Chapter 616 Lonely Shadow

This time, Kyla felt like she had completely disappeared–like she was nothing more than thin air.

She locked herself in the bathroom, biting her lip until it hurt, her eyes brimming with tears. “Mom… even you’ve changed. To you, I’m nothing more than Tilda’s stand-in!”

“You’re just happy Tilda didn’t end up as someone else’s adopted daughter. You’re so happy you’ve forgotten I even exist!”

The only person who could give Kyla comfort now was Tobias.

She sent him the news and waited for his reply.

Soon, a message came.

“Don’t overthink it, Kyla. You did your part. Whatever happens next isn’t on you.”

“Tobias, my heart hurts so much.”

She typed the words, ready to pour her feelings out to the man she loved.

But then her fingers trembled.

She quickly deleted the message.

She couldn’t let Tobias know just how fragile her place at home was, completely overshadowed by Tilda.

If he knew, it would ruin everything between them.

After all, their relationship had started out of mutual benefit–they were using each other. Tobias only cared because she was the Jensons’ most pampered heiress.

“Alright. I get it,” she finally typed back.

That evening, everyone was set to meet for dinner at Sky Dining.

Blair and Russell shared some cake and tea that Kayden had baked for them. It gave them just enough energy before heading upstairs for a nap.

At the company, Wade was holding things down. They texted him the plan to meet for dinner at Sky Dining.

Out on the balcony, Darell lit a cigarette. He didn’t smoke often, but tonight he took a long drag, rubbing his aching temples.

“Smoking’s bad for you, Darell.”

Justin walked out to join him.

“I know. But right now, this is the only thing that makes me feel a little better.”

Darell gave a bitter smile, took another deep breath of smoke, and then crushed the cigarette out.

Suddenly, his expression twisted in pain. He clutched his head with one hand.

“Darell, what’s wrong? Is it your head? Didn’t sleep last night?”

“It’s nothing.”

Darell shook his head.

Last night, he’d started dreaming again.

It wasn’t like before, when Silva first gave him the charm. Back then, he had dreamless, peaceful nights and woke up refreshed.

This dream was different. Strange.

He was standing in thick fog, his body trapped and frozen in place.

A sharp, eerie laugh echoed around him.

In that laugh, he heard disappointment in others, disgust toward himself, and despair at life.

He was sure the voice belonged to Tilda.

But it wasn’t just her–mixed in were voices that stirred his blood.

They were his family’s voices.

One word spun in Darell’s mind: Regret.

What did that mean? After that dream, what could have happened?

Why would both Tilda and the rest of the family be full of regret?

If there really was a parallel world, maybe in that one Tilda had died. Maybe the family hated her, saw her as a curse, even celebrated her death.

Why would they regret this?

Did they face the same issue as our world?

The dream only lasted about 20 minutes before he woke up.

Every so often, his head still throbbed.

His instincts told him the charm’s power was wearing off.

He texted Silva, asking if there was a way to stop the dreams from ruining his sleep.

Silva said she couldn’t help right now. She would need to search old records at Yaflana’s national library to see if there was a cure.

He asked her to do her best.

So much had already happened that his old atheistic beliefs were starting to crumble.

At the same time, he couldn’t stop thinking about the dream.

Even if it exhausted him, he wanted to know what came next.

After Howard smashed Tilda’s memorial frame, what happened after that?

Why did this new dream leave me feeling so cold, so hollow, like all hope had been stripped away?

“Honestly, Darell, when I first heard Kyla talk about this, I thought Tilda would say yes to Mr. Lowell and let him adopt her,” Justin said.

“She had no reason to say no. Crown Group is way above our company in every aspect. If she agreed, it would’ve been the perfect way to humiliate us and get her revenge. She knew it would crush us.”

Justin leaned against the balcony railing, tilting his head back toward the evening sky. The breeze ruffled his hair, sunlight sparking in his eyes as his voice grew brighter.

“So tell me, Darell. Do you think Tilda refused because she doesn’t care about us anymore? Or maybe, deep down, she still does. After all, we’re her real brothers by blood.”