Visions of the happy days when her parents were still alive replayed in her mind, and her eyes grew hot with unshed tears.
"Dad, Mom, your daughter is home."
Ember started by tidying up the house and cleaning every corner. Then she went out to get a new phone number and bank card and bought some daily necessities.
Returning here so suddenly felt strange, but she was filled with hope for the life ahead.
Though she had forgotten some things, she felt a sense of freedom and lightness that even her soul seemed to revel in.
She could get a new job, and a new life—perhaps she could even cultivate a few new hobbies.
Buoyed by these bright prospects, Ember fell into a deep sleep as she was exhausted from her day of activity.
Meanwhile, Atlas sat alone in the dimly lit hospital room thousands of miles away.
His legs were nearly healed, and he could have been discharged to continue his recovery at home. Nonetheless, he refused to leave.
This room was the only place where traces of Ember's presence still lingered.
The pale moonlight spilled over his gaunt face, and his eyes were shadowed with despair as dark as the night.
He stared at the empty bed beside him. His fingers clenched tightly with restless tension.
"Ember, where are you?" he murmured to himself.
His assistant, Callan Smith, cautiously rapped on the door before stepping inside with a report in hand.
"Mr. Ferguson, we… We still haven't found any trace of Ms. Sloane."
Callan braced himself and continued under Atlas' piercing glare, which seemed ready to tear him apart.
"Ms. Sloane seems to have vanished without a trace. We've checked every station, airport, and border crossing in the city but found no travel records.
"Her old phone number and bank accounts have all been deactivated. There's nothing left…"
Before Callan could finish, Atlas slammed his fist onto the bed frame. The sound echoed sharply in the room.
His head dropped as a bitter smile curled on his lips.
"Ember, do you hate me that much? So much that you won't even leave me a shred of hope?" he thought to himself.
"Keep searching," he rasped as he instructed Callan. "Don't stop until you find her!"
After Callan left, Atlas pulled out his phone again and opened Ember's social media account.
It was a ritual he repeated countless times a day as looking at the posts that proved they had once been in love was the only solace he had left.
The latest post remained the same—a month-old update where Ember had enthusiastically prepared for their ski trip.
She had even posted a picture with the caption, "Looking forward to our snowy adventure."
At the time, Atlas hadn't realized that trip would mark their final farewell.
Unable to bear the pain, he closed the app and lowered his head to press a kiss to Ember's image on the screen.
"Ember, I will find you."
