Chapter 6

I stepped out of my house in a daze, not knowing how I ended up collapsing on the street.

When I came to, only Asher was by my side.

My eyelids felt like they weighed a ton as I struggled to open them.

Asher's face lit up with joy when he saw me awake, but he opened and closed his mouth several times without speaking, seemingly at a loss for words.

Sensing his unease, I braced myself for the worst and asked, "Am I dying?"

Asher looked startled by my question and shook his head vigorously.

"Don't talk nonsense. You just caught a bad fever from getting caught in the rain and not resting properly, plus the emotional rollercoaster you've been on."

He paused before continuing.

"Don't throw around words like life and death so casually. You've still got a long life ahead of you."

His voice grew softer as he finished speaking.

But the more I studied his expression, the more I felt something was off. My tone grew serious.

"What's really going on?"