Chapter 62

Miranda returned home and immediately began arranging her books. She was drenched in sweat after neatly shelving them. After showering and entering the living room, she noticed the ointment she'd left on the coffee table. She picked it up, unscrewed the cap, and carefully applied it to her chest and waist bruises with a cotton swab.

The ointment's cooling sensation and minty fragrance quickly eased her pain. She'd planned to read, as it was still early, but her head throbbed severely after the exhausting day. She decided to go to bed early and soon fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, Miranda had a nightmare. Hansel pounced on her like a ravenous demon, and she couldn't shake him off. The fear was so real she clutched her shirt desperately. She woke up abruptly, gasping for air.

She didn't dare go back to sleep. She grabbed her phone and called Winter, but received no answer. Tightening her grip on the phone, she got up and noticed the light was still on in the adjacent balcony.

After hesitating, Miranda messaged Paul on WhatsApp: "Are you asleep?"

She received no reply. Her eyelids were about to close when her phone buzzed.

"Yes."

Another message arrived as Miranda sluggishly looked at her phone: "Look out the window."

She looked out. Amidst the quiet night, the dark sky was filled with clusters of twinkling stars, shining brilliantly like diamonds. Her phone buzzed continuously with a barrage of messages: "Do you see the shape that looks like a corner straight ahead? That's the Gemini constellation.

In ancient Romania, it was said the Gemini brothers were born from a golden egg. The elder brother brought war and floods to the kingdom; he was a symbol of disaster and calamity. The younger brother, blessed by the goddess of love, was considered humanity's protector.

The elder brother, jealous, tried to kill his younger brother several times. The younger brother, understanding his sibling, volunteered to sacrifice himself when needed. This sacrifice made the elder brother realize his mistakes, and he fought bravely for the kingdom.

After their deaths, they were blessed by the gods and became one of the twelve astrological signs, the Gemini constellation. Because of this, Gemini is the only constellation with twelve connected stars. It's famous for being the most beautiful and hardest to find. Do you feel better now that you've caught a glimpse of a rare sighting?"

Miranda smiled. Paul probably hadn't typed much; it took him nearly ten minutes to write such a long message. As he'd said, the joy of the discovery reinvigorated her and alleviated her unease.

She replied, "Thank you. I'm feeling much better."

Paul saw her message and smiled. Just as he was about to continue his report, his phone buzzed again.

"I'm so glad to be watching the stars with you under this starry sky. Good night."

Under the same night sky, the light in the mansion's study remained on. Hansel stared at the empty bookshelf, recalling Miranda leaning into Paul's embrace earlier. Angrily, he smashed his cup.

At that moment, he received a WhatsApp notification from Ingrid: "Dear, are you still busy? I haven't seen you for many days. I miss you terribly… I've made a lot of plans. How about we go on a date next week?"

He scrolled through the messages, seeing the last one: "Can I come over to see you now?"

He hesitated. Since Miranda wanted a clean break, there was no need to hold back. After all, Ingrid was his girlfriend.

(Today's Honus Offer removed as it appears unrelated to the story.)