ANMELDENArsen’s eyes widened at her question, then he burst out laughing. He immediately hugged Claire again. “No, you don’t need surgery. You have to believe in yourself—that you’re strong, stronger than all your alter egos—so you can control them.” “If I may ask, what are my alter egos like? I was once spoken to by a Dutch student in his native language, but I didn’t understand a word. He said that I’d often spoken to him in Dutch before,” Claire asked, pulling away from Arsen’s embrace. “That’s your alter ego named Rose. She’s Dutch, 24 years old, and flirty.” Arsen stopped speaking when he saw Claire’s eyes widen and her mouth drop open. “You’re joking! She’s flirty? Flirty… flirty like… like to tease…” Claire’s face flushed instantly when she saw Arsen nod. “Did… did she ever tease you?” Claire asked, biting her lip.“Eh? That… umm…” Arsen was at a loss for words, so he rubbed the back of his neck to hide his awkwardness. “Ahem, let’s move on to the next alter ego. His name is James,
“Claire! Claire, hey! I’m here, don’t be afraid. There’s no one here but the two of us.” Arsen clasped her hand with both of his, realizing that Claire was starting to get scared again. “Come on, let’s talk over there on that white sofa, while we enjoy the red-leaved trees on this sunny Sunday.” Claire could only comply as Arsen pulled her toward the long white sofa near the glass wall. He positioned the sofa facing the wall so they could chat while taking in the view outside the apartment.“Actually, I’ve felt this way for a very long time. It feels like I’ve missed out on so much. When I fell asleep at age 10, I suddenly woke up at age 15. I didn’t even realize my living situation had changed. As far as I remember, I used to live in Russia, then my father kicked me out, and suddenly I was in Jerez, then Australia, Brooklyn, and finally here. I didn’t dare tell anyone about all that. I was afraid they’d think I was crazy, since I could move places on my own without realizing it.”
Arsen rested his head on the steering wheel after parking his car in the apartment basement. After waking up with his whole body aching and catching Rose returning around 3 a.m., he decided to stay in the car and wait. He should have just ended it all and gone back to living a normal life. He wouldn’t have to feel paranoid when Claire was in his apartment, wouldn’t have to be startled when she suddenly turned into a different person, and wouldn’t have to deal with love anymore.But he couldn’t just walk away from it all, walk away from that girl. After all, ever since Claire and her alter egos had arrived, his perspective on life had begun to shift, little by little. He no longer felt bored with his life, no longer hated autumn, and had begun to forgive his father, even though it was very difficult. So why should he leave that girl just because she has alter egos? If Claire could choose, she would surely want to live happily with her family, not be seen as strange or crazy, and be a
"Wow!" That was all Freddy could say after hearing Arsen’s story about Claire. "Is that all you have to say?" Arsen protested, looking indignant. Freddy raised both his eyebrows. “Then how am I supposed to respond?” “At least give me some advice. What should I do?” Arsen paced back and forth in Freddy’s apartment living room with his hands on his hips. “I don’t really understand much about alter egos, but I’ve heard you have to be mentally prepared when dealing with someone like that.”“You’re stating the obvious, Fred. Who’s mentally prepared to deal with someone who suddenly acts weird? Most people would just think they’re crazy or possessed.”They fell silent after that. Freddy looked like he was trying to recall something. “Brandon said Claire did seem strange. Her ID card did indeed say Claire, but in the interrogation room, she said her name was Rose. He even felt uneasy when facing her.""Did her behavior just change out of the blue?" Arsen asked curiously. Freddy nodded.
Emily walked alone toward the empty parking lot without looking back, eager to get to Fireside Grill to meet Arsen. Even though he always rejected her, she refused to give up.She was going to carry out her plan tonight: trap Arsen into sleeping with her and get pregnant, so he would take responsibility and they would be bound by marriage forever. Emily smiled to herself as she imagined her plan going smoothly thanks to the aphrodisiac she’d brought. She hadn’t told Josh or Sergio about this plan, because it was purely her own desire to have Arsen. She was truly obsessed with him and wanted him no matter what. Love had truly blinded her. As soon as she reached her Lamborghini, she bent down to look for her car keys in her small purse. She kept rummaging through the contents of the bag, not realizing that someone was already standing beside her.“Looking for this?” the person asked, flashing a crooked smile and raising an eyebrow. Emily jumped in surprise upon hearing the voice of s
Josh and Emily had just arrived at Darkest Nightclub, one of the nightclubs in Portland. They made their way through the crowd packed onto the dance floor, swaying their bodies as they watched the strippers perform. They looked around for someone until they finally spotted him on the long sofa in the corner of the room. Emily kept waving back at several people she recognized there as Josh tugged on her arm to get closer to the man.“Ahem.” Josh cleared his throat to draw attention away from the two people consumed by desire. The man with jet-black hair stopped groping the beautiful, sexy girl beside him. He turned to Josh, and his face immediately lit up.“Joshua William! You finally showed up! What’s wrong with your face? What’s wrong with your neck and cheeks?” the man asked in surprise, noticing the bruises on Josh’s face and the bandages on Emily’s neck and face. “My little sister’s crush punched me in the face like a madman, just because I slapped that damn girl’s face. Then t
Claire slowly opened her eyes and immediately felt pain in various parts of her body. She scanned the room until her gaze settled on the man who had captured her heart.“How are you feeling right now?” Arsen asked with a gentle smile, kissing the back of her hand. “My whole body hurts,” Claire rep
“This little bitch hit me with that lamppost,” Claire said, nodding toward the lamppost lying near the sofa. “So a few scrapes aren’t a big deal, right?” she continued, pressing the blade against Emily’s neck, causing the girl to scream in terror and beg the two men for help. “Claire! Claire, lis
Arsen was taking deep drags on his cigarette on the roof of Leo’s hotel, gazing out at the view of the Willamette River cutting through the city of Portland. He’d been forced to lie to Claire, telling her he was meeting with a professor that morning, even though he no longer had any business on cam
Once again, Claire was taken aback by Emily’s words. She had no idea that Josh was Emily’s older brother. All this time, she’d only known that Josh lived alone because both his parents had passed away. It turned out there were many things she didn’t know about her best friend. Well, of course. They







