In that moment, Ethan's fear almost burst out of his chest. As the heir of the Forrest family, few things could truly frighten him.
But now, the eyes that belonged to "Liam Hayes" sent shivers down his spine.
Those eyes were chaotic, empty, yet seemed to see right through him.
Ethan stood frozen, his mind racing with a single thought: 'Had his conversation with his father just now... been overheard?'
He had kept his identity hidden from everyone around him for so long, even Liam Hayes didn't know who he truly was.
But in that phone call, he had mentioned the Oswald family, the private jet... If Liam had overheard...
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Would Liam think he'd been deceived? Would he feel betrayed?
"Liam..." he called out softly, his voice laced with unease.
But the man didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the TV screen.
The news continued to play, the words piercing the air like a knife. "...Adrian Cross, death confirmed by police..."
The name echoed in Adrian's mind like a needle pricking his brain. 'Adrian Cross.' That was…
His pupils constricted slightly, and his body trembled. Fragments of memories burst forth in his mind—screams, falling, blood, wind...
He seemed to see himself plummeting downwards. Why?
'That person... wasn't me, was it? I'm still alive...'
He stared blankly at the screen, his soul seemingly sucked out of his body. When he was reborn as Liam Hayes, he only had memories belonging to Liam Hayes and only had little to no memories of himself as Adrian.
But his name being announced on TV as dead, memories of himself in the past life as Adrian Cross couldn't help but force itself into his brain all at once.
Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder, and he jolted back to reality.
Ethan stood before him, his face pale, with obvious panic hidden in his eyes.
Adrian blinked, and then smiled faintly, the smile almost imperceptible.
"You look scared, Ethan," he said. "Did I frighten you just now? Sorry, I didn't mean to break the plate."
The words were casual, but the underlying tension was palpable. Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly, unsure what to make of Liam's sudden change in demeanor.
Ethan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as his expression shifted from fear to confusion. So Liam Hayes didn't hear him just now? He still needed to ask to be clear.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice cautious. "Did you... hear anything?"
Adrian shook his head, his tone calm. "No, I just heard the TV and came down to check. When I woke up I didn't see you so I thought I could join you downstairs and watch whatever you were watching. I grabbed popcorn."
Ethan glanced down, taking in the shattered porcelain plate and scattered popcorn. Adrian wasn't lying. He pressed his lips together, letting out a soft sigh of slight relief.
"So, you didn't hear me on the phone just now?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. He wanted to be totally sure and fully relieved.
Adrian's eyes narrowed, a hint of calculation in his gaze. He surely knew had heard that phone call, but he also knew that Ethan was hiding his identity.
But he couldn't reveal that. He would wait for Ethan to tell him that himself in this lifetime, at least.
He shook his head again, his expression innocent. "No. I was too focused on the news."
Ethan's expression softened completely as he apologized, "Sorry to disturb you."
Adrian's response was ever gentle, "It's okay."
But in the next moment, his hand shot out, grasping Ethan's wrist. He had suddenly recalled Ethan over the phone telling his father he would take the private jet to the main capital tomorrow. Tomorrow that was 19th!
Ethan's eyes widened in surprise. "Liam?"
"Don't go," Adrian whispered, his voice laced with an unspoken plea. "Don't leave me."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat. Did Liam Hayes hear him talk about leaving with the private jet tomorrow after all?
He frowned, his voice low and cautious. "What did you hear?"
Adrian shook his head, a distant smile on his face. "Nothing. I just... had a dream."
Ethan gazed at him for a long moment, then reached out to gently stroke his cheek. Liam Hayes definitely wasn't pretending or lying to him, this was Ethan's conclusion.
Besides, who would hear that his poor countryside friend from years ago was actually the richest heir in the country and react like how Liam Hayes was reacting now—clueless?
"A dream?" Ethan asked, his voice softening. "Then sit down and tell me about it."
He guided Adrian to sit back down on the couch, the TV's flickering light casting eerie shadows on the walls.
Adrian lowered his head, his fingertips lightly drumming on his knees as his expression gradually darkened.
In his memories, on the 19th of that month, it wasn't just one plane that crashed; multiple and even private jets plummeted from the sky, one after another and burned.
But...
His mind racing, Adrian's thoughts flashed back to the conversation earlier. Ethan had mentioned taking a private jet tomorrow to his father.
A sense of unease crept over Adrian. Something wasn't right.
In his past life, on the 19th, Ethan hadn't flew on that day or even though he had... He hadn't died.
Yet now, everything seemed to be deviating from the course.
Becky Oswald, the heiress from the Oswald family shouldn't have been attacked too, and he himself, that is Adrian Cross, shouldn't have died.
If "Adrian Cross" was dead now... then who was the one that died later in the future on the 23rd of August 2025?
A chilling thought flashed through his mind, cold as the wind: Could it be... the real Liam Hayes soul was reborn too but into Adrian Cross' body and is dead now?
Had there been a soul swap the moment he reincarnated?
The implications sent shivers down his spine.
As his thoughts swirled, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
"What are you thinking about?" Ethan asked softly, his voice tinged with a hint of unease.
Adrian was jolted back to reality, and as he looked up, the darkness in his eyes gradually dissipated. He smiled faintly, his voice casual. "Nothing."
But Ethan continued to gaze at him, his eyes searching. But soon he brushed it off, trusting his words.
This was how Ethan Forrest was towards Liam Hayes. He always hung onto every word, no matter how insignificant that Liam Hayes says.
It was a trait that both comforted and unnerved Adrian.
One time in the past life, Liam Hayes had casually mentioned that "cotton candy could cure broken heart," and since then, whenever Ethan felt down, he would have cotton candy prepared for him at the Forrest estate.
Ethan even made mention of this one time online too in the year 2023.
He would take every word Liam Hayes said as gospel.
So when Liam said, "I had a dream," and "Don't go," he listened intently.
"A dream?" Ethan asked, his eyes locked on Adrian's.
Adrian's lips curled into a faint smile. "Yeah. I dreamed something happened in the sky..."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Something happened… in the sky?"