Chapter 101
Chapter 101
He hesitated, eyes searching mine in the dimness. “You’re the only reason I’ve stayed this long. I never meant to feel anything for you, Aria. But I do. And it complicates everything.”
I stood slowly, backing away from the intensity in his eyes. “I can’t do this, Nico. Dominic-”
He shook his head. “Dominic is dangerous. He’ll destroy you without meaning to. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Neither do I,” I whispered.
He exhaled, running a weary hand through his hair. “Then be careful. And whatever happens next, promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“That you won’t forget there’s more than one kind of monster.” His voice broke slightly. “And Dominic isn’t the only one.” I stared at Nico, my heart hammering so loudly it echoed in my ears.
I couldn’t answer him, couldn’t even nod. His words hung heavy between us, lingering like an unspoken threat. Without another word, I turned and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind me. The hallway was silent, my footsteps barely audible against the cold, polished marble as I made my way back toward my room.
My heart felt heavy. Lies. Lies. Lies. That’s all anyone had given me since I walked into Dominic’s world. He’d whispered promises, filled my ears with soft words–but how many had been real?
My chest ached as I slipped back into my bedroom, shutting the door softly. My back pressed against the smooth wood, eyes closing, breathing in the darkness, willing my racing pulse to slow. Outside, rain still fell steadily, tapping gently at the glass, whispering secrets I couldn’t yet understand.
I felt exhausted. Hollow. Like everything I’d believed was suddenly stripped away, leaving me bare and vulnerable.
With shaky steps, I moved to the bed, collapsing onto the cool sheets. My eyelids grew heavy, pulling me into sleep, despite my struggle against it.
But sleep offered no peace.
Mist curled thickly around my ankles, cold and clinging, as I walked barefoot through shadows. My breath hung visibly in the air, clouds of white dissolving into nothingness. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering as icy tendrils slipped along my skin, chilling me deeper than mere cold.
“Hello?” My voice echoed softly, swallowed by the fog, unanswered and empty.
Shapes formed and faded around me, dark figures lurking just beyond my reach, their faces hidden by darkness. Each step
I took seemed to pull me deeper into an endless void, the ground beneath me shifting like sand, unstable and ready to swallow me whole.
“Dominic?” My voice cracked, hesitant, fearful. “Where are you?”
No answer. Only silence and shadows.
A sudden cry broke the quiet. Familiar, raw, desperate.
My heart jolted, pulse roaring in my ears.
“Mom?” I whispered, recognizing the voice immediately. Panic surged, pushing me forward. I stumbled, fighting the fog, but the mist thickened, resisting every move.
“Please,” I cried out, “Mom, wait! Where are you?”
The fog parted briefly, revealing a small, shadowed room. A single light swung overhead, flickering erratically, illuminating broken furniture and shattered glass. Blood stained the floor, dark and fresh, trailing toward a door partially hidden in shadows.
My breath caught. “Mom?”
She stood just beyond my reach, eyes wide and terrified. Behind her stood my father, face pale, his hands trembling as he reached out toward me.
“Aria,” he rasped, voice broken, “Why did you let this happen?”
“I didn’t–I didn’t know-” I stammered, trying desperately to step toward them, but the fog tightened, pulling me back like hands gripping my ankles. “Please–wait-”
They began to fade, their bodies dissolving into the mist, mouths open in silent screams. Pain shot through me, sharp and overwhelming, tears stinging my eyes.
“No!” I reached out, fighting the invisible force pulling me away. “Please, don’t leave me again!”
But they were gone, replaced by silence and darkness. I sank to my knees, sobbing quietly, the emptiness around me echoing with loneliness.
1/2
Chapter 101
The silence didn’t last.
A figure appeared, stepping calmly through the fog. Tall, confident, eyes dark as midnight.
Dominic.
But this wasn’t the Dominic I knew. His expression was cold, eyes empty, a faint, chilling smile playing across his lips.
“Dominic,” I whispered, relief and dread tangled together. “Please-”
He tilted his head slightly, watching me with detached curiosity. “You shouldn’t have run, Aria.”
His voice was low, dangerous. Unfamiliar.
“I didn’t–I wouldn’t-” My voice trembled as I struggled to rise, but the fog held me firmly in place, refusing to release me. “I trusted you.”
He stepped closer, eyes glittering like black ice. “Trust is dangerous,” he whispered softly, voice sliding over my skin like a blade. “You know better.”
He reached toward me, fingertips brushing gently along my jawline, his touch cold, almost painfully so. I flinched away, heart racing wildly.
“You’re not him,” I whispered, voice shaking. “Dominic wouldn’t-”
“Wouldn’t he?” His smile widened slightly, cruelly. “What makes you so sure?”
My breath quickened, panic flooding my veins. “Dominic–please-”
His fingers tightened, gripping my chin firmly, forcing my gaze upward. Shadows deepened around us, swirling violently, the ground shifting dangerously beneath me.
“You belong to me, Aria,” he murmured, voice possessive, harsh. “Did you really think I would let you go?”
I tried to pull away, struggled desperately against his grip, but it was unyielding. “Let me go,” I whispered brokenly, tears blurring my vision, mixing with the shadows around me. “Please…”
But the hand tightened even more, fingers like iron against my wrist, holding me there. His face was still hidden by darkness, a cruel silhouette hovering just out of reach.
“You’re mine,” he said, voice low, rough, familiar. “You’ve always been mine.”
“No.” I shook my head frantically, my breathing shallow and fast. “You lied. Everything you said–it’s all lies.”
“Aria.” The shadows began to part slowly, just enough to reveal Dominic’s eyes cold, dark, filled with a desperation that burned through me. “You know who I am. You’ve always known.”
“No,” I whispered again, but my voice was fading, caught somewhere between pain and longing. “Please don’t-” But suddenly, the image shifted again. Dominic’s eyes melted away, replaced by Nico’s, his eyes filled with a dangerous light.
“You trust too easily,” Nico murmured, stepping closer from the shadows. “There’s always another secret. Another betrayal.” I choked on a breath, heart hammering so hard my chest hurt. “Stop.”
Both faces flickered before me now Dominic, Nico, Dominic again morphing into something twisted and terrifying. One moment tenderness, the next, pure cruelty.
“Who are you really, Aria?” The voice hissed into my ear, closer than before. “Montel, Fletcher, Sinclair, how many lives will you live until you discover your own truth?”
The grip suddenly released me, and I stumbled backward into the nothingness. I fell endlessly through shadow, cold wind rushing around me, suffocating me, stealing my screams.
I hit the ground hard and woke up gasping, sitting bolt upright in bed. Sweat slicked my forehead, my heart was racing violently against my ribs, breath coming in ragged, shallow gulps.
The room was dark, quiet and normal. The sheets tangled around my trembling body like chains.
But I could still feel their hands, hear their voices, each whisper echoing relentlessly through my mind.
It didn’t stop. It was too much. It makes me so frustrated. I grabbed my hair and I screamed.
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