Chapter 299

The female doctor's voice came through the phone. "Is this about Mr. Roland's dream of Mount Rainier?"

Stella's grip on her phone tightened. "He told you?"

"He came to see me this morning, begging me to verify the details at the summit." The doctor paused. "What's even more astonishing is that his sketch matched the actual landscape perfectly."

Stella's breath hitched.

"Miss Valentine, does Mr. Roland have a twin brother? These memories—"

"Just speculation." Her voice was strained. "He's never been there before."

Silence stretched for several seconds.

"Miss Valentine, I have a question." The doctor hesitated. "Did Mr. Roland's brother... ever see a massive flowering tree? One covered in pale pink blossoms, petals drifting like snow..."

Stella shuddered.

Weeping Crabapple.

The tree that had witnessed her final moments with Mr. Alistair.

"Yes." Her voice trembled. "Huge. Beautiful."

"Incredible." The doctor exhaled. "In all my years of practice, I've never encountered twins who share memories."

Stella's gaze drifted toward a distant figure. "How is he... now?"

"Emotionally unstable." A sigh. "But this morning, he mentioned sleeping well last night."

A bitter smile touched Stella's lips.

Even the insomnia was identical.

"Miss Valentine, you're his medicine." The doctor's tone turned grave. "Even if you must leave... be gentle. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?"

"Self-harm. Suicide. Dissociation... All possible."

After hanging up, Stella realized Adrian was no longer where she'd left him.

She turned, spotting his silhouette farther away.

He stood motionless on the gravel.

"Is this the place?" His voice floated back without turning. "Where our child rests?"

Her pupils constricted.

This unmarked patch of earth—she'd never told a soul.

"How did you—"

"Instinct." His whisper was barely audible. "Standing here... my heart aches."

Night deepened, city lights sprawling below them.

"Will you tell me?" He turned abruptly. "About your past with him."

Stella froze.

"I want to know how good he was." A step closer. "And I want... to become him."

Moonlight blurred his edges, merging with the shadow of her memories.

"Even if it's just acting." A quiet laugh. "One more day with you... worth it."

"Fakes remain fakes."

"But I'm willing." His gaze burned. "What's wrong with lying to myself forever?"

The night breeze carried a familiar scent.

"Stella." His voice softened. "Will you play this charade with me?"