The man was tugging at her arm, another hand wrapped around her neck. “You think there’ll be anyoneing to save you today, nca? Quit dreaming! I’ll show you what it’s like to be stepped on today…”


    “Ah! D-don’te over, go away…”


    nca backed up, turned around and ran, but the man’s cacklingughter came from behind, encircling her like demonic whispers.


    She ran and ran and suddenly fell. She tried to get up, supporting herself on her palms, but then she saw the man’s face, blown up to enormous proportions.


    “Run! Come on, why aren’t you running? Keep running!”


    The man’s contorted grin drew close and his fist hammered down. nca yelped, “Agh! Matthew, help me… help me…


    “Matthew!”


    A shrill shriek broke the sky. Matthew was a light sleeper and jolted awake, turning on the light at the end of the bed. He saw nca struggling and calling out, her pale face covered with sweat, and immediately realized she was having a nightmare.


    Probably something to do with what happened that afternoon.


    “nca, wake up.” Matthew took a deep breath and pped her lightly on the cheek. But she didn’t just keep slumbering, she reached out and grabbed his arm.


    Normally, Matthew would throw it off, but this time… he didn’t.


    He called her name a few more times before nca opened her eyes in a daze. “No!”


    “It’s me, you’re safe.” Seeing her wake up, Matthew didn’t realize that he’d heaved a sigh of relief himself as heforted her lightly.


    nca’s brain was still blurry, and she just thought about how she almost…


    She didn’t want to bring up that painful memory again, and seeing a drowsy Matthew before her in his pajamas, nca’s eyes welled up instantly. Maybe it was because a girl who’d just woken up was in a weak state, but she threw herself into Matthew’s arms right then and there, her voice tinged with a sob. “I thought I’d never see you again, Matthew, I won’t ever say that you’re cold and nasty again…”Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    “…”


    Cold? Nasty?


    So that was what she thought of him?


    A cold aura gathered around Matthew’s body, and nca shivered before finding that she was… hugging Matthew again?!


    Face ashen, she backed out of Matthew’s embrace, stammering, “Sorry, I-I j-just… sorry.” She couldn’t find an excuse, and kept on apologizing.


    “Since you’re fine, go to sleep.” Matthew had no intentions of bringing it up against her, mainly because he didn’t have the heart to with her looking like a little bunny who’d just been bullied.


    But… it seemed the afternoon had left a huge impact on her. Matthew’s face went shadowy.


    Seeing that Matthew had fallen asleep like nothing was wrong, nca calmed down herself and tried to lie down, closing her eyes. Maybe because Matthew was next to her, but she wasn’t so afraid now.


    Matthew had said that Todd would disappear from Oakshire, and she believed he could aplish such a thing. Considering that, she slowly drifted off again…


    But, when nca started breathing long and deep, Matthew suddenly opened his eyes, his deep gaze shining in the dark. He felt like something was slowly changing.