Chapter 39 This Is Impossible.
That night, Regina dreamed of a scene she hadn't recalled for a long time.
It was a summer evening, a Friday after school. She carried her schoolbag to Melissa's place. Normally, she lived with Tasha, visiting Melissa only on weekends.
From afar, she saw an impressive car parked at the gate. The driver carried a suitcase out of the house. Melissa, holding Sandra, hurried to the car. She was moving to the man's new home. She only packed a little; the man was loaded. Everything in the new home would be new, good, and expensive. Perhaps Melissa was sentimental, as she packed items with sentimental value. What saddened Regina most was that Melissa took Sandra's worn-out bunny, neglecting Regina.
Regina usually got home around 5:30 p.m. Melissa avoided that time, fearing they'd meet. But that day, Regina came home half an hour early due to stomach pain. Melissa caught off guard, hurriedly left without acknowledging Regina. Melissa couldn't bear the farewell, but she had no choice for her future. She had to leave some things behind.
As the car passed Regina, she realized what was happening.
Even though she was only eight years old at the time, perhaps due to being precocious, her mind was very sharp. She had realized early on that a day like this would come because Melissa had hinted more than once in front of her that one day, she would leave this home. She just didn't expect that Melissa would leave her alone like this.
Dragging her heavy body, she staggered to catch up, shouting in agony, "Mom, don't go, don't leave me, please." She kept stumbling and getting back up. The car was just driving too fast, and in a matter of seconds, it disappeared.
Regina woke up with tears. Douglas was by her side, concerned. "Did last night scare you?" Douglas noticed the fear in her eyes then asked softly, "Regina, are you okay?"
Regina slowed her breathing and shook her head. "Not really."
She paused for a moment, then in a slightly hoarse voice, she said, "I dreamt about some things from my childhood."
The dream had made her cry. Douglas could imagine the impact of those memories, which left her traumatized. Seeing Douglas fall silent, Regina quietly looked at him. In the dim light, Douglas's face looked extremely stunning.
"What are you thinking?" she asked.
He was thinking about how to prevent Regina's childhood memories from hurting her. But as he looked at Regina's moist eyes, he tried to change the subject to lighten the mood. "I'm wondering if you can still sleep alone tonight?".
Regina glanced at the time; it was already 3 a.m. It was too early to get up, yet too late to sleep.
"I can't sleep. I'll go to the living room and watch TV," she said.
"Alright."
She took a blanket and walked to the living room, looking at Douglas, who was following her. She even explained, "I'll lower the volume so I won't disturb you."
Douglas shrugged. "Well, I can't sleep either. Can I join you?"
Regina didn't expect him to say that. After all, it was his home, and they were just going to watch TV together. Regina didn't refuse him.
"Of course you can." She even thought about getting another blanket for him.
"One is enough," he said, stopping her from getting up.
Douglas naturally sat closer to her, and they shared the same blanket. Regina could feel his body's warmth. He reached for the remote on the coffee table and handed it to her, letting her choose the show she wanted to watch. Regina wasn't a big fan of TV series, so she randomly picked a show to play. It was a dull plot, but to pass the time, Regina sat there and watched an episode.
"Do you have something you want to watch? How about we watch what you like?" Regina passed the remote to Douglas.
He didn't take it.
"I hardly watch TV in my spare time," he said.
Regina tentatively asked, "Do you like listening to radio dramas?"
"Do you like them?"
"When I can't sleep, I listen to radio dramas. Sometimes, I fall asleep while listening." Regina took out her phone, opened the radio drama app, found Dougal's profile, and recommended it to him, "You can take a shot. This is a voice actor I really like; his voice is very pleasant. You can listen to radio dramas when you have trouble sleeping."
"It's a male voice."
Regina was momentarily frozen. His tone seemed reluctant. After all, it might seem a bit weird for a man to listen to another man's voice to help him fall asleep at night, right?
"Are you saying you prefer a female voice? I can recommend a few that I like."
"You mentioned you were part of the Dubbing Club in college and even recorded radio dramas. I'll just listen to your work."
Regina had always been passionate about voice acting. However, after graduation, for various reasons, she didn't pursue it as a full-time career but rather as a side gig.
Regina didn't think much about it and generously showed him her work. She didn't use her real name; she had casually chosen 'Gina' as her stage name. Over the years, she had seen many talented voice actors transition from behind the scenes to the spotlight. Regina had never participated in any public events. Despite her voice being popular, she remained low-key.
Miranda would often tease her, saying she and Dougal were similar types of people.
Dougal!
Regina couldn't help but start thinking about him again.
She looked up and stared earnestly at Douglas. "What a coincidence! Your name is very similar to Dougal's, and your voice is very pleasant. Sometimes, I think your voice is Dougal's voice."
Douglas looked down at her and smiled. But before he could say anything, Regina decisively rejected her thoughts. "That's impossible. How could you be him? What am I even thinking?"
Although Miranda had mentioned hearing some news about Dougal, it was said that he came from a wealthy family and that voice acting was just a field he suddenly took an interest in trying out. However, due to Douglas's background, Regina couldn't possibly connect him with a voice actor.
