[FULL] My childhood friend, Silas Mercer, hated how I was always clinging to him.

The Pocket Watch

Chapter One: The Hypnosis That Wasn’t

My childhood friend, Silas Mercer, hated how I was always clinging to him. After “hypnotizing” me, he deliberately made me chase someone else.

“From now on,” he said, swinging the watch slowly in front of my eyes, “the person you hate most is Silas Mercer.”

“The person I hate most is Silas,” I repeated blankly.

Silas paused, then pressed on, emphasizing each word. “The person you’ve always liked — the one you’ve had a crush on all along — is Theo Hayes.”

One of his friends blurted out in shock, “Theo? Who would even dare go after that guy? And who could actually win him over?”

Silas didn’t seem to care. “That’s exactly why. If she can’t get him, she won’t have time to keep bothering me.”

He’d found some cheap magical-looking pocket watch online that supposedly hypnotized people. The watch swung back and forth in front of my eyes. “Come on, repeat after me,” he said. “The person you’ve always liked, the one you’ve had a crush on all along, is Theo.”

My eyes went carefully blank as I repeated the line back to him, word for word. “The person I’ve always liked, the one I’ve had a crush on all along, is Theo.”

Satisfied, Silas put the pocket watch away and snapped his fingers in front of me. “Wake up!”

I let my vision “clear” slowly, my head tilting like it was still dizzy. The moment I stumbled — on cue — Silas caught me out of old habit and spoke without thinking. “Faking another fall. You’re so afraid of getting hurt. What are you going to do if I’m not around to catch you one day?”

Before he could finish, I pulled away from him. There was none of the usual infatuation in my eyes when I looked at him, and my voice came out colder too. “Thanks.”

Silas seemed stunned. All he could do was watch me walk away.

“The hypnosis actually worked,” his friend said behind me, slinging an arm around Silas’s shoulders. “That pocket watch is seriously that powerful.”

“Come on,” another one said. “Your childhood friend isn’t going to follow you around anymore. You’re finally free. Don’t you like Elise? It’s her birthday today — go pick out a gift for her.”

Silas stayed where he was. “What’s wrong? Regretting it already?” Someone shoved him, and he finally snapped out of it. He laughed. “Why would I regret it? She’s been following me around for almost ten years. I finally got rid of her. Why would I regret that? I’m just worried that once she stops bothering me, my parents will think I bullied her again. If that happens, I can just hypnotize her again and change her back.”

They walked farther and farther away until their voices faded completely. I stopped and glanced back at them.

Believing a pocket watch could hypnotize me was about as ridiculous as believing crabs could fly.

Chapter Two: Ten Years of Being Misunderstood

Silas and I had grown up together. He used to trail after me like a little shadow. When we played make-believe as kids, I was always the princess and he was my knight. When I played the queen, he was my loyal servant.

Then a few years ago, Silas suddenly seemed to “wise up.” I was so used to having him around that when he stopped coming to find me, I started going to him instead. Sometimes he’d complain about me in front of his friends. “She’s here again. She’s kind of annoying.” I would turn around and leave, but he’d always chase after me, grab my arm, and apologize.

“Serena, I’m sorry. I have my pride too. I was just putting on an act in front of them. At least let me keep some dignity — you can’t order me around like a dog in front of everyone.”

Over time, more and more people misunderstood our relationship. To everyone else, I became the girl who’d had a crush on Silas for years and kept chasing after him. Eventually, even Silas himself started believing it.

This time, I went to find Silas because I wanted to clear things up with him. I didn’t expect him to come looking for me first. When I arrived at the place we’d agreed to meet, I saw him talking with a few friends.

“Can that pocket watch really hypnotize someone? Why not try it? You’ve got nothing to lose. Haven’t you always been annoyed by Serena? If hypnosis can finally make her leave you alone, that’d be perfect.”

Silas hesitated. “Actually, I don’t really—”

“Silas.” I called his name.

“Did you need something?”

I couldn’t believe Silas had come to me for something like this. He wanted me to hate him. Fine. If that was what Silas wanted, I’d give him exactly that.

Chapter Three: Elise’s Birthday Party

I had just eaten half the food Mom had asked me to bring Silas when my phone buzzed — a message from my roommate. Are you going to Elisa’s birthday party tonight? I have to go visit my grandma. If you’re going, could you bring her gift for me?

