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“You stole something?”

It’s just too bad her acting is about to land me behind bars.

“Are you Karyna Francisco, miss?”

I can feel my eyes start to sting as I force myself to nod.

“May we know if you were the one who made a call?”

I know what I’m supposed to say, but all I can do is stare.

My whole life, I was taught to not say a word, to just go with the flow and not cause any trouble.

“Did you steal anything?”

I find myself taking a step back at the question, but the moment I do, they have their guns pointed at me in the next moment. They already think I’m a suspect who’s about to escape.

“Please raise your hands, ma’am.”

I can’t believe this is happening.

“Ma’am?”

I think they’re about to cuff me. I think I’m about to faint. I think…I think…

“Stop.”

I think I’ve already lost consciousness.

Because that voice…

It has to mean I’m already dreaming.

And when I see Ruel once again showing up from nowhere, walking toward me like he’s Gong Yoo in Goblin, and he’s recreating that very famous scene about the actor coming to the heroine’s rescue⁠—

Yup.

I have to be dreaming for sure, with the way my brain is now thinking all of these crazy stupid things⁠—

“R-Ruel?”

But then I hear Sadie say his name, and the sound snaps me back to reality.

He’s real then?

Or is this some kind of mass hallucination⁠—

Ruel is standing right in front of me now.

And my knees…

They just give out.

But I don’t fall.

It’s one of the few good things about my life, I think.

There’s always someone reliable around when I lose my balance—literally or figuratively.