Chapter 295

I heard my father's voice. "Mae, let's go stargazing tonight. I'll count the stars with you." "Mae, be a good girl and eat your medicine, alright?" "Mae…" "Mom! Dad!" I cried. I reached for them, but something pinned my hands down. Someone was calling my name. "Mae. Mae, wake up… Wake up…" I felt someone cup my face, and the next second, I was staring at Brandon's anxious face. His thumb brushed my cheek as he murmured, "Mae, it's me." It was Brandon. I snapped out of the painful dream, but the hurt was even more vivid now that I was fully awake. I bit my lower lip hard enough that I might have drawn blood if Brandon hadn't stopped me. He gently pried my lips open as he said, "Mae, don't hurt yourself. Let go… Come on, sweetheart." He was calling me by my old nickname, the way my parents had. I saw images of my parents, and I couldn't help the scream that escaped me. Brandon pulled me into his arms, and I buried my face in his shoulder as I sobbed. My fists thumped against h