Elise — the girl Silas liked. Silas and I weren’t in the same major, but Elise, my roommate, and I had happened to compete in the same event before, which was why she’d invited us to her party.

Traffic was bad on the way there, and by the time I arrived, almost everyone else was already there. I handed the birthday girl the gift I’d prepared, then turned around and spotted Silas and his friends. Silas froze when he saw me.

“You’ve got to be kidding. Your childhood friend is here again. So the hypnosis didn’t work — she actually followed you all the way here. Don’t tell me she heard about you and Elise.” His friends started talking among themselves. I caught sight of Silas, frowned, and quickly looked away.

When everyone sat down, Silas automatically nudged one of his friends aside to make room for me. I didn’t even look at him. I found another seat and sat down.

A classmate I knew asked, “Did you and Silas have a fight? Why aren’t you sitting with him?” I gave her a puzzled look and answered, just loudly enough for the people across the room to hear. “Silas is the person I hate most. If I sat next to him, I’d be worried I might actually hit him.”

They heard every word. Silas’s friends looked thrilled — the hypnosis had worked, he’d finally gotten rid of me. But Silas didn’t look happy at all.

Elise and I weren’t very close, so after sitting there for a while I made an excuse to leave early. “Serena,” Elise called, and everyone in the private room turned toward us. “Thanks for coming.” She glanced at Silas. “And thanks for letting go.” I smiled at her and ignored the loaded meaning behind her words. “Happy birthday.”

Chapter Four: The Man Named Theo

Silas came after me himself. I hadn’t even made it out of the hotel when I heard him calling my name from behind. “Serena.” His chest rose and fell as he caught up, his expression tense. “Elise and I aren’t—”

His friends came up right behind him. “Silas, what are you doing? It’s time to cut the cake.” Silas swallowed the rest of his sentence and gave me a conflicted look.

“Oh, right — Silas, guess who I just saw out here? Theo. If I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes, I never would have guessed he worked part-time here. He always acts like he’s above everyone else, but he doesn’t exactly look broke. Elise liked him for so long back then, and didn’t he reject everyone? Now she’s throwing her birthday party here and he’s the one carrying plates. Silas, all you have to do is stand next to him. Elise will know exactly who she should choose.”

Theo. That name sounded strangely familiar. So this was the guy I had supposedly liked for years.

I changed direction and walked toward Silas. His frown eased. In that slightly spoiled tone he always used with me, he said, “Serena, I knew you wouldn’t—”

I stopped in front of his friend instead. A faint blush rose to my cheeks, and my excitement was impossible to hide. “You just said Theo was here. Where is he?”

The hotel lobby went completely silent. Silas’s face turned deathly pale. The classmate in front of me paused. “Theo — oh, Elise stopped him a minute ago to talk.”

I nodded. “Thanks.” Then I headed in that direction without hesitation. Silas and the others followed.

Even from a distance, I could hear Elisa’s voice. “Are you working part-time here? It’s my birthday. Do you want to come cut the cake with us?” Before Theo could answer, Elise’s roommate spoke up. “Forget it, Elise. Don’t bother him while he’s working. That dress is from the newest collection, it costs tens of thousands, didn’t it? What if he gets it dirty while he’s working?”

Elise pushed back immediately. “We’re all classmates. Don’t say that.” Her roommate pouted. “You’re just too nice.”

This birthday party had been worth coming to. I even got front-row seats to their little act. The person caught in the middle of it all didn’t seem interested in their performance in the slightest. I could only see his back.

“Excuse me. Could you two move aside?” Theo pushed his cart past them, staying focused on his work. He didn’t even seem to care who Elise was.

I followed him naturally. Behind me, Silas had stopped, his friends jokingly pushing him toward Elise. “Go help Elise cut the cake.” The noise gradually faded behind me.

After following Theo to the corner, I changed direction and looked out through the hotel’s side entrance. It was just an act. There was no need to drag anyone else into it. As for Silas, annoying him was something I could do without even trying.

Chapter Five: The Alley

I had barely eaten anything at the birthday party, so I stopped by a nearby convenience store and grabbed something quick to eat. After I finished, I called a car and waited by the road.

