Chapter 26: Focus on The Eyes
Diane sat at her desk in the office, her pen moved aimlessly across the paper in front of her.
Her leg bounced uncontrollably, the warning from Miru was killing her every thought.
"Blue eyes bring pain, brown eyes pull you down, green eyes lead you."
She had spent hours separating names based on eye color.
On the notepad before her, three lists were represented against the blank background:
Blue: Richard, Adrian
Brown: Evelyn, Riot
Green: Her father, Gabriel
She kept looking at the names, but nothing clicked.
"What does this even mean?" she muttered under her breath.
Diane tossed the pen onto the desk and stood up abruptly.
"I need a break," she announced to no one in particular.
Grabbing her coat, she headed to the coffee station, hoping a cup of caffeine would settle her mind.
But when she arrived, Rachel's usual spot was empty.
Rachel's absence was unusual—she was supposed to be there.
Diane frowned. "Where is she now?" she mumbled.
Unable to shake her unease, Diane returned to her desk.
"I'll figure this out at home," she told herself, dialing for a driver.
The moment she arrived, a strange sensation grabbed her skin.
Something was… off.
She stepped into the garden, her rose bushes greeted her.
But something was wrong—terribly wrong.
The roses, which had been alive and thriving just days ago, were now wilted, their petals looked shriveled and lifeless.
Diane crouched to examine them, her fingers brushed against the brittle stems.
"What's happening?" she whispered.
Her stomach tightened.
The strange worry was eating her, but she decided to return to it later.
For now, she needed to see Arthur and Riot.
Inside the house, Diane found Riot lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone.
Arthur was sitting nearby, silent.
"Your brother likes to play with forks," Riot said without looking up in a dry tone.
Diane rolled her eyes. "You could try to be a little more helpful."
Riot smirked, finally glancing at her. "What's bothering you now?"
"Nothing," she replied, brushing him off. "I just need to check on Arthur."
She knelt in front of the boy, looking at his face for any emotions.
"Hey, Arthur," she said softly.
He didn't respond, and stayed glued to the page he was scribbling on.
"Arthur," she tried again, leaning closer.
That's when she noticed his eyes…
They were so deep brown, almost impossibly dark.
A chill started hunting her spine as Miru's words repeated in her mind:
"Brown eyes will try to drag you into darkness."
Diane swallowed hard, forcing herself to fix her voice.
"Arthur, can you look at me for a second?"
He hesitated, then slowly turned to her.
His brown eyes seemed to shine with something she couldn't place—something heavy, almost oppressive.
"Are you okay?" she asked him gently.
Arthur lifted his head. Then, without a word, he returned to his coloring.
Diane's chest tightened. She backed away from him.
"What's wrong with you?" Riot asked, watching her with narrowed eyes.
"Nothing," Diane said quickly. "I just… I need some air."
She stepped out of the room, her heart started pounding more aggressively.
Her hands shook as she leaned against the wall, trying to calm her breathing.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself. "He's just a kid. Miru doesn't know what she's talking about."
But even as she tried to rationalise it, the hardness in her chest wouldn't leave her.
Later that evening, Diane was alone in her study, the lists of names spread out before her.
She stared at them, willing them to make sense.
"Blue eyes have haunted me," she whispered, her fingers traced Richard's name.
Memories of him rushed—the fights, the manipulation, the way he had torn her world apart.
And Adrian… his betrayal still stung, a fresh wound she hadn't dared to touch…he killed her.
She then shifted to the green part.
Her father, with his wisdom, had always guided her, before the kidnapping…and now, he was doing everything to prove how sorry he was.
And Gabriel… her brain experienced a small electrical wave at his name.
Was he the one in this life? The fact of his own dream that he declared yesterday…'I hope he doesn't remember…gosh, I really hope he doesn't remember…'
Finally, her eyes landed on the brown part.
Riot. Evelyn. And now Arthur.
She remembered Miru's warning: "Brown eyes will try to drag you into darkness."
A sudden knock at the door startled her.
Diane jerked her head up, her heart leaped into her throat.
"Who is it?" she called out.
"It's me," Riot replied from the other side.
Diane exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "Come in."
Riot stepped into the room.
"You've been acting weird all day," he said, crossing his arms. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Diane lied, closing her notebook. "I'm just tired."
Riot wasn't convinced. "You're lying," he said bluntly. "You've been jumpy since you got back from work."
Diane hesitated, debating whether to confide in him.
But Miru's words pulled her to the void, and she couldn't keep it to herself any longer.
"There was… this woman," she began slowly. "She said some things that I can't stop thinking about."
"What kind of things?" Riot asked, his brow furrowed immediately.
"Warnings," Diane muttered. "About people in my life. About choices I've made."
Riot raised an eyebrow. "What kind of warnings?"
Diane hesitated again, then finally said, "She told me that blue eyes bring pain, brown eyes drag me down, and green eyes lead me. She… she said my second chance comes with a price."
Riot stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"You're basing your life decisions on a random woman's ramblings?"
"It wasn't just rambling!" Diane snapped, standing up. "She knew things—things she couldn't have known!"
Riot's laughter faded, replaced by more seriousness.
"Okay," he said, holding up his hands. "Let's say she's right. What are you supposed to do about it?"
"I don't know," Diane admitted, sinking back into her chair.
"That's the problem. I don't know what any of it means."
Riot sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Look, Diane, maybe this woman was onto something, or maybe she's just a crazy lady. Either way, sitting here obsessing over it isn't going to help. You need to focus on what's in front of you."
Diane nodded slowly, but Riot's words did little to ease her mind.
After Riot left, Diane returned to the garden.
The roses were still wilted, the color looked like a dull brown.
She crouched beside them, brushing her fingers against the brittle petals.
"So young, so fragile, but with a sharp edge to cut your skin and make you bleed," Miru's came back to her mind.
Diane's eyes shifted to the house.
A shiver ran through her, and she couldn't shake the feeling that her fractured path was about to crumble beneath her feet once again.
"No…I will protect myself, and my loved ones in this life. No one will hurt me."
"I see, you really love flowers…"
"Who-!"