I didn’t know how long I’d stayed there. Hours, maybe longer. By the time sunlight crept into the room, I was still on my knees, my eyes dry and empty.
He was gone. The doctor approached quietly and handed me a letter.
“Miss Dahlia… this is something your father left for you. Please… take care.”
My hands shook as I opened it.
[Dahlia, my dauhter. Please run... Don’t let Argus ruin your life.]
A broken laugh escaped me, and then I couldn’t stop crying. Even at the end… He told me to leave.
To live.
—
After arranging his funeral, after everything was done, after there was nothing left tying me here…
I stared at my phone for a long time.
Then I dialed the number.
“Professor Blackwood,” I said when the call connected, my voice quiet but steady. “I’ve made my decision.”
A pause.
“I want to join the research project.”
I closed my eyes. Argus took everything from me. But this time, I was the one walking away.
Professor Blackwood’s voice shook the moment he heard mine. “Dahlia, is that really you? Are you serious about this? Did you settle your father’s situation? And what about the man you love?”