“Where’s the money? What’s the point of spending all your money on that dying woman?”

I turned and looked toward the pitch-black alley.

“You’re my son. Do you really think I’d ever hurt you? You’d be better off using that money to buy yourself some new clothes. There are plenty of rich people at your school, right? Looking the way you do, hasn’t some wealthy businessman’s daughter noticed you?”

Half of the man’s figure was lit by the dim yellow street light at the mouth of the alley; the other half disappeared into the darkness. He wore a well-fitted suit, his hair carefully styled, like someone who worked in one of the nearby office buildings. He kept trying to reason with the other person.

A second voice cut in, thick with sarcasm. “You mean live off a rich woman like you do?”

The man’s face darkened. Without warning, he grabbed him and started roughing him up. “Your mom’s already this sick. She’s not going to last much longer. Spending money on her is just throwing it away. You work all those part-time jobs, you must make plenty. Give me all of it.”

“Are you robbing him?” I stopped at the entrance to the alley. It was pitch black inside. I didn’t step in.

“Mind your own business.” The man turned around after looking me over. The twisted expression on his face quickly softened. He tugged at his suit jacket and lowered his voice. “He’s my son. We were just—”

“I recorded everything.” I raised my phone. “Say one more word and this video goes online. Are you sure you want to keep going?”

The man forced an ugly smile, then picked up the bag from the ground and left.

The young man he’d been shoving leaned against the wall. That was when I got a clear look at his uniform — it looked familiar.

“If you don’t deal with your problems, they’ll keep coming back.” My ride had arrived. I left him with that and turned away.

“Thank you.” His voice behind me sounded hoarse. I gave a small wave and got into the car.

Chapter Six: The Fake Relationship Spreads

That night, social media blew up. Elise and Silas posted the same photo one after the other, their hands pressed together around the same knife as they cut the cake. Silas’s caption read, “Happy birthday.” Elise’s read, “The best gift.”

A lot of our mutual friends saw it and immediately started messaging me. It’s not even your birthday today, who is Silas cutting the cake with? The messages kept coming late into the night. Then my roommate sent me screenshots of two messages from the campus group chat.

Serena followed Silas all the way to Elisa’s birthday party today, right? I heard she got upset and left halfway through. A childhood friend can’t compete with someone new. Rumor has it Silas has been sick of his childhood friend for a long time.

But someone quickly pushed back. I was at Elisa’s birthday too, who said Serena went there because of Silas? Silas was the one who made room for her. Serena didn’t even want to sit with him. The person she actually likes is Theo, right? She left because she saw him.

Other students who had been at the birthday party confirmed it too. The gossip spread quickly. Eventually people stopped caring about Elise and Silas’s social media posts. Instead, a lot of them started envying Theo. First Elise, now Serena. How is Theo this lucky? None of the people involved said anything. The students’ attention quickly shifted to something new.

Chapter Seven: The Bakery

My roommate had hurt her leg after slipping in the bathroom. For the past few days, my other roommates and I had been bringing her meals. I had just left the university library when I got a message from her. Please bring me a taro cupcake. She attached a pitiful little crying kitten emoji. I agreed and changed direction, heading toward the campus bakery.

The new bakery on campus was beautifully decorated, the bread and desserts good enough that people from outside the university came by just to take pictures. I pushed open the door. The bell above it jingled, followed by a clear electronic voice: “Welcome.”

Silas, who was sitting by the window, looked up instinctively. My gaze swept over him, then I casually picked a seat and sat down. It had been almost a week since I last saw Silas. At first it really did feel strange not having my little shadow around, but once I got used to it, I realized it wasn’t a big deal. As for the food Mom had asked me to bring him, it had gone straight to my roommates instead. At this point, my mom had basically gained three honorary daughters.

Elise followed Silas’s gaze and noticed me. She lifted her chin. “I want to try yours.” She shot me a slightly provocative look. Silas stiffened. He pushed the cake toward Elise, though he kept glancing at me.

“Feed me.” At Elise’s request, Silas instinctively looked at me again.

