Rebirth: Love me Again

A few weeks had passed, and during that time, I had been amassing wealth at an almost alarming rate.

My life had become eerily peaceful—so peaceful, in fact, that a growing unease settled in my chest. It was too quiet. Too calm.

Something's coming,

I thought to myself, brushing off the uncomfortable feeling. Maybe a storm was indeed brewing around the corner.

After all, Sophie's eighteenth birthday was fast approaching—the day I had been waiting for, the day I would finally taste the sweet, long-denied freedom I craved after all these suffocating years.

My pulse quickened just thinking about it. Every second dragged with agonizing slowness, but the six-month countdown was almost up. Soon, everything would change.

But even as the excitement built within me, I couldn't shake the weight of something looming—like the universe was holding its breath, waiting to unleash chaos just as I stood on the brink of liberation.

QuantumLyfe's big reveal was imminent, and even without it, I had accumulated more than enough money to pay off old man Sinclair.

All I had to do now was deposit it.

~RiiIINnG~!

My phone vibrated sharply, pulling me from my thoughts. The screen flashed with an unknown number. I hesitated for a second before answering.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice guarded. Chapter Stay:

"Miss Eve?" A familiar voice responded, slightly distorted through the line.

My brow furrowed. "Victor?"

It was rare for Victor to call me directly—rare enough to catch me off guard.

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"Wait . . . you're not calling about the money, right? I still have a little over a month before the deadline," I said, glancing at the calendar, a twinge of concern creeping in. "But if you need it now, I have it ready. I can transfer it—"

"No, Eve. This isn't about the money," he interrupted, his voice urgent, laced with something I hadn't heard from him before—panic. "It's about Sebastian."

I froze. ". . . Sebastian? The dog?"

"He's in critical condition. The vet is trying to stabilize him, but it's not looking good. You predicted this would happen, right? Please, tell me you have a cure. We need your help."

My heart sank. A cure? For what? Cancer? Do I look like some God to you?

Sebastian couldn't be dying yet. It was too soon. The nanotech we had been developing wasn't ready. The system was close to completion but Michael hadn't started the process of using it on a human being much less a dog.

My mind raced as I pressed a hand to my temple.

Why was this happening now? Of all the times for Sebastian to fall ill, why now, when everything was hanging by a thread?

"Get him to QuantumLyfe," I said sharply, my voice colder than I intended. "Now. I'll email you the address and meet you there."

I didn't wait for a response. The second I ended the call, I moved. There was no time to waste. Every second mattered now.

If I didn't act fast, Sebastian wouldn't make it—and there went my chance to get closer to Sinclair, to finally break through the walls he had put up between us.

Keys. I needed my keys.

Where the hell were they? My fingers fumbled as I grabbed them from the table and rushed out the door.

The panic that had started as a small flicker now threatened to explode in my chest.

This wasn't just about a dog. It never was. This was about Sinclair's trust—about securing a future I had fought tooth and nail to build. If he died now, who knows what would happen to the old man?

Sinclair might spiral into a deep depression, drowning in grief. And if that happened, our deal—the only thing tethering me to my future—would vanish in an instant, just like that.

Poof

! My one escape, my only way out of this miserable life, gone forever.

I couldn't let that happen. Not when I was so close.

I had to hold on until Sophie's birthday. I had to keep Sebastian alive, no matter what, and keep Sinclair in a good mood—at any cost. My freedom depended on it.

As I sped down the empty streets, the weight of the situation pressed down on me, heavier with each passing second. Every turn of the wheel felt like a ticking clock.

I had already contacted Michael beforehand to prepare everything. But when I arrived at QuantumLyfe, my stomach twisted at the sight before me. Sinclair and Victor were already there, both looking grim. And there, on the table, lay Sebastian with an oxygen mask strapped to his snout.

For a terrifying moment, I feared the worst—that he wasn't breathing at all. My chest tightened as I approached the table. But then I noticed it—his chest rising and falling ever so slowly, painfully, like each breath was a battle the poor creature was losing.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, but the sight of Sebastian struggling for life was agonizing.

Is he going to make it?

I wondered, but my question hung in the air like a storm cloud.

Sinclair stood nearby, looking like he had aged years in a single night. His usually formidable presence had withered; his eyes, red-rimmed and hollow, were locked onto his beloved dog. For the first time, I saw a man who wasn't the indomitable Sinclair, but just an old man afraid of losing the only thing that still tethered him to this world.

Michael approached me, grabbing my arm with urgency, dragging me into a secluded corner. His expression was a storm of frustration, worry, and barely contained anger.

"Are you crazy?" he hissed the moment we were alone.

I blinked, unbothered by his sudden outburst. "What? Didn't I already tell you? Part of your job is to save Sebastian."

He ran his hand over his face, clearly trying to stay calm, but his voice came out strained. "Yes, you did. But this is too soon! We haven't even

tested

the nanotech on a dog. We're flying blind here."