Layla's heart nearly stopped.
OMG, I'm dead! What is this? she thought inwardly.
Was she dreaming?
She immediately sat up, and the unknown creature adjusted its position.
"What are you? What do you want? Why did you sneak into my room in the middle of the night?" she asked, trying desperately not to sound frightened.
"Little one, don't be scared. I won't harm you."
To Layla's greatest surprise, the creature spoke.
It was a man.
And his voice was as calm as a flowing river.
"You belong to me, so why would I hurt you?"
"What?!"
Layla screamed internally.
Is this man even serious?
He had crept into her room in the middle of the night and still had the audacity to say something so ridiculous.
"You must be crazy!" she snapped. "I belong to no one. What did you do to me? I can't see anything except your eyes. Is your face so heinous that you had to tamper with my eyes?"
To her surprise, the man chuckled.
At that very moment, Layla's vision returned.
The light bulbs flickered before turning on by themselves.
She froze.
For the first time, she could clearly see the figure sitting on her bed.
He looked as though he had stepped straight out of the most beautiful painting.
His beauty was almost unreal.
Everything about him seemed unnatural.
His eyes, which had been glowing red moments earlier, were now golden, although a faint touch of red remained around the edges. His skin was fair, contrasting sharply with his black hair, which fell to his shoulders.
He had thin pink lips, a refined jawline, and a slightly pointed nose.
Enough staring at his face.
Layla's eyes slowly traveled downward.
He wore a black T-shirt with three buttons undone, revealing part of his firm chest. A pair of black pants completed his outfit, while his muscular arms suggested that he worked out regularly.
Oh my God. He must exercise a lot.
"Ahem."
The strange man's voice suddenly jolted her back to reality.
"Are you done scanning me?"
Layla's face immediately turned red.
"You don't seem disgusted by my heinous face."
"Um... well..." She looked away awkwardly. "I wasn't scanning you."
She quickly composed herself.
Gosh, how I hate being in situations like this.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Oh, yes..." The man spoke casually, as though they were having an ordinary conversation. "You are my wife, so I came to see you."
Layla stared at him.
"Oh, really? I don't remember getting married to anyone."
Her patience was wearing thin.
The man might have been incredibly handsome, but there was clearly something wrong with him.
"You will understand when the time comes," he said. "I've been looking for you for a really long time, little one."
He reached out and gently patted her head.
Before Layla could respond, he stood up.
Then, right before her eyes, he vanished.
"What the f*ck?!"
Layla stared at the empty space where he had been standing.
"How is that even possible? Am I dreaming?"
She immediately pinched her cheek as hard as she could.
"Ouch!"
She rubbed the spot.
"That hurts."
She stared around the room in disbelief.
"So he isn't even human..."
A shiver ran down her spine.
"Am I in some kind of trouble?"
She said the words aloud, but there was no answer.
Still, she couldn't deny the strange feeling she had experienced around him.
Somewhere deep inside her, she had felt an unusual connection to the mysterious man.
This is ridiculous.
Utterly ridiculous.
Layla tried to fall asleep again, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw those glowing red eyes staring back at her.
It took several hours before she finally managed to get about two hours of sleep.
When she woke, she dragged herself toward the mirror.
Her hair looked like a bird's nest, and dark circles were clearly visible beneath her eyes.
She looked exhausted.
Layla rushed into the bathroom, completely forgetting to remove her bracelet.
She had already finished bathing before she suddenly remembered it.
Her eyes widened.
"The bracelet!"
She quickly checked it and sighed in relief.
Then she dressed for her lectures.
Ever since leaving her adoptive family behind in Prime City and moving to Zorah City, Layla had finally experienced some peace of mind.
At least, she had—until the previous night.
She arrived at the lecture hall only to discover that she was ten minutes late.
Trying not to draw attention to herself, she quietly slipped inside and found an empty seat.
Thankfully, the lecturer didn't notice her arrival.
The girl sitting beside her smiled.
"Hi, I'm Betty."
"Layla... I'm Layla."
Layla returned her smile.
The two girls said nothing else until the class ended.
After the morning lectures, the next class wasn't scheduled until the evening.
Layla stood up, intending to return to her hostel and catch up on the sleep she had lost the previous night.
Then she heard someone calling her.
"Layla, wait up!"
She turned around.
Betty hurried toward her.
"You stay in the school hostel, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. Divine Hotel. Which hostel are you in?"
"I stay in Diamond Hostel!" Betty said excitedly. "It's directly opposite yours. We can go to lectures together!"
Before Layla could respond, she heard a familiar voice.
"Leave. Now. Right now."
Layla's eyes narrowed.
She wasn't speaking to Betty.
She was speaking to the strange man.
"Huh?" Betty looked confused. "Are you referring to me?"
Layla immediately realized her mistake.
"Oh, no, dear. I wasn't referring to you."
"Then who were you speaking to?"
Layla raised her hand and pointed toward the man.
"Who?"
Betty looked in the direction Layla was pointing.
"I can't see anyone."
Layla froze.
Only I can see him.
Once again, she probably looked like a complete weirdo.
She clenched her fists in frustration but quickly forced a smile.
"It was just a stubborn fly that keeps perching on me," she said with an awkward laugh.
"Little one, are you calling your husband a fly?"
The man's mocking voice reached her ears.
Layla ignored him.
She couldn't afford to let Betty think she was strange.
"Okay, if that's the case..." Betty smiled. "Shall we go for the evening lectures together?"
"Sure. See you in the evening."
Layla waved goodbye before heading toward the entrance of her hostel.
The mysterious man followed behind her.
The moment she reached her room, Layla turned around.
"What is it? Why do you keep bothering me?"
She was becoming increasingly annoyed with the situation.
"Won't you invite me in for a cup of tea?" he asked lazily. "Besides, I walked you home."
"I never asked you to do that!"
"Well, I did. And you have to return the favor by inviting me in for a cup of tea."
Layla clenched her teeth.
Hmph.
She reluctantly unlocked the door, gestured for him to enter, and shut it behind them.
She walked into the small kitchen to prepare his tea.
When she returned, she found him lounging comfortably on her bed with a smug expression on his face.
"Here's your tea. Drink it and leave."
She turned toward her wardrobe and pulled out a faded pair of jean shorts, a jersey, and her towel before heading into the bathroom.
She showered and changed inside, hoping that by the time she came out, the strange man would be gone.
Unfortunately, he wasn't.
Layla stepped out of the bathroom and found him lying on her bed with his eyes closed.
She stared at him.
Despite herself, she couldn't help noticing his handsome face and unusual physique.
He was tall and appeared to be in his late twenties.
Why does he have to look like that?
Layla quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts.
He had already finished his tea.
So why was he still there?
This is so annoying. I shouldn't have let him inside.
But how was she supposed to get him to leave?
"Hey. Get up. Right now."
She struck the headboard with her hand.
The man didn't move.
"Logan."
His eyes remained closed, but a faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"Call me Logan. But if you can't, you can always call me 'husband.'"
Layla's eyes widened.
"Leave. Leave at once! Why are you still here?"
She felt increasingly uncomfortable.
She had never been alone in a room with a guy before, much less a grown man who could appear and disappear whenever he wanted.
Logan finally opened his eyes.
"What if I told you I know where your parents are?"
Layla froze.
"Your birth parents."