I was busy ordering. Since I was already there, I packed one for my roommate and got one for myself too. As for the two of them showing off their relationship, I ignored them completely. The more I ignored them, the more exaggerated they became — feeding each other bites of cake, calling each other more and more intimate nicknames. Just listening to them gave me goosebumps.

“Your cake.” The takeout bag was placed in front of me. “Thanks.” The person didn’t move. I looked up. My eyes met a pair of clear, bright eyes.

“Serena, you’ve been chasing Theo for so long,” Elisa’s voice teased. “Don’t tell me he still doesn’t even know who you are.”

I looked away. So this was Theo. The face in front of me overlapped with the figure I remembered from the hotel, and with the person I had seen in the alley.

When Elise finished speaking, Silas looked over too, suspicion in his eyes. With everyone watching, Theo said casually, “I’m about to get off work. Mind waiting while I change.” He really was strikingly handsome.

Before this, I hadn’t understood why Elise and Silas had been putting on such a show at the bakery. Now I did. Theo worked here part-time. Since he had already given me an easy way out, I had no reason to refuse. I nodded. “Sure.”

Chapter Eight: A Proposal Over Cake

He changed out of his work uniform, wearing a black shirt with a cuff slightly pushed back, revealing a stretch of pale wrist. He naturally took the bag from my hand. The bakery door closed behind us.

“Thanks for what you did that night,” he said. “I think I’ve dealt with the problem for now.” By “problem,” Theo was probably referring to the well-dressed man from that night. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

I thought for a moment. “You already did just now.”

Theo tilted his head. “I work part-time at the dining hall in the morning, so I can bring breakfast down to you. My schedule’s pretty light this semester, so I can carry your bag, walk you to class, or go to the library with you. In the afternoons I usually work at the bakery. If you want dessert, just send me a message and I can bring it over.”

That was really hard to turn down. Silas used to do all of that. He knew I had trouble getting up early, but I was picky and happened to love the dining hall’s popular sausage and egg biscuits. Every time, he would get up early, wait in line, and bring one downstairs to me. Yawning, he would say, “You’re way too picky, Serena. What are you going to do without me someday?”

As it turned out, I wasn’t going to starve without Silas.

“Then start with breakfast,” I said.

Theo’s eyes curved into a smile. “What do you want?”

“A sausage and egg biscuit from the dining hall.”

“Okay.” He gave a small nod. Then, as if he had just thought of something, he pulled out his phone. “In that case, can I add you?”

Chapter Nine: Breakfast Wars

The next day, I didn’t have any morning classes. I woke up groggy and found a text from an unfamiliar number. Serena, I’m downstairs at your dorm. I brought you breakfast. I stared at the slightly intimate way he addressed me for a few seconds, then opened my messaging app and found Theo’s contact. Our chat was still on yesterday’s messages: I’ll be working until 9. I get a 20-minute break in the middle, probably around 8. I’ll come by then. I’d replied, Okay.

Then what was this random text?

I got dressed, washed up, and went downstairs. It was exactly eight. Sure enough, someone was waiting outside the dorm. The moment Silas saw me, his eyes lit up. “Serena, I knew you’d come. I brought you breakfast — look, all your favorites. You blocked my account, so I had to text you from another number. Don’t be mad. Okay, I know this whole thing with Theo is fake. You don’t even know him. How could you two possibly—”

In the morning light, another figure walked toward me. I walked straight past Silas and quickened my pace, stopping in front of Theo.

“Careful, it’s hot.” Theo handed me another bag. “I didn’t know what your roommates liked, so I brought some for them too.”

Silas’s face changed instantly. He stared at Theo and me, looking like he was barely holding himself together. “Serena, is this because of that pocket watch? You don’t really like him.”

One of my roommates happened to come downstairs to take out the trash. She hurried over excitedly. “That’s so much breakfast, you definitely can’t finish all of it. I’ll help.” I turned to Theo. “Thanks.” Everyone ignored Silas.

Even when I headed back toward the dorm, Silas still tried to grab my sleeve. “It’s the pocket watch, isn’t it? It’s because of that pocket watch. Serena, you weren’t like this with me before.”

Theo blocked his hand.

My roommate lowered her voice and asked me, “What is Silas talking about? What pocket watch? Isn’t he with Elise now? Why is he bringing you breakfast? He’s just giving Elise another reason to come after you.”

