“You can’t go to the meeting.”
The words slipped out of Mia’s mouth before she even knew what she was saying.
And then she froze.
Her own voice echoed in her head, sharp and heavy, making her chest tighten. She hadn’t meant to say it like that.
God, no. Not like that. Yes, she had planned to tell her today. She had woken up with that heavy decision–that today, no matter how ridiculous she sounded, she had to tell Esther Blackwell about her dream.
But not like this.
Not in a blur of panic. Not in a way that sounded more like an order than a warning.
Her throat felt dry.
Her palms sweaty
Her eyes darted nervously to Esther, who was now staring at her with her brows drawn together, her confusion evident.
Mia’s heart sánk.
Maybe she should take it back? Maybe she should laugh it off, pretend she said it by mistake? She could make up some excuse, something silly. Because right now, the way Esther was staring at her made her stomach twist in knots.
“What do you mean I can’t go to the meeting?” Esther Blackwell asked, her voice calm but firm. Her head tilted slightly to
the side, her sharp eyes narrowing at her.
Mia opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her lips trembled.
How was she supposed to tell her? How was she supposed to explain something that even she herself barely understood?
Esther’s eyes were still on her, steady, waiting.
Mia shifted in her seat, adjusting like she was about to stand up and run. The thought of running crossed her mind, making her fingers twitch.
Just run, her brain screamed. Run and don’t look back. Because the longer she sat there, the more insane she felt.
Her heart pounded hard against her ribs as Esther’s eyes remained locked on her.
“I uh–had a dream about you,” 14ia blurted, her voice trembling, sounding so stupid even in her own ears.
The room went still.
Esther’s stare sharpened. “You had a dream,” she repeated slowly, as if she needed to hear it again to make sure she had heard right.
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Chapter 221
And just like that, Mia’s embarrassment shot through the roof.
Hearing her words repeated back to her made them sound worse, made them sound childish, stupid and ridiculous.
Is it too late to backtrack? she thought desperately. Could she laugh it off? Pretend she was joking? Pretend she was exhausted and misspoke?
“Miss Rivers?” Esther Blackwell called her, her tone firmer now. “Care to explain what you mean by that?”
Mia’s throat went dry again. Her stomach twist with nerves.
She sat up straighter in her chair, biting her lip so hard she could almost taste blood. Her fingers dug into the fabric of her
skirt.
She was going to sound like a lunatic. She knew it. Every word that would come out of her mouth would only prove she
had lost her mind.
But she couldn’t stop now.
“The meeting, I uhm-” she paused, forcing her eyes away from Esther’s sharp gaze. If she looked at her, she would fall apart completely. She would never get the words out.
Her chest tightened as she fumbled, the silence stretching heavy between them.
“The meeting is uh–uh… a trap,” she rushed out, her words tumbling quickly, almost in a whisper.
She still didn’t dare look at Esther. She couldn’t.
And then Esther chuckled.
The sound made Mia’s stomach drop to the floor. Heat rushed to her cheeks. Shame burned her whole face. She wanted the ground to open up right there and swallow her whole.
“Is this some kind of joke?” Esther asked, her tone even but edged with disbelief.
Mia shook her head quickly, her eyes squeezing shut. Her whole body trembled with the weight of what she was about to
confess.
No. She couldn’t stop now. She had already gone too far. Maybe, just maybe, if she told her from the beginning…..it she explained everything, all of it…it would make sense. Maybe Esther would understand. Maybe she wouldn’t look at her like
she was insane.
Mia took a shaky breath and forced the words out.
“After uh my childbirth,” she started, her voice low and trembling, “a week later I saw something… in a dream. About my brother. And it happened weeks later fxactly how I saw it.”
She paused, her chest rising and falling quickly, fear and shame eating at her insides.
“I thought I was crazy..she admitted softly, her voice breaking “Then i saw something about my sister. She was going to be attacked. Lignored it, thought it was nothing And then it happened. She almost lost her life. The next time, I didn’t
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Chapter 221
ignore it. I warned her. And it saved her. It saved her life.”
Mia’s hands trembled as she finally lifted her gaze to Esther.
Esther was still staring at her.
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The expression on her face was unreadable. She wasn’t laughing anymore. She wasn’t chuckling or brushing her off. But she was looking at Mia like she had, indeed, lost her mind.
Mia’s throat tightened, but she pushed on.
“I know this sounds crazy,” she whispered, her voice trembling. She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I know I sound crazy, I do. But I’ve had this nightmare about you… for days now. It has been tormenting me. Every time I close my eyes, I see it. And I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t. Because it sounds ridiculous, even just hearing it out loud.”
Her voice cracked, raw and desperate. “I know how it sounds. I know.”
“Tell me about it,” Esther cut in suddenly.
Mia froze.
Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes flew open. She stared at Esther…
For a moment, she thought she misheard. She had been prepared for the worst. She had been expecting Esther to call security, to throw her out of the company, to send her straight to a hospital. She had imagined the look of disgust, the accusations, the words “unstable” being thrown at her.
But instead… she was asking her to tell her more.
Mia blinked, her lips parting. She was almost too stunned to speak.
“I uh-” she stammered, her voice shaky. “You uh–believe me?”
Esther’s seyes stayed on her. Her face remained unreadable, but her tone was steady when she answered.
“Not yet, Mia,” she said, calling her by her first name this time. “Tell me what you saw. I’ll decide to believe you or not.”
Mia’s heart pounded loudly in her chest,
Her throat tightened as she gave a small nod.
“1uh-” she swallowed hard, her lips trembling. Her chest rose sharply as she finally forced the words out.
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