Chapter 141 A Cruel Joke
Right then, the barista noticed something was wrong with Dominic.
“Mr. Jenson, are you okay?”
Dominic jerked awake like he’d been hit by a nightmare. A chill ran down his spine. He couldn’t even hold his phone steady. It slipped from his hand and smashed onto the floor.
Crack!
Everyone froze, staring at him. What the hell was happening?
“Mr. Jenson?!” the barista called, worry in his voice.
“I… I’m okay…” he muttered, crouching to grab his phone. But on the screen, the dark web message interface glowed. The sender was Queen. Dominic’s chest tightened. He couldn’t stop glancing at Tilda. Her eyes were locked on his phone. Her expression shifted from surprise to cold, layer after layer, until her stare cut like ice. In that instant, Dominic felt a needle stab through his heart. It twisted inside him, making it impossible to breathe. His mind went blank. He shoved past the barista and bolted out of the café.
“Mr. Jenson?!” someone shouted. He didn’t care. He ran into the crowd, weaving through people. Everyone’s eyes followed Dominic with confusion. A guy that handsome, carrying that kind of presence–why did he look like he was running for his life, as if someone was chasing him down?
Dominic didn’t slow. He darted off the sidewalk.
“Hey! The light’s red!” someone yelled. Dominic snapped out of it just in time. A car screeched toward him. It hit him, sending him stumbling.
“Damn! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” the driver shouted. Luckily, the brakes worked. Dominic got away with scrapes. The driver jumped out, cursing, but Dominic ignored him and limped into a deserted alley.
Finally, he let himself breathe. His whole body felt drained, like every bit of strength had been sucked out. He collapsed onto the ground, eyes blank and lifeless. His obsessive–compulsive disorder was now completely gone. He didn’t care how grimy the pavement was. Dominic felt like his soul had been ripped apart, like a pair of giant hands were crushing it hard. His body shook uncontrollably. He forced himself to take long, ragged breaths just to keep from bursting apart. He couldn’t accept it. This couldn’t be real.
God, let this be a dream! A nightmare! But his pounding heart, ragged breaths, and the lump in his throat told him otherwise. This wasn’t a nightmare. It was real. The kind of reality he would have given anything to escape–but there was no way out.
Then, Dominic’s phone chimed again with that dark web notification. He sucked in a shaky breath, bracing himself. He already knew who it was. But he couldn’t bring himself to open Queen’s message. Now that he knew Queen was Tilda, his entire life felt like a sick joke. He had been nothing but a fool.
Chasing after his own beliefs, thinking he was clever…. But he had never seen the light he had been destroying all along. He had stomped on it, ignored it, tried to bury it in darkness. He had treated the “sun” with cruelty. Now, he had no idea how to face Queen. Or even himself. Queen would never forgive him. No way.
Finally, he gave in to curiosity. He opened the dark web message. Queen wrote, “Dominic.” Just a period. Not a question mark.
Tilda saw the message on Dominic’s phone. And suddenly, it all made sense. That was why she had never realized DJ’s true identity. And why Dominic had never figured out who Queen really was. They’d been right in front of each other the whole time. They weren’t just mentor and apprentice on the dark web. Dominic and Tilda were actually siblings. He was her older brother. But they hated each other so much that neither would admit it. Still, deep down, both of them had known it from the start. They were mentor and apprentice.
Dominic had no idea what to say. He let his phone fall onto his lap, feeling drained. Right now, all he wanted was some peace. Maybe just crash and get some sleep. Who knows–maybe when he woke up, things would somehow make sense again. Maybe this awful pain, like some messed–up joke life was playing on him, would just fade away.
Dominic shut his eyes. When he finally opened them again after some rest, rain had started falling. Drops tapped steadily against the ground. The gray sky mirrored his mood perfectly. His shoes and jeans were soaked through, but honestly, he didn’t even care anymore.