I shrugged. “Who knows?”

Chapter Ten: The Golden Retriever

Theo kept his word and brought me breakfast every day. Whenever he didn’t have class or a shift, he came with me to the library.

At the library, I finished my group project and looked up. Theo was already asleep with his head resting on the table, his cap covering most of his head, leaving only a small tuft of black hair visible. It looked soft and fluffy, like it would feel good under my fingers.

That was what I thought. So that was exactly what I did. I reached out and ruffled his hair. Theo was a light sleeper. The first thing he did after waking up was pick up my water bottle and refill it with warm water.

“Finished,” he texted me. I nodded. He quickly packed up his own things, then started gathering mine. With practiced ease, he slung my bag over his shoulder and walked out of the university library with me.

It was already dark outside. Tiny bugs fluttered beneath the street lights. The warm yellow light traced a faint golden glow along Theo’s hair, and I found myself staring, my hand still remembering that soft, fluffy feeling.

“I have a competition tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “After that I’m heading back to the bakery for my shift. Do you still want a mango cupcake?”

I stopped walking. My gaze moved from his jawline to his handsome face. I answered with something completely unrelated. “It felt really nice.” He reminded me of the golden retriever we’d had at home — when it was a puppy, it looked like one giant dandelion, incredibly soft to pet.

Theo tilted his head. Then he bent down and lowered his head toward my hand. From this close, I could clearly see the tips of his ears turning red. “Then pet me again,” I heard him say.

Someone nearby happened to take a photo of us and post it online. This couple is seriously adorable. The vibe between them was so sweet. So I took this picture. By the time I wanted to give it to them, they were already gone. Hope they see this. If there’s any issue, just message me and I’ll take it down.

I opened the photo. Under the warm yellow street light, Theo still had my bag slung over his shoulder. He had lowered his head obediently, letting me touch his hair. On impulse, I saved the picture to my phone. It had been taken from pretty far away, so it wasn’t very clear. Even so, plenty of people still recognized Theo and me.

Chapter Eleven: A Fight at the Bakery

Theo had a shift at the bakery, and I didn’t have anything else to do, so I ordered a drink and sat by the window to work on my paper. I had no idea how much time had passed when an argument suddenly broke out inside the bakery.

“I saw the post online. You had someone take that picture, didn’t you? You only got together with Serena to get back at me, right?”

The moment I heard my name, I took off my headphones and looked over. Theo was still wearing the bakery uniform and a black mask. He looked at Elise with a puzzled expression. “Did you look in the mirror before you left the house? Who are you again?”

Elise was speechless for several seconds. Then she let out a cold laugh. “Serena. It’s always Serena. You really think she likes you? Silas already told me — if it weren’t for her, Serena would still be chasing after him right now. She wouldn’t even look twice at you. She has such a princess attitude. She doesn’t actually like you, and you still want to be her servant.” Elise sounded more and more confident with every word.

Theo looked at her calmly. “If you’re not ordering anything, could you stop blocking the counter?”

Elise stormed off. Before leaving, she threw out one last stupid threat.

I couldn’t even describe how I felt in that moment. Being at the same school as someone like her, while people like them thought they could casually drag my name into whatever drama they wanted, it was humiliating.

By the time I pulled myself out of my thoughts, Theo had already changed and was standing in front of me. “Is there anything you want to ask me?”

I looked at him. He shook his head. “If two people don’t trust each other and keep second-guessing each other all day, there’s no point in staying in that kind of relationship. Besides, when you want to tell me, you will.”

I rested my chin in my hand and looked at him. “You’re that sure I’ll tell you?”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “A little. If it’s not enough, I’ll try harder.”

Chapter Twelve: The Would-Be Mother-in-Law

I went home that weekend. Mom had come up with another new dish and was eagerly waiting for me to taste-test it. The moment I opened the door, I saw someone familiar. “Oh, Serena’s back.” It was Mrs. Mercer, our next-door neighbor. Silas’s mom.

Their family had moved in next door when we were kids. Since Silas and I were about the same age, we often played together, and over time our two families grew close and visited each other often.

I greeted her and carried my luggage inside. Mom was cooking in the kitchen when she heard me come in and poked her head out. “You’re back. Go wash your hands, there’s fresh food on the table.”

