Sophie looked up at the sun. The May sunlight was warm and brilliant, just enough to evaporate the moisture gathering in her eyes.
"It's okay. I'm full now, and I've got plenty of energy!" Sitting down in the outdoor seating area, Sophie claimed an entire bench for herself, her backpack occupying the remaining space. She pulled out her tablet, which still had plenty of battery left. She intended to search for this travel agency's Volterra tour itinerary.
Ten euros would be enough to get her to the next sightseeing destination in search of them. While she was at it, she also wanted to leave a suggestion. How could a city with over a thousand years of history be reduced to half a day's sightseeing and a single meal before rushing everyone back to the hotel? The itinerary had obviously been poorly planned. It definitely needed an upgrade.
The instant her tablet connected to the internet, a notification popped up across the top of the screen. Sophie casually tapped it open, only for her eyes to widen in shock.
"Good grief... that's a lot of money!"
She hurriedly tapped the withdrawal button with frantic fingers, terrified that the sender had entered the wrong amount and would realize the mistake the next second before contacting customer support to reverse the transaction. She was practically broke enough to have ended up stranded in Italy. There was no way she was letting that money slip away.
The website processed transactions efficiently. Normally, it only took around two hours before the funds appeared in her bank account. The weight pressing on her chest finally lifted, and even the emotional blow Irene had dealt her no longer seemed particularly important.
Sophie celebrated by buying herself another slice of tiramisu. This time, she paired it with a shot of espresso. It cost her another three euros, yet somehow it tasted even better than before.
Perhaps joy itself had become one of the ingredients.
Who could have been kind enough to rescue her when she needed it most?
After getting past her early days as a content creator, Sophie had long since stopped being curious about her followers. There were simply too many of them, and they came and went at random. This time, however, the timing was far too perfect and the donation far too generous. She logged back into the creator dashboard and opened the donation list. To protect users' privacy and maintain a separation between creators and fans, the website didn't allow her to view anyone's profile directly. It only displayed a tiny avatar.
The donor responsible for the enormous contribution sat right at the top of the list.
The avatar was smaller than her fingernail, an ordinary profile picture...
If that face hadn't belonged to Irene.
The relaxation she'd only just regained vanished instantly.
Based on the amount she ultimately received, along with the platform's commission fee, Sophie quickly calculated that Irene had actually donated even more money than she had originally swindled from her.
Did her conscience finally catch up with her?
Or had she found herself an absurdly wealthy patron?
It was almost impossible to believe that someone could shamelessly deceive her out of her money, deliberately humiliate her by tossing her only the two smallest banknotes from a wallet, and then, moments later, quietly return even more money through a donation.
It was far too abnormal.
Sophie had originally intended to let Irene go. After all, money lost could always be earned again. What she truly resented was that Irene had destroyed the financial foundation that allowed her to continue exploring the world. The number displayed in her bank account itself had never mattered all that much. Now that fresh funds had arrived, chasing after her former partner seemed like nothing more than a waste of precious time.
Yet Irene had repaid the money.
That single inexplicable act quietly awakened Sophie's desire to uncover the truth. She abandoned the idea of immediately buying a ticket out of Italy and decided to stay for one more day.
After killing enough time, Sophie packed away the scattered belongings spread across the bench. She first stopped by the nearest ATM to confirm that the balance had indeed appeared in her account. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, sling her backpack over one shoulder, sneak back into the same capsule hotel whose showers she had borrowed earlier, and collapse into bed the moment she found an empty capsule.
She slept deeply, longer than she had expected.
At first, Sophie drifted into a chaotic dream filled with countless people and fragmented scenes. Irene occupied most of it. One moment, Irene tearfully begged for forgiveness. The next, she hurled vicious curses at her with heartbreaking desperation. When she had exhausted herself screaming, she suddenly turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Sophie instinctively chased after her, but after only two steps, two figures emerged from the shadows and blocked her path.
"Admission by ticket only."
The beautiful tour guide, Heidi, and the driver dressed in black waved goodbye before silently disappearing into the darkness as well.
Sophie found herself trapped, unable to move forward or retreat.
Then, behind her, came the sweet voice of a young girl.
"Follow me."
The words sounded strangely familiar.
Sophie's body reacted faster than her mind.
She turned around and saw the face that had captivated her from the very beginning.
The only difference was that this time, they stood beneath brilliant sunlight.
Golden rays bathed the girl's platinum-blonde hair, causing it to shimmer with breathtaking brilliance. Rather than diminishing her beauty, the bright light only made her flawless features appear even more impossibly perfect.
How ridiculous that Narcissus of Greek mythology had fallen in love with nothing more than his own reflection.
He had overlooked the true beauty that existed in this world.
At the very end of the dream...
Sophie simply stood there, gazing at the woman for what felt like an eternity.
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