NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50: Lucid Dream
Katherine laid on the bed while she hugged a pillow. She no longer felt sleepy, so for the past hour, her eyes were wide open as she thought about where Damien could be.
She debated with herself whether she should send him a message or not but she could not bring herself to do it so she could only stare at her phone that was on the bedside table.
Not long after, she heard a faint noise that came outside the bedroom. It seemed like Damien had just gotten home. Katherine looked at the wall as she tried to imagine him walk up the stairs and finally opening the door. And as soon as she saw the knob turn, she immediately closed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.
Damien walked towards the bed and saw that she was fast asleep. He was a little buzzed after drinking with his business partners but since he had a high alcohol tolerance, he wasn't that drunk. He sauntered towards his walk-in closet and stripped off his clothes.
When Katherine heard rustling sounds, she squinted her eyes and saw him in his boxer briefs while he was facing his broad back to her, which made her eyes grew wide in surprise. She gasped but quickly closed her eyes shut when she noticed his head turned to the side.
Katherine kept her eyes shut, she didn't move an inch but her ears were very observant as she tried to guess what he was doing. She heard him got in the shower but she didn't dare to take a peek.
A few minutes later, Damien got out of the bathroom dressed in loungewear. He walked towards the bed and Katherine could smell his fresh, pleasant scent tempting her to look at him but she maintained her act.
As he looked down at her, he caught a glimpse of her phone on the side with the screen still on. Wanting to turn it off to save the battery, he grabbed it and was about to press the lock button when he saw the page that she was reading last.
He checked the article and was instantly enraged at what he saw. His gaze shifted to the sleeping Katherine and he could only hope that she did not believe what she read.
He turned off her phone and placed it back to the bedside table before he left the bedroom.
Katherine slowly opened her eyes and sighed, thankful that he was finally home.
…
It was eight in the morning when Katherine came down the stairs and saw Damien at the breakfast nook already dressed up and drinking his morning coffee. She wondered how many hours he sleeps everyday because he was always up and ready before her.
"Good morning, President Park," she greeted when she landed on the main floor and headed towards the counter to make a cup of hot chocolate for herself.
"How was your sleep?" He placed the cup of coffee in the sink and came to her side.
"It's fine."
Tilting his head, he wondered if something was wrong with her. "You saw the articles last night, didn't you?" he asked despite already knowing the answer.
Katherine formed a smile on her face and glanced up to him briefly before she lowered her gaze again. "Yeah…"
His brows furrowed. He was unsure what she thought about it after reading it. "You didn't believe it, did you?"
Katherine darted her eyes to the side and hesitated before she looked up at him with a relaxed expression and shook her head. "No… Wasn't it all just a coincidence?"
Damien's shoulders relaxed when he heard her answer. He knew that she wouldn't jump into conclusions so after he heard her words, he felt at ease.
However, Katherine turned back to the counter and added, "But… even if it wasn't a coincidence, I don't think there's anything wrong. The two of you dated back then, didn't you?"
"What?" Damien didn't understand what she was trying to say.
"It's pretty normal for people to notice the two of you given your identities." Katherine tried to be nonchalant about the matter.
"But there's nothing going on between me and her. You know that, right?"
Just as Damien asked the question, Katherine's phone rang. "It's Dr. Evans," she said before answering the call. She spoke on the phone while standing in front of Damien for a minute.
"Dr. Evans is waiting for us in his clinic." She put the phone inside her bag and turned to Damien, "Shall we go?"
"You haven't eaten yet."
Katherine drank half of the warm chocolate drink and poured the rest in the sink and quickly washed their cups. "I'm not really hungry. I'll just eat after the session."
Damien didn't force her and decided to take her out for a meal after their appointment in the hospital.
…
Hillcrest Hospital
"Just relax… We're going to try and see the first dream that you had a few nights ago." Dr. Evans said as Katherine made herself comfortable on a Yarmouth chaise lounge.
A couple of years ago, Dr. Cheng told her about her violent episode when she remembered something but after staying in the hospital overnight, Katherine forgot about the memories the next morning. She was aware of the possibilities despite not knowing what would cause them. But because of her recent night terrors, she wanted to try Dr. Evan's method.
Katherine glanced at Damien who sat on the sofa who watched her before she leaned on the backrest and followed Dr. Evan's instructions. "I want you to concentrate on my voice. Listen to nothing else except my voice," he spoke slowly while Katherine looked at him.
Jeffrey waved his hand in front of her eyes, muttered something and before she knew it, Katherine was already unconscious.
"What do you see?" he asked in a calm voice.
"It's… dark… I can't see anything. I don't like it here..."
"It's okay. You're safe… The next scene will be a dream. It's the dream that you had that night… You can remember your dreams clearly." Jeffrey paused for a while, allowing Katherine to follow his guidance. "What do you see?"
In Katherine's view, it was dark at first but the scene slowly became bright and alive and she found herself dancing with a man.
"I'm dancing… I'm happy…" She described the details that she saw in her lucid dream which didn't seem so out of place. She sounded like she was narrating something from a party.
"Gunshots… I hear gunshots."
Damien and Jeffrey looked at each other with perplexed expressions. "What's happening? Tell me what you see." Dr. Evans probed.
"She's pointing the gun at him. He looks so scared…"
"Who is it? Who is she? And who's the man?"
"I don't know…" Katherine whimpered, sweat started to form on her forehead and Damien began to worry.
"Look closely… They're not going to hurt you. This is just a dream."
Katherine heard Jeffrey's voice and she walked forward to take a closer look. "No… no…. No… Don't do it."
"Nooooo!!!" She screamed her lungs out and shouted the scene that played in front of her – she saw herself pull the trigger and killing the man kneeling before her.
"Jeffrey! Stop it! Wake her up!" Damien roared as he dashed towards Katherine's side.
Dr. Evans muttered something and in an instant, Katherine opened her eyes and saw Damien beside her, holding her hand.
She pulled herself to sit up as she panted. Suddenly feeling dizzy, she leaned her head on his shoulder, thankful that he was there with her.
Katherine could remember her dream and what she saw while she was unconscious terrified her. She could never imagine herself as that person who just killed the man in cold blood.
"I'll be back." Jeffrey Evans left the room to give them some privacy.
Damien took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat on her forehead. "I'm sorry… we shouldn't have done this."
She shook her head and a small smile appeared on her face. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I agreed to this. I'm okay… I just need to take a second."
Staring at her, Damien felt a prick in his heart as he recalled what just happened. How could they continue if she was going to be like this every time? How could he bear seeing her so terrified? "We don't have to continue."
Nodding, Katherine agreed, "I'm okay for now. But I don't think I can do this again… at least not too soon." She didn't want to pretend and push her luck.
"Of course." Damien was pleased and felt better after knowing that she wasn't stubborn. What she said while she was screaming earlier shocked him. He could only hope that it was really just a dream. If not, what was he supposed to think if he learns that Katherine knows how to use a gun?