Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 372: The replacement

Seraphina’s POV

"Well, I’m not joking."

Ashleigh said it lightly, like she was talking about a test date or bad weather, but the words landed heavy in my chest.

My frown deepened as I stared at her. My head was still pounding, still slow, but something else got through the fogginess in my head, and an urge rose in me, sudden and uncomfortable.

"Who?" I asked before I could stop myself. "Who are you talking about?"

Ashleigh didn’t answer right away. She just watched me with her eyes calm and almost bored, like she was waiting to see how long it would take before I figured it out on my own.

"And who died?" I added, my voice quieter now.

The room seemed to tilt, and before she could even say anything, my mind betrayed me.

The rooftop flashed behind my eyes, and I could suddenly remember the feeling of the wind that day on the rooftop, and how it had been a little too loud. It had howled around the edges of the building, tugging at my clothes, at my hair, at my balance. I remembered Iris’s face twisted with something ugly as her hands shoved against me, and I remembered the sudden weightlessness and the way my heart had jumped into my throat as my foot slipped near the edge.

She had tried to push me, and that memory alone was enough to make my stomach turn, but it didn’t stop there because another image followed.

Yuna.

She had come out of nowhere, grabbing Iris, yelling, pulling her back just in time. I remembered the shock on Iris’s face, the way her plan had cracked for a second, and I remembered how Yuna, despite our differences, had helped me get away from being choked to death and told me to run.

And I had.

The stairway came next, the sound of my own footsteps as I rushed down, my breath loud in my ears. I remembered thinking I was going to be safe, and I remembered hoping I could get away if I ran fast enough when the man in the mask appeared like he had been waiting for me.

I remembered the flash of metal, and the pain, sharp and deep, stealing the air from my lungs. I remembered collapsing, my hands slippery with blood, and my thoughts breaking apart as the world went dark.

I sucked in a breath as my chest felt even tighter. The pieces clicked together in the worst way.

Iris had managed to leave Yuna on the rooftop...and she had come after me instead...

My eyes snapped back to Ashleigh. "No," I whispered.

My head started shaking on its own, small at first, then faster. "No, no, no," I muttered, the words tumbling out like they could block the thought from forming fully. "No, no, no, no."

My heart was beating so hard it hurt. I stared at Ashleigh, searching her face for something, anything at all that said she was lying. That this was just another one of her twisted jokes. She loved getting under people’s skin, and I had reasons to believe that she especially loved making a fool out of me for whatever reason.

Please, let this be that.

Ashleigh watched me for a moment longer. Then she sighed softly, like someone who had been waiting for a slow student to finally catch up.

A smile curved her lips. "There we go," she said. "You finally remembered."

And then she turned away just like that.

She walked back to her bed and sat down, picking up her phone like nothing had happened, like she hadn’t just torn something open inside me. She didn’t look back, didn’t explain, and didn’t say a single word more.

My legs felt weak as I shoved the blankets off and stood up. The floor was cold under my feet, grounding me just enough to move. My hands were shaking, my fingers numb, but one thought pushed through everything else.

I had to check.

This couldn’t be real, and if it was, it couldn’t be Yuna. We weren’t close anymore. We barely spoke without it turning very hostile, but that didn’t matter because she didn’t deserve that. She couldn’t have died because of me.

I took a step toward the door. My heart felt like it had dropped into my stomach, dragging everything else down with it. I didn’t even grab my slippers or mind that I was in pajamas. I just needed to see her, to hear her voice, and to have her roll her eyes at me or snap something rude.

Anything.

My hand was on the door handle when Ashleigh spoke again.

"You’re wasting your time."

I froze, and slowly, I turned around. She hadn’t moved from her bed, and she wasn’t even looking at me. Her eyes were on her phone, her expression flat, almost cold.

"What?" I asked.

"She’s not there," Ashleigh said. "Hasn’t been for a while."

My throat burned. "You don’t know that."

Ashleigh finally looked up at me then. Her gaze was sharp and direct. "I do."

The room felt too small, and the air felt thick, making it hard to breathe.

"You’re lying," I said, but my voice cracked halfway through.

She shrugged. "Believe whatever helps you sleep."

I laughed weakly, the sound wrong in my ears. "You’re sick," I said. "You enjoy this. You enjoy messing with people."

Ashleigh tilted her head. "Maybe."

That answer scared me more than a denial would have. I pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway anyway. I didn’t care what she said. I didn’t care if she followed or laughed or watched me fall apart. I moved on instinct, my feet carrying me toward Yuna’s room.

My legs felt heavy as I took each step, hoping that when I arrived, I’d be faced with both disdain and confusion from Yuna and Yura’s familiar faces.

I knocked a few times at first when I arrived but got no answer.

My chest tightened, and I knocked again, harder this time, my knuckles stinging. "Yuna?" I called. "Open the door."

All I got back was silence.

I pressed my forehead against the door, breathing shallowly. "Please," I whispered.

But there was nothing. A few other girls passed by, glancing at me with curiosity, then with discomfort, as if they couldn’t understand why I knocked so frantically.

I backed away slowly and Ashleigh’s words echoed in my head again.

’You finally remembered.’

I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor, my arms wrapped around myself. My thoughts started to spin, messy and loud, and guilt crept in, suffocating me.

I had run, Yuna had stayed, which brought my foggy brain to only one conclusion.

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head again, but this time there were no words to stop it. Just the truth hitting me from all sides. I didn’t know what hurt more, the thought that Yuna might be dead or the sick fear that she had died because I survived.

And for the first time since I woke up, I wished I hadn’t remembered at all.