Chapter 3

Something went wrong with the transfer. I got stuck between the two worlds.

A voice echoed in my head, calm and mechanical. It said the passage had malfunctioned, and I needed to wait 24 to 48 hours.

During that time, I could move freely in this world, but no one would be able to see me.

So, I drifted back through the window and into the living room.

Liam frowned and checked his watch.

"How long has she been in the bathroom?"

"About ten minutes." Demi popped a popcorn in her mouth without even looking up. "She’s probably in there crying."

He didn’t answer. He walked straight to the bathroom and knocked twice.

"Keira, is your stomach bothering you again?"

Seeing there was no response, he knocked harder.

"Cut it out. I’ll take you to the hospital."

Still nothing.

His patience ran out. His face darkened, and he kicked the door open.

The bathroom was empty.

He froze for a second, then turned and headed upstairs, pushing open the bedroom door.

"Keira, we still have guests. If you wanted to go to bed, you could’ve said something."

He flipped on the light. The only answer was the wind coming through the window.

Liam's breathing turned uneven. He moved quickly, checking the closet, then the upstairs bathroom. He went through the entire house, even the storage room.

Nothing.

I was nowhere.

"Liam, what are you even looking for?" Demi leaned against the staircase, her voice lazy.

He ignored her.

He went back downstairs and looked around the living room.

"Did anyone see Keira come out?"

People glanced at each other and shook their heads.

If I had left, I would’ve had to pass through the living room. There was no way I could’ve slipped past everyone without being seen.

Liam swallowed. A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead.

Then, someone shouted from the bathroom.

"Liam, there are footprints by the window!"

He rushed over.

"She climbed out?"

He frowned and pulled out his phone, dialing my number, but no one answered.

Again. And again.

Each time, he waited through the ringing until it cut off.

Standing in front of the window, his fingers slowly curled into fists, his jaw tight.

"Keira, don’t pull this disappearing act on me."

His voice was low, edged with irritation.

"If you don’t come back, I’ll get engaged to Demi next month. You can keep playing the other woman."

I hovered by the window, looking at his flushed face.

It felt almost absurd.

He thought I still cared. Thought I would keep giving in, the way I always had.

What he didn’t know was that the moment I saw my parents’ gravestone, whatever was left of my feelings for him was already gone.

All I wanted now was to go back to my original world.

Back to my parents.

Back to my first love.

-

That night, Liam sent everyone away. He locked himself in the bedroom and kept trying to reach me, over and over.

Demi knocked on the door, trying to comfort him, but for the first time, he pushed her away.

"Don’t touch me. Stay in your room."

The door slammed shut, leaving her standing there in a thin nightgown, stunned.

Liam fell asleep at some point. At the crack of dawn, the sound of his phone ringing woke him. He answered immediately.

A man’s voice came through.

"I found a phone at the street corner. No passcode. There are hundreds of missed calls on it. There’s also a message that wasn’t sent, addressed to Liam."

Liam rushed out in his sleepwear. It took him less than five minutes to reach the corner.

He grabbed the phone from the man and read the message I had left him. His hands started to shake.

"That’s impossible…"

His eyes turned red as he grabbed the man by the collar.

"Tell me! Where did you hide her?"

The man struggled, terrified. "I just found a phone. Are you out of your mind?"

"You set this up with her, didn’t you? Tell me where she is, and I’ll pay you!"

"You’re crazy!"

The man shoved him away and ran.

Liam staggered and dropped to the ground.

Demi, who had followed him here, stepped forward to help him, but he shoved her off.

"I was just joking with you…" he muttered. "Did you really have to disappear like this? So what, you’re the only one allowed to have someone else in your heart?"

I froze.

What did he mean by that?

"I spent two years helping you look for him." His eyes were bloodshot. "You must’ve loved him a lot. Enough to turn the whole city upside down."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

So he had cared.

He just never said it.

"Liam… Do you think she went to find him again?" Demi asked carefully.

Before she could finish, he slapped her across the face.

"Shut up!" He looked at her, his eyes cold. "You were just someone I used to get a reaction out of Keira. Don’t start thinking you’re anything more!"

Demi covered her face, not daring to speak. As I looked at her, I felt something close to pity.

At that moment, Liam suddenly looked up. His eyes caught a flash of red in the branches of a tree.

Ten minutes later, he stormed into the traffic police office, demanding to see the surveillance footage from the street corner where I had disappeared.

"Who are you?" the officer on duty asked. "You need authorization to access that."

Liam braced both hands on the counter. His voice shook.

"My fiancée is missing. She disappeared at that intersection last night. I can’t find her anywhere."

"Then go file a report at the police station. Why are you here…"

Before he could finish, Liam grabbed his arm.

He bent down slightly, looking like he might collapse.

I had never seen him like this. Even when his business was at its worst, he had never looked shaken.

"Please…" His voice was hoarse, barely audible. "Please. Just let me see it."

The officer hesitated, then sighed. "Just this once."

The screen lit up. The footage loaded.

The timeline moved forward and stopped at 11 p.m.

On the screen, I appeared at the corner.

Liam stared, his breathing uneven.

What happened next made every drop of blood in his body run cold.