[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322E1C3D0-252":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},252,38,"Chapter 38: He Locked the Door","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline Montgomery spent three hours pacing her studio, her creative spark extinguished. She slumped in her chair, fingers knotted in her hair, feeling the familiar weight of exhaustion. She needed a change of scenery.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The aquarium was a world of blue. Sunlight refracted through the arched glass tunnels, turning the space into a bioluminescent dream. The pressure of the ocean, the creeping cold, the absolute silence—it felt like a haunting echo of her own history.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A mermaid performer danced in the tank, her movements fluid and ethereal, yet laced with a profound, shattered loneliness. Evangeline pressed her palm against the glass, and the performer mirrored the gesture, their hands meeting through the transparent barrier. A sudden, sharp shiver traced its way up Evangeline’s spine. It was right there—the sensation she’d been chasing—but it vanished before she could capture it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She retreated to her studio, restless. She traded her street clothes for a leotard and headed to the dance room, closing her eyes to mimic the mermaid’s graceful, haunting arcs.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Suddenly, the darkness of her past life crashed down on her. The suffocating salt water, the paralyzing cold, the phantom pain in her chest—it all rushed back, leaving her gasping for air. She hit the floor, breathless and slick with cold sweat. She forced herself to stay in the memory. To stay in the pain.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, it hit her: the ocean wasn't just a home for a mermaid; it was a sanctuary and a cage, all at once.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The realization was electric. She didn't even stop to change; she scrambled into the workshop, pencil flying across the page. The sketch grew with a savage, blurred intensity. Half an hour later, she sat back, looking at the rough draft. It was perfect.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her stomach gave an aggressive growl, a reminder that she hadn’t eaten since dawn.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Remi! Save me!\" she groaned, sprawling across her chair.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi Crawford hurried in, sensing the shift in the air. \"You nailed it?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah,\" Evangeline whispered, her voice spent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi didn't wait to be asked. She produced a slice of strawberry shortcake with a flourish. Evangeline inhaled it, feeling the sugar hit her system like a lifesaver.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m alive again,\" Evangeline sighed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi watched her, concerned. \"Your output has been insane lately. You're going to burn out your brain cells.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I just want to get ahead,\" Evangeline replied, her gaze distant. \"Once I have the brand established, we’re retiring. Total world tour.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi beamed and pulled her into a tight hug. \"I swear, finding you in this life was the best thing that ever happened to me. I must have saved the world in a past life to deserve a partner like you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh, stop it,\" Evangeline laughed, pulling away. \"You're getting mushy.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m serious. Forget the Alexander guy. Let's just run away together.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her phone chimed, cutting through the moment. It was Marcellus.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Busy?\" he asked, his voice low and steady.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Just finished,\" she said.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Drinks? Bring the Crawford girl.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline glanced at Remi, then back at the phone. \"I'll check with Remi.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Good.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On the other end, Marcellus hung up and set his phone down, his expression unreadable. \"Only so much I can do for you, Spencer,\" he muttered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damian Spencer, who had spent the last twenty-four hours agonizing over his inability to talk to Remi, finally had his opening.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Remi, Damian wants to see you,\" Evangeline said, putting the phone down.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi pulled a face. \"That guy? He gave me a 'sorry' last night like he was reading from a script. It was infuriating.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"So?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I want a real romance, not this stuttering mess. I don't have the time to play guessing games with his internal monologue.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Do you still like him?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi looked down, her face softening. \"...Maybe a little.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Then go,\" Evangeline insisted. \"Follow your gut. Bad or good, the feeling is all that matters. Don’t end up with regrets.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi exhaled, nodding. \"Fine. One drink.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They arrived at The Neon Lounge, tucking themselves into a private booth. Damian was already there, stiff as a board. Marcellus leaned back, observing the scene with a smirk.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline took her place in Marcellus’s arms, feeling his familiar, possessive warmth.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The air between Damian and Remi was thick with unspoken tension. Damian took a nervous sip of his drink, his eyes darting toward Remi every few seconds. Remi’s patience snapped. She stood up, grabbing her purse.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m out. You guys have fun.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damian scrambled after her. He cornered her in a nearby room and shoved the door shut, locking it with a sharp click.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Damian! What is your problem?\" Remi snapped.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stared at her, mesmerized by the flush on her cheeks. He looked like a man who’d forgotten how to breathe.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You’re messing with me, aren't you?\" Remi demanded.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stumbled over his words. \"No! I’m not. I was just afraid of making you mad. I... I like you, Remi!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He blurted it out like a confession under duress. Remi’s frustration melted into a smirk. He was such a mess.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Last time was a disaster,\" Damian continued, his face flushed. \"I’d had too much to drink, and I didn't want to seem like a creep. I’ve never liked anyone before, I don't know how to do this right!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi laughed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damian fell silent, terrified he’d said the wrong thing again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Are you finished?\" she asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Can I go now?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damian looked like a kicked puppy. \"You still can't forgive me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Remi stepped forward, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed a light, quick kiss to his chin. Damian froze, his eyes widening.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Evangeline was right,\" she whispered, smiling. \"It’s all about how I feel right now.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You... you're accepting me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah,\" Remi nodded.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damian let out a strangled breath and pulled her into a fierce, suffocating hug. \"Thank you, Remi.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272912465]