Chapter 136: Why Do You Hate Me?

Sylvia leaned closer until I could feel her warm breath against my face. Then she pressed her lips gently against mine.

The kiss was soft and brief, but something about it made my chest feel strangely warm. I didn’t know why being this close to her felt so natural. I didn’t even remember loving her, yet every time she touched me, some part of me reacted before my mind could understand it.

When she pulled away, a small smile rested on her lips. She reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face, tucking it gently behind my ear.

"Now close your eyes and sleep, okay?" she whispered.

Her fingers moved through my hair before she gave my head a gentle pat.

I smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Sylvia smiled back.

I slowly closed my eyes. The hospital room became quiet again. I could hear the soft beeping of the machine beside my bed and the faint hum of the air conditioner above me. The cool air brushed against my skin, while the warmth of Sylvia’s presence remained beside me.

My body felt heavy. I tried to stay awake, but the more I fought the sleep, the heavier my eyelids became.

I took one last slow breath and then sleep claimed me.

It felt gentle, almost like a soft breeze carrying me somewhere far away.

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the hospital.

I was lying on a large king-sized bed. The mattress was soft beneath me, and white sheets covered most of my body. Warm sunlight entered through the large windows, spreading across the room and making everything look peaceful.

I slowly turned my head toward the window.

The curtains were slightly open, moving gently with the breeze.

Beyond the window was a beautiful garden filled with flowers. Their colors were bright beneath the morning sunlight, and the fresh scent of them drifted into the room.

I took a slow breath.

The scent was sweet, familiar, and comforting. I smiled without knowing why.

My eyes remained on the sky outside. It was blue, with soft white clouds floating lazily across it.

Everything was peaceful.

I looked around the room. The furniture, the curtains, the large bed beneath me—everything felt strangely familiar. I couldn’t remember ever being in this room, yet something inside me told me that I had.

Before I could think about it any further, a gentle knock came from the door.

Knock.

Knock.

I turned my head. For some reason, a smile immediately appeared on my face.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly. Someone stepped inside. She closed the door behind her and turned toward me.

The moment I saw her, my heart skipped.

I knew her.

I didn’t know how. I didn’t know when we had met.

But I knew her.

She walked toward me with slow, quiet steps until she reached the edge of the bed.

Then she smiled.

It was the sweetest smile I had ever seen.

I had seen beautiful smiles before, but hers felt different.

It made something inside me soften. It was a smile I could recognize even if I couldn’t remember the person attached to it.

"Sylvia," I whispered.

She didn’t say anything. She simply smiled at me.

I reached my hand toward her, and she immediately took it.

Her fingers slipped between mine, and the warmth of her palm spread through my hand.

I stared at our joined hands.

It felt right.

So right that I couldn’t understand why I had ever forgotten it.

Sylvia leaned forward. Her hair fell slightly over her shoulder as she lowered her head and pressed her lips against my knuckles.

The kiss lingered.

I watched her with a smile. There was something almost tender about the way she held my hand, as though it was something precious to her.

My heart fluttered.

I wanted to say something. I wanted to ask her why she was here.

But before I could speak, something changed.

The smile on her face disappeared.

I blinked, and her face began changing.

At first, I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me. Then her features shifted completely.

Her eyes, her lips, and her hair. Everything changed.

My smile disappeared.

The woman standing before me was no longer Sylvia.

My breath caught.

"Janina..."

It was my cousin sister.

She stared down at me. There was nothing warm in her expression.

No kindness. Only disgust.

Fear immediately crawled through me.

I tried pulling my hand away, but Janina’s fingers tightened around my wrist. Pain shot through my arm.

"Let me go."

She didn’t. Instead, she dragged me closer to her.

My body jerked forward, and I struggled to keep myself upright.

"Janina, what are you doing?"

She leaned toward me. An ugly smile slowly spread across her face.

"You think you can escape death?" Her voice was low, almost a whisper.

I stared at her. "What?"

"I might as well send you since you think you’ve got tough skin."

A chill ran down my spine. I tried moving away, but her grip remained firm around my wrist.

"What are you talking about?"

Janina didn’t answer. She reached into her pocket.

My eyes followed her hand. Then I saw the blade.

A small dagger.

My entire body went still. "No..."

She pulled it out. The metal caught the light from the window.

I tried to move backward. "Janina, please."

She only smiled and brought the dagger closer.

