Page 23 of Forbidden Knots

He chuckled darkly. "You are in control, Storm. After all, I am just part of your imagination," he said, and as I blinked, he melted back into the shadows, disappearing as if he were a figment of my mind.

I stared into the darkness, panic growing inside me. Finally, I let out a loud scream and ran to the door, unlocking it and rushing to Sophie's bedroom.

I knocked frantically, shouting with all my strength, but there was no response. Then, behind me, Tristan's voice whispered, "What's wrong?"

I gasped, air leaving my lungs as I collapsed into his arms. Tears soaked his shoulder as I barely managed to speak, "He was here. He found me."

"But no one was here," Tristan whispered. "Just us."

"No," I insisted. "He was there. I saw him. He..." I turned back to the bedroom, but there were no ropes, no Polaroid photos, no scent of him—just Tristan and me, and my frantic mind.

"But he..." I said, my voice faltering.

Tristan came closer, wrapping his arms around me. "It was a bad dream, that's all," he said soothingly.

No one would ever believe me. No one would ever know what happened tonight, and no one would ever know he truly existed.This time, the Shadow had won. Maybe it was all just a twisted game of roulette in my mind, making me question my reality, my sanity.

Am I or am I not? Is it a dream or is it all just someone's sick game, making me lose my mind?

I clung to Tristan, feeling the warmth of his embrace but unable to shake the cold grip of fear and doubt that had taken hold of me. He held me tightly, his presence grounding me as I tried to steady my breathing.

"Thalia," he whispered, pulling back slightly to look into my eyes. "You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you."

I nodded, though the fear still lingered. "I don't know what's real anymore," I admitted, my voice trembling. "It felt so real."

"Dreams can be like that," he said gently. "But you're here with me now, and I won't let anything happen to you."

THIRTEEN

Storm

The morning sun seeped through the shutters, casting a soft glow on my face. The morning was just at the doorstep, but I didn't want to leave this bed. I felt like I was living in the shadow of my old self, merely a shell of who I used to be. I pulled the sheet over my face and shut my eyes, trying to fall back asleep, but Sophie chimed in, opening the shutters wide.

"Good morning," she said, removing the sheet from my head. "How did you sleep?"

"Good," I murmured, still half-asleep.

She came close and whispered, "I slept with Christian."

My eyes flew open as I sat up, trying to recall if she had mentioned he would be here. The only thing that came to mind was the anger in the Shadow's eyes as he heard them walk away.

"I want to do it all over again," she said, her face brightening with a smile. "It was amazing."

I looked at her, her words becoming background noise around me.

"I'm happy for you," I said with a fake smile, collapsing back onto the bed.

"He invited me to the carnival. I think you should come as well," she started. "I told him I want to have sex while wearing a mask," she giggled. "I feel like I’m possessed," she let out a breath.

"Shadow was here last night," I whispered. "He touched me."

"What?" she whispered back, her tone serious. "You should go to the police and report it."

"What would they do? I don’t even know who he is," I said, trying to brush off the idea. "Besides, maybe then I’ll end up dead."

"I still think about it," she confessed. "Even last night, I was thinking, would Christian care if I did it? Would he cry?"

I turned towards her, grabbing her hand. "Yes," I said firmly. "I would too." A tear slipped down my cheek.

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