[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322A01459-506":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},506,13,"Chapter 13: \"Who Are You?\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He yanked me into his arms.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I panicked, struggling with everything I had. Kylian Gomez slammed two hard slaps against my face. My ears rang, the world blurring into a dizzying smear of light and shadow. He used the momentum to shove me to the ground, his weight crushing me instantly.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, the weight vanished.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A dull thud, a sharp cry, and suddenly, hands were grabbing my wrists, hauling me upright. Under the flicker of a dim streetlight, a man with a brow creased in concern stared down at me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Can you walk?\" he asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I tried to nod, but my body felt like a lead weight. That was the last thing I knew.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Noise. Voices everywhere.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I opened my eyes, every muscle in my body screaming with soreness. I was lying in a hospital bed. A man was slumped in the chair beside me, his grip on my hand iron-tight.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I tried to pull away. \"Who are you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The man jolted awake, his expression shifting from exhaustion to suspicion. \"What did you say?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Who are you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He pulled the corner of his mouth into a cold, mocking smirk. \"Serenity, that's a hell of a performance.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"My name is Serenity?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I froze. My brain was a void, a blank slate of static. The man's face shifted, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They rushed me through a battery of tests. The man wouldn't stop pestering the doctor. Finally, the doctor stopped, dropping his chart with an impatient sigh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"With this condition, genetics are just a footnote. The real catalyst is extreme emotional stress or severe trauma. She clearly hit a breaking point before this started.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The man didn't back down. \"We ran a CT scan. It came back clear.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"This is autoimmune encephalitis. A standard CT scan won't catch it.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The man turned to look at me, and the light in his eyes slowly bled out. The composure he’d been faking shattered completely.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I smiled up at the doctor, whose name tag read Dr. Elias Duncan, Neurology.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Nice to meet you, Dr. Duncan. Thank you for saving me last night.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dr. Duncan looked stunned. \"You remember me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I nodded. \"Of course. From last night.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Beside me, the man’s face went dark with sudden, suffocating fury.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272916432]