Mrs. Mercer helped out while speaking in a way that made her intentions obvious. “Having a daughter really is better. My son disappears every weekend, I never know where he goes, and he doesn’t even come home to see his parents. Serena, next time you come back, just let Silas carry your luggage. You’ve known him since you were kids, you can always count on him. And Serena, you haven’t come over to our place in forever. When you have time, send me a message, I’ll have Mr. Mercer pick you two up from campus and we can all have dinner together.”

Her intentions couldn’t have been more obvious.

“There’s no need to trouble you and Mr. Mercer,” I said, turning her down. “My classes have been pretty busy lately. Silas and I both have our own things going on, so we don’t really keep in touch anymore.”

“How can that be?” Mrs. Mercer sounded more anxious. “I’ve watched you grow up. I’ve always thought of you as my own daughter. I was even hoping that one day Silas would be lucky enough to marry you.” She nudged Mom. “Didn’t we used to joke that these two would end up together someday? They’re having problems now — aren’t you going to talk to them?”

Mom glanced back at me and calmly brushed it aside. “That was just a joke. How could we take it seriously? They’re adults now, they have their own ideas. Besides, I heard Silas might already have a girlfriend. Looks like you’re about to gain a daughter-in-law.”

Mrs. Mercer’s smile froze. “A girlfriend?” She didn’t even bother washing her hands before hurrying out. The door slammed shut behind her.

“For someone who usually hates cooking, I kept wondering why she’d been hanging around my kitchen so much lately,” Mom said. “Silas probably sent his mom over to talk to you. He just forgot to tell her he already had a girlfriend.”

I nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

“You’re amazing,” I said. “Silas has a girlfriend now, so when are you going to start dating someone and bring him home for me to meet?” Mom leaned closer, her eyes shining.

I calmly pushed her away. “We’ll see.”

Chapter Thirteen: One Last Try

Mrs. Mercer left disappointed after talking to us. Silas had clearly gotten an earful from her. That seemed to make him even more impatient. The moment I got back to campus, he stopped me at the university entrance. Theo was helping me with my suitcase.

“Serena, listen to me. You weren’t like this before. You only changed because of the hypnosis. I listened to what other people told me and used the pocket watch to hypnotize you. That’s why you believe the person you hated most was me. And I — I also hypnotized you into believing Theo was the person you liked, the person you’d had a crush on all along. That’s why you started chasing him. You don’t actually like him at all.” Silas grabbed my arms tightly. “As long as I find that pocket watch, I can hypnotize you back. Everything will go back to normal. You have to believe me. You do believe me, right? And Elise and I aren’t together anymore. She said she’d give me a chance to pursue her, but there was always someone else in her heart. She was just using me to get a reaction out of Theo. We already ended things. I — I really thought I liked her.”

I frowned and pulled free from his grip. “You need to see a doctor.”

Silas tried to grab me again, but Theo caught his wrist. “She doesn’t want to talk to you, so stay away from her.”

Silas’s face turned deathly pale, his back hunched slightly. He opened his mouth, but as he watched me walk away, he couldn’t get a single word out.

Silas and Elise had a huge fight — a lot of students saw it happen, and since Elise was well known around campus, the whole thing spread almost immediately. “He’s not going to give up that easily,” Theo said, handing me a mango cupcake. “I knew Silas still had a little hope left, and he had pinned all of it on that pocket watch.”

“So was the hypnosis real?” I looked up and met Theo’s eyes. My reflection was the only thing in them. I occasionally regretted losing Silas — after all, he had always been useful to have around — but Theo was much smarter than he was, and he learned fast. I’d been doing pretty well lately.

I thought for a moment, then said, “The pocket watch didn’t work. But the hypnosis still came true — because I hate him now, and I really like you.”

I saw Theo’s ears turn red again. I suddenly had the urge to touch his hair. I set down my spoon and reached out. “Me too,” Theo’s voice was slightly muffled.

I pretended I hadn’t heard him. “What?” Theo took my hand and repeated it. “I like you too.”

