Cixi sat up abruptly, her pulse still hammering, one hand gripping the sheets and the other still clutching the coin, which looked as if it were glued to her palm.
She frantically scanned her surroundings and found herself in her apartment, with cracked walls and morning light seeping in through the window as it always did.
She glanced down at her outfit and found she was in her sleeping pyjamas. She touched her hair. It was dry and messy. She ran her hands across her face, arms, neck, and stomach. Then she shoved the blanket aside and examined her legs. Everything looked neat and clean, perfect and unbruised.
She scratched her head, ruminating on events that felt real.
Did she not try to commit suicide from the terrace? Did she not meet Cassian Crown? The car accident, the kidnappers, the container, and then... the spinning, bewildering memory of the Grim Reaper and curse... Was it all a dream?
"It was a dream..." she told herself. "A horrifying dream... But it felt so real." A shiver ran down her spine, and she instantly shook her head, trying to convince herself it was just a dream.
Her gaze then drifted to the wall clock. It was eight in the morning. She stood up from the sofa bed, and when she took her first step, she lost her balance, tripping over the coffee table. She let out a groan as her body protested in pain.
"Why does it feel like I just finished two hours of gym training when I slept the whole night?" She wondered before shaking the thoughts aside.
Taking careful steps, she finished her morning routine.
Her stomach grumbled with hunger a minute later. She opened the fridge and found that Cassian's food was still there, looking fresh.
A spark of something close to happiness flickered through her chest.
She pulled out ingredients and set about making herself a proper breakfast. She pan-fried the two sausages until they were golden. She cut the cheese into thick slices. She boiled water, poured it into her cup, added the filter coffee, and stirred in two teaspoons of sugar. Then she arranged a fresh apple and grapes on the side, served with warm toasted bread.
After the deepfake videos, after losing her job, after the most horrifying dream of her life, Cixi wanted to eat well. She wanted to keep at least her stomach happy. At least someone should be, right?
She sat by the window with her plate balanced on her knees and ate her breakfast, watching the birds swooping between the rooftops and the people walking past on the street below.
Once breakfast was over, she decided to visit Marion.
She sent a text and got herself ready, pulling on clothes that covered enough of her to feel presentable. She did not forget to grab a mask, tucking it against her face before stepping outside.
The deepfake video wasn't hers, but she dreaded facing anyone's judgmental gaze. And she definitely didn't want anyone to recognise her from a video that wasn't hers.
The walk to Marion's apartment took the same distance as the route to her former company. She knocked on the door, and Marion opened it immediately, as though she had been standing on the other side waiting for Cixi.
Marion wrapped her arms around Cixi in a care that carried apology, grief, and loyalty all at once. "I am so sorry, Cixi, for what you are going through. I am really sorry."
Marion pulled back after a long hug, guiding Cixi into her apartment. After settling Cixi onto the couch, she walked to the kitchen to prepare coffee for both of them.
Cixi remained silent, simply observing Marion as she moved about the kitchen. The anxiety evidently radiated from Marion. She was stressed about her. She was worried for her, even frightened for her safety. And this elicited a warm glow in Cixi's heart. She felt truly blessed to have a friend like Marion in her life.
Finally, Marion returned to the couch with two coffee cups in her hands. Cixi took her second cup of the day, wrapping both hands around the warmth.
"Yesterday, I had the morning shift." Marion's voice was careful. "By the time I returned to the company, it was already past five, and that is when I heard from the others what had happened." Concern pooled in Marion's features, making Cixi feel guilty. "I did not dare to watch the video," Marion continued, "but I can tell you this much. I know it's not you!"
Marion's words landed in Cixi's chest like sunlight breaking through a month of clouds, filling her eyes with unshed tears. She raised her coffee to her lips and took a slow sip, using the cup to mask the trembling of her chin, biting back the emotion before it could spill over entirely.
After calming her emotions, Cixi spoke. "Thank you, Marion. For trusting me." She set the cup down and pressed her palms together. "Someone used my face on a woman who has a similar figure to mine. Someone deepfaked it, and I do not even know why." Cixi's shoulders slumped when the words left her mouth. She didn't know what to do about the video, how to rebuild her life, or how to recover the money she had worked so hard for.
She didn't even dare to go to college today, fearing Silvia and her gang would continue what they couldn't finish yesterday. Her thoughts were halted by what Marion said next.
"I think it's the Horn-dog's doing." Marion's expression hardened instantly, accusing Nelson. "In my opinion, it's his doing. He could not get you to agree to sleep with him, so he sank low enough to create a video of you to fulfil his desire. And his wife found it on his phone, and in anger, she posted it online." Marion took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before continuing. "She even gave away your home address, Cixi, below the video. The team leader told me."
The information sucked the breath from Cixi's lungs. "What are you saying?" Cixi sat forward, confusion and dread wrestling behind her eyes.
"I tried calling you so many times yesterday to know if you were doing alright and to warn you. But you did not answer any of the calls." Marion's face reflected her worry when she informed Cixi. "I even wanted to come by your house, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to see anyone..." Her words trailed off.
"I am sorry, Marion. I wasn't myself yesterday," Cixi said softly, guilt filling her heart once more.
"I might have done the same, Cixi. You do not have to apologise for anything. I even threatened Nelson yesterday. I told him that if the video was not taken down, I would go to the police and report him for ruining your life and giving your address to millions of people, which puts your life in danger. He and his wife have committed a crime."
"You did that?!" Cixi's eyes welled up with tears of surprise, and this time she could not hold her tears back.
"Of course I did," Marion replied firmly. "No one messes with my friend!"
Cixi's heart once more swelled with warmth, witnessing Marion's concern for her. "Thank you, Marion. Yesterday I was all over the place and I even wanted to-" Cixi stopped herself from uttering another word. She lowered her gaze quickly, afraid that even a single glance might reveal too much about her suicidal thoughts. So she forced a small smile instead. "I just… wasn't thinking clearly," she finished quietly, and Marion understood.
"I understand, Cixi. But you really need to think about whether you want to go back to your apartment. Even though the video is down, I am afraid some freaks may have already noted your address. I don't think it is safe for you to return there."
Cixi bit her inner cheek in thought before letting out a heavy sigh. "Marion, I have to leave the apartment if I do not pay the rent in one week." Cixi wanted to laugh at her miserable life, which brought her nothing but different ways to torment her. "But being a woman... how could Nelson's wife do this to another woman?" Both Marion and Cixi shook their heads in disbelief. "If she were angry with me, she could have come to me and slapped me," Cixi added with a quivering voice as tears once more filled her eyes. "She could have grabbed my hair and cursed me to her heart's content. She could have beaten me. She could have done all of that. So why?" A fissure ran through her voice. "Why did she try to murder the little hope I had left in this life? Did she not think about how it would affect my whole life? And she compromised my safety by giving away my address... Couldn't she have asked, even once, if it was really me?"
A single tear slid from her left eye and fell silently onto the oversized pullover that pooled around her small frame.