Lahat ng Kabanata ng Twice in One Life: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 17

Evelyn shot up in bed, gasping for air. Her heart raced like she had been running, and her hands clutched at the sheets, damp with sweat. She felt her throat with shaky fingers, half-expecting to find bruises there. Her chest rose and fell in quick with uneven breaths.The room was quiet, only the soft hum of the air conditioner breaking the silence. The curtains swayed gently, and for a second, Evelyn thought she saw a shadow move. She rubbed her face, trying to calm herself, but the nightmare refused to leave her. The images clawed back into her mind, sharper, louder, more real than the silence around her.She had been in this very mansion, but it wasn’t quiet and empty like it was now. It had been alive, lights glowing, fresh flowers filling the air with their sweet smell, maids moving around, voices soft in the halls.Outside, rain poured heavily, tapping against the windows. She had been pacing the lounge, phone in hand, waiting for Darren. He was supposed to come home that night

The drive back home was quiet, but Darren’s head was anything but it. The image of those white roses stuck with him, the exact kind Celine used to tend to with her delicate hands, humming quietly in her garden. And now, a stranger, this so-called new successor had them replanted in the same spot. A coincidence, the worker had told him.The entire visit to the mansion felt wrong. He hadn’t even met the new chairman. That woman, what was her name? He didn't even get her name, had turned him away with a polite but firm “Miss Hayes is unavailable for uninvited guests.”Darren ran a hand over his face as he stepped out of his car, walking into his apartment building. His mind was jammed with Celine’s memories clawing at the edges of his thoughts, the new successor who seemed too intentional to be random, and that nagging image of Claire’s hurt face when she left him standing in that restaurant some days ago.He just wanted silence.But as soon as he pushed open the door to his apartment,

The restaurant had been quiet that night, tucked away from the city noise. Darren had chosen a private table near the window, where the lights from passing cars painted soft streaks against the glass.It had taken a lot of pleas and convincing to make Claire sit with him for dinner. At first, Claire sat stiff, her fingers curled around her wine glass, answering Darren’s attempts at conversation with polite, short words.Now she found herself laughing. The night had been nothing like Claire imagined.After the tension at the restaurant, after the days of awkward, clipped conversations, she hadn’t expected laughter. She hadn’t expected Darren’s quiet teasing, or the way his smile softened every time he looked at her.“I shouldn’t have ruined our lunch date the way I did, Claire,” he said quietly, leaning forward, his gaze steady. “It wasn’t fair to you. It was so thoughtless of me, and I’m sorry.”The sincerity in his voice had made her soften her stance. And somehow, without realizing