Investing In My Crippled Wife Every Return Makes Me Stronger Chapter 151

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[ … words ]

“Huh!”

The crisp morning air bit at Soren’s face as he stepped out of the apartment building. He adjusted the collar of his worn jacket, his boots hitting the cracked concrete pavement with a thud.

“Urgh, so cold!”

The neighborhood was just waking up; a delivery truck rumbled in the distance, and the faint smell of exhaust and morning fog filled the air. It was the exact start to another ordinary, exhausting day.

However, as he walked further down the street, the familiar neighborhood began to feel strangely distant. A persistent numbness settled in his chest, as if a vital piece of his memory had vanished overnight. With every step he took toward his shift, a weird ache grew in his heart, whispering that he was moving in the wrong direction entirely.

The sound of passing traffic blurred into a dull hum, and the sidewalk seemed to stretch out indefinitely. This sudden anxiety tightened around his ribs, warning him that stepping any further forward meant leaving a part of himself behind forever.

“…” Soren frowned in confusion, his pace slowing to a crawl.

Why was he feeling like this? He had walked this exact route to his part-time job hundreds of times before. Yet, the walls around him felt thin, almost artificial, like a painted backdrop waiting to peel away.

He stared down at his own hands, but the skin looked too smooth, lacking any cuts and bruises.

’…Something is not right.’

He tried to remember when his hands had been this clean, but the thought slipped through his fingers like smoke. He was a factory worker; his palms should be calloused and stained with grease.

’…Urgh. I shouldn’t waste time. Or else I’m gonna be late and get lectured again.’

Just as he was about to take another step forward, a painful headache hit him, forcing him to clutch his temples as his vision fractured.

Fragments of disjointed memories flashed through his mind in a chaotic blur: majestic black creature, unfamiliar yet familiar faces and places. The sudden influx of images made his breath hitch, his lungs straining for air as he staggered against a nearby wall.

“Huff… Huff… What was that?”

He took deep, ragged breaths, trying to steady his racing heart, and suddenly froze.

The phantom images receded, leaving behind a cold, terrifying clarity. He looked back toward the path ahead, then toward the direction of his building.

’W-wait… today is the day… that I…’

He didn’t let the thought finish. He didn’t dare to. The rising panic in his throat screamed that if he delayed even a second longer, history would repeat itself.

Swoosh!

He immediately turned back and ran with all his might, his boots pounding against the pavement as he sprinted straight toward his apartment.

’Please, be there! Please, don’t let it happen again!’

He kept repeating in his head and practically threw himself up the stairwell, taking the steps three at a time. Reaching his floor, his hands shook violently as he fumbled with the keys, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. He forced the key into the slot, twisted the handle, and threw the door open.

“!”

Soren froze right on the threshold, his breathing ragged.

Sitting right by the entrance, exactly where he had left her, was the small cat. She tilted her head, her beautiful purple eyes watching him with quiet curiosity.

’T-Thank goodness!’

A wave of overwhelming relief washed over him, breaking the icy terror in his chest.

“Raine!”

He dropped his keys, immediately sank to his knees, and scooped her up into his arms, hugging her tightly against his chest.

“Thank goodness you’re here…” he whispered, his voice trembling as he buried his face into her soft fur.

Although visibly confused by his sudden return and explosive burst of emotion, the cat didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned into his warmth, her small body relaxing as she began to purr back affectionately.

“Don’t worry, I’m never gonna leave you alone again,” Soren murmured, tightening his grip just a fraction, terrified that she might dissolve into mist if he let go. “I… I won’t…”

The quiet of the room enveloped them, still and unchanging, until the silence itself began to feel unnaturally heavy.

“…Soren.”

“…”

“…Soren.”

Soren stiffened, his embrace faltering slightly. ’…What?’

“…Soren!”

The third call was sharper, closer, completely shattering the peaceful illusion of the room.

“!” Soren froze, his eyes wide.

“Who’s there?” he called out, his head snapping toward the empty kitchen, then toward the small living space. The apartment was entirely empty, save for the two of them.

“You have to wake up.”

The voice spoke again, sounding impossibly close.

“!”

Soren’s heart skipped a beat. Gulping, he slowly looked down at the creature in his arms. The cat was staring directly up at him, her intelligent purple eyes giving off a strange vibe that completely detached her from the mundane world around them.

“Y-You… you can talk?” Soren stammered, his mind reeling as he stared at the small animal.

Raine nodded before opening its mouth. “You have to wake up, Soren.”

“What are you talking about? I am awake!”

“You have someone else to save now,” she continued, ignoring his denial. “And you don’t have much time.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Soren asked, his grip loosening as a sense of confusion took over. “Save who?”

“…Your wife,” she said clearly, though the tone seemed a bit off. “She is in danger.”

“M-My wife?”

“What do you mean? I’m not ev-rgh!”

Soren mumbled the words with another blinding headache striking him out of nowhere. He groaned, pressing a hand to his temple as the walls of the apartment began to ripple like water. Within the chaos of his fracturing mind, new fragments of memories began to piece themselves together.

Through the cracks of the dissolving illusion, a face slowly formed in his mind.

“…E-Ethea.”

The name escaped his mouth in a breathless gasp.

“Huff… Huff…”

He breathed rapidly as the fog fully cleared from his mind. His eyes slowly regained their clarity, now filled with a tempest of complex emotions—guilt, realization, and a profound, aching fondness—as he stared back down at the black cat.

He looked at the small purple-eyed creature, his throat tight. “Raine… I… I…”

The cat seemed to smile, a soft, reassuring warmth radiating from her presence. “Don’t worry about me. Go.”

“But…” Soren protested, his chest tightening. Leaving her felt like tearing away a piece of his past.

“…We will meet again,” she promised, her voice echoing with absolute certainty.

“…” Soren stared at her for a fraction of a second, the heavy weight of reality settling back onto his shoulders. Ethea was out there in danger, and she needed his help.

“Why are you hesitating? Go!”

Soren nodded decisively, his expression hardening. He closed his eyes, preparing to force himself out of the dreamscape.

But after a long, silent moment of nothing happening, his eyelids fluttered back open.

“Emm… How… How do I ’wake up’?” he asked, a touch of awkwardness breaking through his otherwise serious demeanor.

“…Pfft!”

A soft, melodic laughter echoed through the room.

“Just… close your eyes again.”

Soren gave a sheepish nod and began to close them. But before he could even finish the motion, Raine’s purple eyes flared with a brilliant, mesmerizing light.

A sudden, overwhelming wave of vertigo pulled him under.

Soren instantly felt himself falling into a deep trance, his consciousness slipping away into the dark as the apartment dissolved into nothingness.

Soon, the small room, the morning light, and the familiar walls washed away entirely. Everything became pitch black again, returning to a vast, silent void.

Raine was the only one left behind in the emptiness.

Standing alone in the center of the dark expanse, she stared into the infinite blackness where Soren had just vanished. Her intelligent purple eyes shifted, losing their warm luster and being replaced with a profound sorrow.

“I’m sorry, Soren…” she whispered into the void, her soft voice echoing one last time.

Then, slowly, her small form began to fray at the edges.

The black fur unraveled into wisps of dark mist, blending seamlessly into the surrounding shadows until she disappeared completely into the darkness.