Chapter Fourteen: Locked in the Dark

I blocked Silas’s account. I also blocked the alternate account he had been using to message me. Theo still came to pick me up every morning, leaving Silas no chance to talk to me. Things were much quieter that way. According to Mrs. Bennett — my mom — Silas had even gone to my house looking for me. “So, what did you say to him?” Mom sounded smug over the phone. “I’m your mother, you really think I don’t know what you’re thinking? Don’t worry, I sent him away.”

After I hung up, I noticed another shadow on the ground. I turned around. It was a student I didn’t recognize. “Are you Serena? I think something happened backstage. I saw the head of your student events committee looking for you.” It was the annual graduation gala, and just yesterday our committee had still been meeting to discuss preparations. “I’ll go back to my dorm first.” “Why don’t you go check now? It looked pretty urgent.”

I didn’t say anything. I simply followed him. My phone buzzed — a message from the committee chair. I wasn’t looking for you. Something came up earlier, but we already handled it.

So someone else had been looking for me.

Before stepping backstage, I sent Theo my location. Come find me here when you’re done.

The backstage area was crowded with performance equipment, the air stale and dusty. The moment I stepped inside, the lights went out and the door shut behind me. The light vanished instantly. The only thing left was the faint glow of my phone screen. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest, beating far too fast.

Because of something that happened when I was a child, dark, enclosed spaces always made me panic. I could barely breathe. I forced myself not to crouch down and curl up in the corner.

“Silas.” Another phone screen lit up. Silas appeared. And he wasn’t alone. Several of his friends were there too, standing nearby, talking quietly among themselves.

“You’re really going to undo the hypnosis? Weren’t you the one who hated her clinging to you?” Silas’s face was pale. He denied it immediately. “No, she — she never clung to me.” His friend looked confused. “Wasn’t that what you said yourself? You were the one who wanted to hypnotize her in the first place, and now you’re the one trying to undo it. I spent forever looking for this pocket watch.”

“All right, all right.” Another friend noticed Silas’s expression and quickly cut in. “Just get started.”

They didn’t even bother hiding the conversation. They talked about everything right in front of me. I stared at them coldly. It was ridiculous.

Chapter Fifteen: The Real Fear

Silas pulled out the pocket watch again, just like last time, swinging it back and forth in front of me. “Serena, look at it. Come on, repeat after me.”

But this time, I gave him nothing. My expression never changed because I was afraid of the dark. My chest tightened painfully. Several times I almost lost control and curled in on myself. I knocked Silas’s hand away. “Are you done?”

The pocket watch hit the floor with a sharp sound and rolled into the corner. Several of them immediately bent down and started searching for it with their phone flashlights. “How could it not work? How could it possibly not work? I did everything exactly like last time. The steps — the steps were right.”

I headed for the door. But just as I was about to step out of the darkness, Silas grabbed my wrist. He yanked me hard enough to make me stumble, then forced me down onto a chair. “Try again. Just let me try one more time. This time it’ll work.”

At that moment, my phone vibrated. Theo’s name appeared on the screen. Before I could read his message, Silas reacted the second he saw Theo’s name and snatched the phone out of my hand. The only source of light I could control disappeared. My hand hung at my side, trembling uncontrollably.

I felt like I was back there again, years ago, because of a teacher’s mistake — locked alone inside a storage room. The sky slowly darkened. It was cold inside and pitch black. No matter how loudly I called out, no one answered. Eventually my voice went hoarse. I could only make faint sounds. People searching outside walked past, but not one of them noticed me.

Only little Silas heard me. He got down on the floor and tried to peer through the gap beneath the door, his voice small — maybe he was scared too. “Serena, are you in there?” The only answer was two weak knocks from inside. “Move back. Don’t be scared.” A bang — little Silas smashed the storage room’s only window with a rock. I had no idea how he’d managed to climb that high. Then his head appeared through the broken window with moonlight spilling in behind him. “I found you.”

The sound of breaking glass drew the adults over. When the door finally opened, little Silas was struggling to carry me out. “I saved you.” The adults were all talking at once about taking me to see a doctor, but little Silas leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Next time we play pretend, when you’re the princess, can you not choose anyone else to be your knight? I want to be your only knight.” “Twice? No, wait — five times? No, five isn’t enough. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” Little Silas counted on his fingers. “A lot of times. Forever. Okay, Serena?”

