Welcome To Hell, Dear Wife-Chapter 36: Fan Boy

Chapter 36: Fan Boy
Mira’s stomach was starting to feel hollow. Like someone had scooped her insides out with a rusty spoon or something closely related.
Even though the silk sheets were soft against her skin, they still managed to feel like prison bars to her. Well, with how she was trapped in this house and nightmare life that wasn’t even hers.
I wish I could just somehow find Lorena’s money and just leave. I have to.
I can’t continue to stay here like this. I don’t even have anyone I can trust.
The sunlight that streamed through the massive windows almost made her scoff; it looked peaceful and beautiful. Almost like a movie set that had been designed to fool people into thinking this place was not hell.
Every small sound kept making her jump. The doors closing somewhere in the house, the footsteps in the hallway, and even the whisper of the curtains moving.
Everything was too much noise. She just couldn’t wait to be out of this house, marriage, or whatever.
This wasn’t what she bargained for when she woke up in this body.
A sharp knock on the door made her flinch.
"Who?" she asked, mostly to herself, but a voice answered from the other side of the door.
And it sounded nothing like Lucas’s.
"Uhm... Hi. I’m not here to hurt you."
Mira kept staring at the door as if it might explode. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Come in."
The door then opened so slowly and carefully, like whoever was on the other side knew she was just one move away from completely losing her sanity.
A tall man stepped inside. A really tall man with broad shoulders that filled the doorframe. Blonde waves fell in waves past his shoulders.
It’s him!
Mira immediately recognized.
The shadow-eyed guy from the dining hall who wouldn’t stop staring at her subtly.
Mira pushed herself up straighter in the bed as if planning a fight stance, and he seemed to notice her tension immediately as he put both hands where she could see them.
The universal sign for ’
I’m not a threat.’
"Calm down." His voice came soft, like the way people talk to scared animals. "I promise I’m not here to hurt you at all."
Mira’s eyes darted from his face to his hands and then to the door behind him.
"How can I help you?"
He took just one step closer and immediately stopped, as if realizing that getting too close could send her bolting for the window.
"I just wanted to see how you’re doing." He then tilted his head slightly like he was studying her face. "My name’s Elias. I’m uhm... Lucas’s cousin."
Lucas’s cousin?
That was enough for Mira to be on alert again. This was another one of them! Another one of whatever twisted family this was.
And her face must have shown exactly what she was thinking because Elias’s expression softened even more.
"I understand if you don’t believe that I’m not here to hurt you, but I want you to know that I mean it: I’m honestly not here for anything else. I just wanted to know how you’re holding up."
He then did what Mira did not expect at all; he leaned against the doorframe in a very casual and relaxed manner while his hands slipped into his pockets.
His shadow eyes suddenly lit up with something that almost looked like...
excitement?
"You know," he started in a changed tone that sounded animated. Almost giddy even. "I’ve been a fan of yours for... gosh, forever? I watch all your movies as soon as you debuted. Every single one of them. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m even in a lot of your fan groups."
Mira blinked once, then twice, like she was trying to process what she was hearing right now.
Fan groups?
"I used to..." he ran a hand through his hair embarrassedly and suddenly looked younger.
"Okay, fine. I had a massive celebrity crush on you about a couple of years ago. I’m totally over it now though. But then, I still.... Really admire you. Your work, of course. You’re so good at what you do, and the way you become completely different people and embody the roles, it’s just incredible."
The words rushed out of him so fast, like he had been holding them for this exact moment. His eyes even burned with genuine enthusiasm.
Mira tilted her head. She was completely thrown off balance because this wasn’t what she had expected. At all.
He seemed to take her confusion otherwise though.
"You look like you think I’m lying." He said as he pushed off the doorframe. "But you know what? I can just prove it to you."
Before she could ask what he meant by that, he had stepped to the center of the room and then he suddenly started acting.
And not just any acting.
He was doing Lorena.
The exact gesture from one of her most famous scenes. The way she tilted her head, the precise placement of her hand on her hip, every cute little lip twitch she always did right before delivering a cutting line.
It was from
Midnight Dreams.
The confrontation scene where Lorena’s character finally stood up to her abusive father.
Four years ago, and it was one of her biggest hits; even Mira watched it a lot of times.
And Elias wasn’t just copying the movements; he was embodying them too. Adding his own touches and exaggerating slightly in a way that still looked affectionate rather than mocking.
"You think you can control me forever," he said while using Lorena’s exact tone. "But I’m not your little doll anymore, Daddy. I’m done playing your toy."
He even did the signature hair flip. The one that had launched a thousand memes and reaction GIFs.
Mira couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the end of it all, and not just a polite chuckle or a nervous giggle.
A real laugh. One that was so deep, genuine, and sudden enough to surprise them both. Her hands flew to her mouth, but it couldn’t stop it as her whole body shook with laughter.
Tears even leaked from the corners of her eyes.
For the first time in days, she felt human again.
Elias watched her laugh while his own face lit up like Christmas morning.
"See?" He spread his arms wide and took a little bow. "Told you I’m really your fan. I’m sure you believe me now."
Mira wiped at her tears while still chuckling. "I can’t believe... you actually just did...." She shook her head as she was unable to finish the sentence.
"What is going on here?" A familiar voice cut through the brief happy moment.
Both heads whipped toward the doorway to see Callis standing there with one hand on her hip and eyebrows raised.
She looked curious and protective yet suspicious all at the same time.
Elias straightened up as his playful energy shifted into something more formal.
"Oh, Callis. I just came to check on Lorena here, just making sure she’s okay."
Callis’s eyes moved from Elias to Mira and back again, like she was struggling to understand the dynamics here.
Elias just smiled and looked at Mira. "I should probably go now. But we’ll certainly see each other around."
Then he was gone.
While Callis tilted her head at Mira. "What the hell was that?" she whispered as she moved closer to the bed.
Mira shrugged while still smiling faintly. For the first time since waking up in this body, she felt a strange warmth in her chest.
Another knock sounded on the door, and this time, a maid entered. A different one from before. She looked nervous as she carried a silver tray that smelled amazing.
Mira immediately tensed up. The last time someone brought her food, she’d ended up puking her guts out on the lawn.
The maid set it down as quickly as she could and left like Mira might attack her.
"I’m not expected to just eat that, right? After what just happened?" Mira scoffed.
Callis moved closer in a gentle manner. "Don’t worry," she said as she sat on the end of the bed. "Everything’s fine now. They found the person who did it."
Mira’s head snapped up at that. "Who was it?"
Callis shook her head softly. "I can’t say exactly, but just trust me on this. Lucas made sure that they’ll never try something like that again."
Mira rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. The guy who wants to hurt me most is punishing someone who hurt me a little. That sure makes a lot of sense."
Callis laughed at that before she reached for the tray and picked up the spoon. She then dipped it into the soup and took a slow taste, chewed it, and then swallowed. She even took another bite too.
"See?" She smiled at Mira. "It’s perfectly safe."
Mira still looked skeptical.
"You have to eat something, Lorena," Callis said gently. "Especially before taking your medicine. You’ve already vomited too much today."
Mira stared at the tray and at Callis’s encouraging smile as it caused her heart to suddenly swell with something.
She realized that not even Naomi had acted this way with her whenever she was sick, and this beautiful lady here was fussing so much about her?
She looked at Callis again,
like really looked at her.
Someone’s actually trying to be my friend.
The thought made her feel teary almost. But instead, she took a breath and gathered the courage to ask the question that had started to build in her chest.
"Callis, I’ve been wondering... why are you being so nice to me?"