1. HEY, YOU CAN'T SMOKE HERE, SIR!

A woman with dark brown hair walked onto the stage to the thunderous applause of everyone in the hall. Serena Greys received the Women's Prize for Fiction for one of her novels, which had sold thousands of copies in England. Tears slowly flooded the corners of Serena's eyes, spilling those agonies that she'd kept until now. Everyone started applauding, shouting the name of pride to the woman. While getting ready to go up with the mic in hand, Serena gave a vote of thanks to all those who sided with her.

"You're amazing, Serena! I'm so proud of you!" Clara Hawthorne, her best friend, greeted Serena backstage and embraced her moments after she arrived.

"Thank you, Clara. This is all thanks to you as well," Serena replied. The woman, who was about 5'4" with bright brown eyes like sunflowers and a slim figure, became the center of attention for everyone.

They idolized Serena as a goddess of salvation for her groundbreaking work in the literary world. Also, the books Serena created changed people's perspectives on the enthusiasm for the future. With her beautiful hands, Serena produced literary strokes that inspired people to rekindle their passion for rebuilding their lives.

"Serena, we invite you to attend the wrap-up party. Are you willing to come?" asked one of the event officials, offering an invitation that not everyone could attend due to its very private nature.

Serena was somewhat surprised, nearly at a loss for words, as she became one of the honored members of such a prestigious event, just as she had always dreamed. The woman glanced at Clara momentarily and asked, "Can my friend come with me?"

The man laughed, "Sure, Serena, you can bring anyone you like."

Clara was grateful she could be at this because of Serena. The fact that Clara was one of her inspirations for storytelling only made Serena involve Clara in any activity, including revealing a lot to her.

"I heard this party is only attended by important people, right?" Clara asked.

"You're right, I'll have the chance to meet some senior figures in literature and maybe even build connections with them," Serena replied excitedly.

The wrap-up party took place precisely one hour after the main event concluded. The winners and important guests, who had special invitations, attended, mingled, and exchanged stories, and many were eager to get to know Serena better.

Serena Greys was familiar to the literary world; many recognized her from her previous works, but many also only became aware of her presence after one of her works exploded in the market.

"I think I've seen you before," said a man in a red suit with a black bow tie, his beard covering the sides of his cheeks. "But I'm not sure if we've met before, since I just returned to this city two weeks ago."

Serena furrowed her brow slightly. "Really? Where did you live before?" she asked casually.

"I used to live in Los Angeles, then I moved to Berkshire eight years ago and settled there."

Serena paused for a moment, her expression changing drastically upon hearing the name of that city. Berkshire was the only place Serena had always wanted to forget in her life; she didn't want to remember it, and if possible, she would ask the country to erase it from existence. Serena even swore she would never set foot in that city again.

"Excuse me," Serena said, forcing a brief smile before leaving the man and the others talking to her.

Her heart raced as she scanned the room for Clara, but her friend seemed to have vanished, even though Clara had said she just wanted to grab a drink for a moment.

Nothing.

The more Serena searched, the less focused her eyes became. Instead, her ears echoed with the man's words, as if the name "Berkshire" was repeating in her mind. Her steps became unsteady as she tried to find the restroom, but she bumped into someone.

"S-sorry…. pardon me," Serena stuttered, practically afraid to lift her eyes and see who she ran into. Her breathing grew erratic, and her heart beat so loud she could barely hear herself. Fingers of cold wrapped around her, and for a second, she felt the chill wash over her whole body, set off by teeth chattering against each other.

As soon as Serena reached the restroom, she vomited everything in her stomach into the sink. She hadn't eaten anything since leaving for the awards ceremony; she was so excited to prepare for everything that she forgot to fill her stomach.

"Ugh…!" Serena quietly cried while holding her aching head. Then, she turned on the faucet, cupped her hands under the running water, and rinsed her mouth.

"God, please not now. I beg you, let me feel the happiness that may never happen again in my life after this," she said, tears streaming down her face.

Remembering that the man had said "Berkshire" again reopened old wounds of what Serena had felt years ago. It was the place that nearly drove her to despair over her relationship with a man who was now nowhere to be found, or perhaps he was off somewhere happy with another woman.

Serena cried uncontrollably, wondering why she had to remember that man again—the man who had enjoyed her body and then left her behind.

Berkshire was the darkest place; whenever Serena remembered it, she felt lost, just like she did now. That night, the image of a man and the sound of his moans flooded her mind, followed by the memory of him disappearing, nearly driving Serena to erase herself from existence.

"Are you okay?" a man's voice asked from outside the restroom door.

Serena didn't look back; she saw the shadow of his shoulder standing with his back to the door, making her furrow her brow. "I'm fine," she replied shortly.

"Oh, I thought something happened to you, Serena," the man said again.

This caused her to spin around and verify who was calling out for her. "Sorry, I'm fine. You can go—"

"You that need help, I'll take you home," he repeated.

"Not required, I drove by myself; no need that—"

"Serena, you haven't changed a bit… just as hard-headed as ever." An e-cigarette dangled from the side of this man's mouth; he drew on it and let out a lazy swoosh of steam.

"HEY, YOU CAN'T SMOKE HERE, SIR!" Serena shouted, warning him.

The fire alarm blared in every room, apparently triggered by the smoke escaping from the man's mouth, activating one of the sensors on the ceiling. The sound of people rushing outside filled the air, shouting in panic as they flooded out of the building.

Serena also had to escape, even though she knew it wasn't a fire that caused the alarm to sound. However, before she could leave the restroom, the man turned around and showed his face to Serena.

Suddenly, the sounds of people shouting outside faded from Serena's ears. All she could hear was a long buzzing, and her mind and blood froze entirely as she looked clearly at the man's face.