FIVE: ~Love is a crazy concept~

“I’m really glad you picked me.”

In the dream, the sun was always setting, bathing her in a warm, honey-like glow. She seemed delicate yet so strong in his embrace.

“Zeke... I love the way your name sounds when I say it like this. I must be special since I’m the only one who calls you this way.”

She had leaned closer, her hair carrying a scent of vanilla mixed with sweets. He felt like a protector, a hero, completely unaware that he was just an onlooker to her downfall.

“I’m so happy we met. I want to belong to you forever.”

She whispered it against his chest, her heartbeat syncing with his. He had promised her everything, not seeing that those very promises would become the burden that pulled her down.

But then, everything came crashing down in an instant. The light morphed into an ugly, bruised shade of purple.

The trust in her eyes shattered, replaced by a horrifying realization that the man holding her was the same one who would let her go.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, glimmering like silver, as the world around them dissolved into a chaotic, blaring noise.

It was a song. Her favorite song...

~You found me when I was lost...~

“I'm sorry,” Ezekiel muttered, his voice trembling and weak. “I'm so sorry.”

His eyes flew open. He lay there frozen for a moment, staring at the stark white ceiling of his bedroom. His breath came in heavy, ragged gulps, his skin slick with cold sweat.

The same dream again. It never changed.

Shaking himself awake, Ezekiel sat on the edge of the bed, looking pale and hollow. He scanned the room, which felt more like a grave than a home, and grabbed a water bottle from the nightstand.

He fished out a couple of pills from a nearby white bottle and swallowed them down in a rush.

Then he froze.

The water bottle halted mid-air, his heart racing. He could hear it… faint yet distinct. It was the music. The same melody from his dream. Was he still dreaming? Was his mind finally cracking under the weight of his guilt?

The sound was real as it reverberated through the walls.

He stood up, his movements stiff, and made his way to the living room. There he found his assistant, Logan, already in place, looking alert and ready to tackle the day.

Logan glanced up from his tablet, a frown creasing his brow. “How many hours did you sleep again? Or was it no sleep at all?”

“Not sure,” Ezekiel replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

His mind flickered back to last night. Vespera Nightingale. That name was like a thorn in his side. He tried to convince himself she wasn’t Lorna, convincing himself that the woman at the gala was just a stranger.

But strangely, the music kept playing... it wouldn't stop.

“I'm not the only one hearing that, right?” Ezekiel asked, glancing anxiously at the front door.

Logan nodded steadily. “Yes, I was going to mention that. You’ve got a new neighbor. She moved in this morning. She's quite stunning.”

Ezekiel went still. He’d heard that the luxury apartment next to his, the only one in the building that offered total privacy, had been sold. He just didn’t expect the buyer to be so... loud.

“The music is coming from there?”

“It is,” Logan said, a small, knowing grin on his face. “Want to drop in and say hi later? She seems nice. We exchanged greetings in the hall.”

Ezekiel couldn't care less about being “nice.” What bothered him was the repetition of the music. As soon as that line ended, it started up again. It was on a loop, a haunting reminder of a girl who should have left his mind years again.

He had to get away. He needed to escape that sound.

“I’ll go freshen up,” he muttered. “What’s on the agenda?”

“Meeting at eleven with the strategy team,” Logan replied. “Team dinner tonight. And your sister, Katy, said she’d swing by your office after her script reading.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, sir. For now.”

A few minutes later, Ezekiel emerged from his bedroom, dressed in a firm-looking charcoal suit that hid the exhaustion clinging to him. As he headed toward the front door with Logan, the music increased, echoing down the hallway.

It was a familiar tune, but Ezekiel had never known anyone who loved it with the obsessive passion that Lorna had. She’d listen to it for hours, her head resting on his shoulder, humming that same line over and over.

She loved it so much, so much that overtime, it became annoying to him.

He paused at the threshold, glancing at the locked door just a few meters away. This building was something he could describe his sanctuary since it was the only property he owned that wasn’t tied to the Sterling family's name. They didn’t even know he lived here.

“Want to say hi?” Logan prompted, his smile growing wider.

Ezekiel opened his mouth to sharply refuse, but the words got stuck as the neighbor’s door swung open.

The music spilled into the hall, clear and vibrant, accompanied by a soft, melodic voice singing along:

~You found me when I was lost, I held your hand as you led the way...~

~Love is a crazy concept, I swear...~

A woman stepped into the hallway, her movements smooth and graceful. She stopped, her gaze landing on Ezekiel and Logan. In an instant, the relaxed look on her face vanished, replaced by a piercing intensity that was hard to read.

Ezekiel felt his heart lurch violently against his ribs, the little color he’d regained draining away in an instant. The world tilted, the hallway narrowing until all he could see was her.

Before he could catch himself, before reason could catch up to his feelings, the name slipped from his lips like a broken promise.

“Lorna.”