Sleep evaded Lily that night. She tossed and turned like a fish on a griddle, the vivid images from the alley replaying in her mind on an endless loop.

A restlessness she couldn't name coursed through her body in waves, an uncomfortable sensation she couldn't understand or define.

Finally, she rolled to the inner side of her bed and retrieved Emma's graphic novel from beneath her mattress—the one she'd barely started before being interrupted, the one she hadn't dared to open since.

Turning on her bedside lamp and dimming it to its lowest setting, she cautiously opened the book. Her first flip-through was quick, merely skimming the pages, yet it was enough to shatter her worldview.

On her second read, her guard lowered. That fluttering sensation returned to her chest, the restlessness growing more pronounced. In her mind, Emma's soft moans and gasps from the alley merged with the illustrated woman in the novel—pinned beneath a man, tears streaming down her face as saliva trickled from the corner of her mouth.

The discomfort intensified, becoming something indescribable. A dull ache spread through her lower abdomen, gradually transforming into a strange emptiness.

Lily shifted uncomfortably, rolled over, and continued reading.

It was torture, yet somehow addictive—a bizarre contradiction.

She finally fell asleep just after four in the morning. In her dreams, she stood at the entrance to that same alley, but the scene had changed. Now Emma's arms were wrapped tightly around the man's neck, her legs lifted and encircling his waist. Her skirt was hiked up to her waist as he gripped her thighs, thrusting rhythmically.

Emma's head was thrown back, her body jolting against the wall with each movement, tears streaming down her face as she gasped, "I'm... I'm almost there..."

The alarm's shrill ring jolted Lily awake. She opened her eyes with a start, taking several seconds to regain her bearings as heat flooded her face.

Throughout the morning classes, Lily couldn't focus on a single word her teachers said. The guilt of secretly reading the erotic novel and her subsequent dream left her feeling unsettled and ashamed.

Anxiously, she made it through to the end of classes. After lunch, she followed her usual routine of heading to her mother's small convenience store to cover the afternoon shift.

The store was just a fifteen-minute walk from school. After her mother left, Lily sat in the wicker chair behind the counter, lost in thought.

She debated whether to return the graphic novel to Emma that evening. The book felt toxic—she hadn't been herself since she started reading it.

Yet... why was she reluctant to part with it? Why did she want to read more? It was disturbing.

While Lily was still wrestling with her thoughts, a dark figure entered her unfocused field of vision. She blinked, her attention drawn to the person approaching the counter, and then froze.

The guy was tall with slightly long, tousled hair. His fair skin made his narrow eyes appear as if lined with kohl. Beneath his straight nose, his thin lips looked somewhat dry, which only enhanced their sensuality...

Jack ignored Lily's starstruck gaze. He casually reached for a pack of gum from the small rack on the counter, opened it, unwrapped a piece, and popped it into his mouth. Only then did he look up at her.

Lily felt like she'd been electrocuted. She snapped back to reality, her face burning instantly.

Jack's eyes swept over her suddenly flushed face, and the corner of his mouth quirked up almost imperceptibly.

That not-quite-smile and the faint mockery in his gaze made Lily quickly lower her head.

She could feel the heat not just in her face but spreading to her ears, her neck, her entire body. Even her scalp prickled with perspiration.

"Pack of cigarettes," he said.

Lily pressed her lips together, fingers clenched as she stood and approached the counter. She bent slightly to slide open the display case. "W-what kind?" she asked, her voice trembling like a mosquito's whisper.

Jack's narrow eyes narrowed further. "Enjoy the show last night?"