TimeNovelChapter 859
In a split second, it was as if a bullet had struck the man right between the eyes- every nerve in his brain jolted
to life, electricity crackling beneath his skin.
A woman's silhouette flickered in his mind, faint and elusive, always just out of focus.
No matter how hard he tried, her face stayed blurred, an apparition he couldn't grasp.
The deeper he chased the memory, the sharper the pain in his head became.
Cold sweat broke out across his body as he forced out two words through gritted teeth: "I don't know."
Stella had heard Marguerite mention how terrifying Silas looked when he had one of his headaches, but
witnessing it firsthand was another thing entirely. She was so startled, she could hardly move.
His face had gone ghostly pale, eyes hollow with pain, and even his broad- shouldered frwas trembling. For
a moment, Stella feared he might collapse right here in her office. Panicking, she grabbed a glass of warm water
and rushed to his side.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
"Painkillers! Do you have any painkillers with you?"
Silas shook his head, the effort making him wince. "None."
Stella fumbled for her phone. "Hang on! I'll call emergency services!"
But Silas caught her wrist in a surprisingly firm grip, his voice strained: "Don't. Not yet. There's a bottle of
cologne in my coat pocket-get it for me."
She stared at him, bewildered, but dug into his coat anyway, pulling out a travel- sized bottle. "Are you serious?
You want to spritz cologne right now?"
"Just do it!" he snapped, eyes squeezed shut in agony.
Stella didn't dare argue. She sprayed the cologne twice in front of his face. A fresh, crisp scent filled the air,
cutting through the tension and sinking straight into his lungs.
Slowly, the tightness in his body eased. The pain didn't vanish, but it began to ebb, just enough for him to
breathe.
"Should | still call an ambulance?" Stella asked, uncertain.
Half-reclining on the couch, Silas shook his head, eyelids drooping. "No, it's fine. You can relax. | just need a
moment."
Stella watched him from across the room, perched anxiously at her desk, never taking her eyes off him. She
noticed how the scent of cologne seemed to settle his nerves, his breathing evening out. It struck her as odd, but
not unheard of she'd seen plenty of patients with unconventional coping habits.
Using cologne to steady himself? Maybe it worked for Silas the way other little rituals worked for people in
distress.
Still, she couldn't help but worry. His episodes weren't just psychological; the pain was real, physical. The whole
thing was proving far trickier than she'd anticipated.
Meanwhile, Silas slowly gathered
himself. The lingering scent of Polar Radiance brought back a wave of longing, making him miss Marguerite more
than ever. But he couldn't see her, and he didn't dare calf her out of the blue for fear she'd only push him further
away. So he did the next best thing-he pulled out his phone and scrolled through the photos he'd taken of her, a
bittersweet ache settling in his chest.
Most of the pictures were candid, snapped without her noticing. He'd taken them when they first met, back when
Marguerite was sick and restless, always frowning in her sleep as if haunted by nightmares.
Yet somehow, Silas thought she looked adorable no matter what.
He scrolled on, a faint smile breaking through at last.
Then, unexpectedly, he landed on a photo of himself.
That day in the grocery store, when he'd run into Marguerite, she'd asked what he looked like before the
accident. On a whim, he'd taken off his mask and snapped a picture for her. He never took selfies-never even
thought about it--but for Marguerite, he'd done something completely out of character.
The man in the photo was strikingly handsome, though his expression was stiff, almost uncomfortable.
Silas couldn't help but let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh. He was laughing at himself for how far gone he really
was.
He kept scrolling, lost in thought, completely unaware that Stella was watching his every move from across the
room. She saw each photo flicker across his screen, noting every detail, and quietly took it all in.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
