The wind howled that night, like the ghosts of the past clawing at the walls of the estate.
I stood by the window, my fingers grazing the frost-laced glass, eyes scanning the moonlit gardens that once held laughter, secrets, and betrayal. My reflection blinked back at me, not the girl who had once hoped for love... but the woman forged in fire.
Behind me, the door creaked.
"Still awake?" Kai's voice was soft, uncharacteristically gentle.
I didn't turn. "Sleep escapes the cursed."
He walked in slowly, stopping behind me. Our distance was just wide enough to cradle all the memories we refused to speak of.
"You don't have to keep punishing yourself."
I finally turned, my eyes locking with his. "Says the man who buried me alive."
His jaw clenched. "Nyra—"
"No." I stepped closer. "You don't get to say my name like it's sacred. Not after what you did."
His eyes shimmered with something dangerous — regret, pain, or maybe the ghost of love.
"What if I told you... I regretted it every day?"
I laughed, hollow. "What if I told you... that regret means nothing when blood has already dried on the floor?"
A silence followed. Heavy. Deadly.
Then, he whispered, "Is the child mine?"
My heart stilled.
I didn't blink. Didn't flinch. Just stared.
"Is that what this is about? Control? Ownership? You already burned my body once, Kai. You don't get to question the life I protect now."
His gaze darkened. "I need to know."
I walked past him, cold and furious. "And I need to survive. So we both have our priorities."
---
Elsewhere
Celeste stood barefoot in her candle-lit chamber, slicing petals off white roses one by one. Her lips curved into a smile too sweet to be sane.
"She thinks she's winning," she murmured, pressing a blood-stained petal to her cheek. "But we're only at Act Two."
Behind her, Leo entered silently.
"You summoned me?"
"Of course, darling. It's time Nyra learns what it means to be truly hunted."
Leo hesitated. "She's carrying—"
"Don't." Her voice turned sharp. "Don't grow a conscience now."
He swallowed hard. "What do you want me to do?"
Celeste's smile widened. "Take her somewhere... where even the past won't find her."
---
Back to Nyra
The next morning, the estate was quiet. Too quiet.
I walked through the hallway when I felt it — that unmistakable stillness before chaos.
Suddenly, arms wrapped around me. A cloth pressed to my face.
My scream died in my throat.
Darkness followed.
To be continued...