Chapter 131

Clara woke up breathless, cold sweat beading on her forehead. The nightmare she had just experienced felt so real, it made her tremble. In the dream, Franklin had left her without explanation, vanishing from her life.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand - 2:30am. Clara knew it wasn't the right time to call someone, but the anxiety was too strong to ignore. With trembling hands, she reached for her cell phone and searched for Franklin's contact.

Her finger hesitated over the call button. Should she do this? What if Franklin woke up and was disturbed? Or worse, what if Franklin didn't answer his call?

After a few moments of warring with her own mind, Clara finally decided to press the call button. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the dial tone.

Once... twice... three times...

"Hello?" Franklin's voice, still a little hoarse from just waking up, sounded on the other end of the line.

"Franklin?" Clara whispered, her voice sounding shaky.

"Clara? What's wrong? Are you okay?"