I felt the cold edge brush against my cheek.

My breath trembled. Tears immediately gathered in my eyes.

"Please don’t do this."

Her expression didn’t change. Then she stabbed me. The blade drove into my lower abdomen, and pain exploded through my body.

"Aah!"

My scream filled the room. I grabbed my stomach instinctively, and my entire body shook.

"Why?" My voice cracked. "Why are you doing this?"

Janina looked down at me without the slightest sign of regret. She gave a small, cruel laugh before pulling the dagger out with force.

I cried out again. The pain made my vision blur. My hands shook as I pressed them against my abdomen. Warm blood spread beneath my fingers.

I stared at my hands in horror, and then I looked back at Janina.

"Why?" My voice was barely audible now. "Why do you hate me?"

She tilted her head. "Because I hate you."

The words came out so easily, as if she had been waiting for the chance to say them.

"I want you to die."

I stared at her. My lips trembled. "No..."

She stepped closer.

"Sylvia will be mine, and the whole Winston family will all be mine." Her laughter followed. "Hahaha."

I shook my head. "No. You’re lying."

Janina’s smile widened. She raised the dagger again. This time, she pointed it toward my chest.

My heart slammed against my ribs. "Janina!"

She lifted the dagger higher.

"No!"

She brought it down.

I screamed, and my eyes flew open. I shot upright in bed. For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe properly.

I looked around wildly. The room was dark and quiet.

The hospital room.

I was back in the hospital.

My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath. I touched my stomach.

And felt nothing.

No wound. No blood.

My hand moved to my chest. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt as if it might break through my ribs. Beads of sweat rolled from my forehead.

My entire body had started trembling. I squeezed my eyes shut.

It was only a dream.

Only a dream, but it had felt real.

I could still feel the blade against my skin. I could still feel the pain in my stomach. I could still hear Janina’s laughter.

I opened my eyes again.

The room slowly came back into focus. The machines beside me continued their steady beeping.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The sound should have been comforting, but my breathing was still uneven.

I swallowed hard and looked around. Then I saw her.

Sylvia.

She was sitting on the chair beside my bed.

Her head rested against the edge of the mattress, and her arms were folded beneath it. She was asleep.

Her hair had fallen over part of her face.

I stared at her for a long moment. The fear inside me slowly began to fade.

I didn’t know why.

Maybe it was because she was there.

Maybe seeing her reminded me that I was awake.

That Janina wasn’t here. That the dagger had never been real.

I reached out carefully. My fingers trembled as they touched Sylvia’s hair.

I gently patted her head, and my breathing gradually became steadier.

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Sylvia didn’t wake. I looked at her sleeping face. She looked tired.

There were faint traces of exhaustion on her face, and I wondered how long she had been sitting there.

Had she stayed beside me the entire time?

Had she been watching me while I slept?

The thought made my chest ache. I slowly lowered myself back onto the pillow.

My body still felt weak after the nightmare.

I turned onto my side, facing Sylvia. For some reason, I didn’t want to look away from her.

I continued watching her sleep. My fingers remained in her hair, moving gently through the soft strands.

I couldn’t understand her place in my life. Yet I felt like she mattered to me.

More than I could explain.

The dream only made the feeling stronger.

Why had Sylvia appeared first?

Why had I felt so happy when I saw her?

Why had holding her hand felt so familiar?

And why had Janina appeared afterward?

I didn’t have the answers.

I swallowed.

Maybe the dream was meaningless.

Maybe my mind had simply created it because I had been thinking about Sylvia before I fell asleep.

But something about it felt different.

It felt like there was something hidden inside me. Something I couldn’t reach yet.

I looked at Sylvia again.

She shifted slightly in her sleep. A few strands of hair slipped across her face.

I gently brushed them away. My thumb moved slowly across her lips. Those lips had kissed me before I closed my eyes.

The same lips I had seen in my dream.

I smiled faintly.

"Were you this important to me that I was almost killed in the dream because...?"

I didn’t finish the question. I didn’t even know what I was asking.

Maybe I was asking whether my feelings for her had really been that deep.

Maybe I was asking whether she had truly been important enough for my mind to create a dream where losing her was connected to death.

I had no answer.

Sylvia shifted again. I watched her quietly. My thumb gently brushed against her lips once more, and she remained asleep.

I smiled.

"I will take that as a yes, my princess."