I rested weakly against his shoulder and looked at my little knight. “Okay.”

Many years ago, Silas had pulled me out of the darkness. But now he was the one who had locked me inside it.

Chapter Sixteen: The Truth Comes Out

I sat in the chair, slowly trying to steady my breathing. Silas found the pocket watch again and began swinging it in front of me. “Serena, look at it.” His friends held their breath nervously.

This time, Silas thought he was succeeding. My eyes slowly went unfocused, following the movement of the watch.

“Come on, repeat after me. From now on, the person you hate most isn’t Silas—”

Without blinking, I repeated it. “The person I hate most isn’t Silas. The person you’ve always liked is Silas.” Silas thought he was about to succeed.

But the next second, he heard my voice — cold, almost completely emotionless. “Do you like hearing lies like that?”

Silas’s smile froze. The pocket watch stopped moving. I pushed it out of my line of sight. “The hypnosis was fake from the very beginning, Silas. Did you really believe a pocket watch could control someone?”

I tried to stand up from the chair. The first time, my legs went weak. On the second try, I managed to stand, and slowly made my way to the wall and turned on the light. The moment the lights came on, everyone squeezed their eyes shut.

I took back my phone and asked, loudly enough for everyone to hear, “Silas. Did you really hate me because you thought I was clinging to you? Or was it just your ego?”

I walked toward the door. This time, no one tried to stop me. I lifted my head and looked at the moon. This time, I had walked out on my own.

Chapter Seventeen: A Fist and an Apology

Theo arrived in a rush, breathing hard. I had never seen him this angry before. He first grabbed my wrist and checked me over several times. Only then did he look at Silas, who had followed me out. The second their eyes met, Theo lost control. He drove a fist into Silas.

Silas hit the ground, then suddenly fought back. “You knew she was afraid of the dark, and you still locked her in a place like that.” Silas visibly froze, as if he had only just remembered. His face twisted with anger and panic, the expression almost ridiculous.

“Serena, I — I forgot. I didn’t mean to. I just—”

I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. “Let’s go.”

Even while furious, Theo still remembered to carry my bag. His expression was hard, still too angry to calm down. “Theo, I can’t hold my phone.” He took it from me. “Theo, my feet hurt a little.” He bent down. “Get on.”

I climbed onto his back. After working at the bakery for so long, Theo carried the mixed scent of bread, cake, and honey. He carried me steadily. I reached up and touched his hair.

“When you messaged me, I was still working. By the time I saw it, it was already late. I’m sorry.”

“Fine,” I said. “I forgave him.” Then I added, “How did you know I was afraid of the dark?”

“That alley where we first met — you stayed at the entrance the whole time. You never went inside. And the last time the power went out at the library, you were the one who grabbed my hand first.”

“Don’t I usually hold your hand?” Theo turned his head, looking a little helpless. “You do. But that was the first time you held it for that long.”

I rested my chin on his shoulder. “I’m not afraid anymore.”

“I know. You walked out by yourself. You were brave.” Theo tilted his head toward me, and his soft hair brushed against my ear.

Epilogue: The Reward

He carried me all the way to my dorm before finally setting me down. “Go on.”

I took a few steps, then hurried back and stopped in front of him. “Did you forget something?”

“Yeah.” I nodded solemnly. Then, while Theo lowered his head to look through his things, I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I forgot this. A reward.”

Theo seemed to freeze. He cleared his throat, a faint blush spreading across his face. Then he changed the subject. “What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?”

“A sausage and egg biscuit from the dining hall.”

This time, Theo watched until my figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs. He remembered that this wasn’t the first time he had watched Serena walk away. The first time had been in that alley. No matter how hard he worked part-time to save up for medical expenses, there were still endless problems coming after him. That man had been the biggest one.

And that was the day Theo finally made up his mind. He anonymously released everything he had collected and exposed the man for what he really was. By now, that man probably no longer had the time or energy to harass Theo and his mother. His mother’s surgery had gone well. Theo had also found a more suitable part-time job. Everything was moving in a better direction.

He couldn’t remember who had said it — that Serena had a princess attitude. She didn’t. Serena was a princess, and she was Theo’s knight.

Of course, Serena was also her own knight.