Page 48 of Forbidden Knots

She giggled again, jumping playfully towards the door behind me. I couldn't believe my ears, my mind spinning in confusion. She waved at me before closing the door, leaving me surrounded by death and skulls.

I knelt again, this time closer to the cliff. Behind a pine tree, I noticed the local port with boats. If I could make it there, I could hide and call the police. I needed to rest and sleep.

Moving behind the door and oleander, I found a small path leading back to the woods. Gathering all the courage I had left, I started to run. I ran as fast as I could, my breath short, my mouth dry, and my feet wounded by the rocks beneath me. I looked back briefly to check if anyone was following me. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears and my breaths in my chest. My gut hurt and my bare feet were raw and bloody.

I turned again and saw him. Shadow was running after me. Instead of stopping and wrapping my arms around him, I couldn't face him. I couldn't tell him about Sophie, about my grandma, about any of it.

"Thalia, stop!" he shouted after me.

"Thalia!" His voice was getting closer.

His warm hands grabbed me under my arms, spinning me around. My body hit the ground, and he fell on top of me, pinning me down. His eyes, full of anger, saw right through me. His hands pinned mine beside me, his grip so strong it stopped the blood from flowing in my wrists.

"It hurts," I whispered, a tear sliding from my eye down to my temple, then reaching the ground beneath me.

"Thalia, you're bleeding," his eyes shifted from anger to worry within seconds. He let my hands go, and I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me in his arms.

I leaned against his chest, closing my eyes.

"Tristan, Sophie..." I started, but my tongue went numb, and my eyes closed involuntarily.

"Thalia," he shouted, his voice filled with panic. I could feel his body moving faster.

"Storm," he whispered, his voice fading away.

It all felt like a bad dream, a never-ending nightmare that lived in my life rent-free. I noticed him sitting in the corner. He was shirtless, and for the first time, I saw a small scar under his ribs. His head was down, and he looked like he was sleeping, but I somehow knew he was awake.

Moonlight shone on his skin, emphasizing the muscles of his body. As I slowly sat up, I noticed he held a thick rope. One end was tied around his fist, wrapped tightly, and the other end was loose as if he could let it go at any moment.

The bed swung softly, the space feeling like a matchbox, and I could hear the water around us. We were on a boat. My breath intensified as he moved slightly. A thunderstorm raged outside, and a flash of lightning illuminated the small cabin, making him shift a little. The sea outside was building waves, but he didn't seem to mind.

"All damn night, I've held this knot in my hand, thinking about whether I should end this here and now," he said, his head still buried towards the ground.

"End?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

His head moved up, his cold eyes locking with mine, staring right through me. He snapped the knot to the ground like a whip, then got up, his face now filled with anger as he hit the floor again, this time with his palm.

"I wish I could kill you, Thalia," he whispered, coming closer and striking the sheets with the rope. My shoulders shrugged, and a gasp escaped my lungs in fear.

He climbed on top of me, placing the rope against my neck. "All this misery would be over," he said, his words filtering through his teeth, "right here, right now."

He pushed my head down; my body fell back onto the cotton sheets. He positioned the rope behind my head, gliding it down to my neck, then slowly wrapping it around and making a knot as he held both ends.

"Tristan," I whispered, looking at him, my hand gently landing on his.

"I want to squeeze the life out of you, watch your soul leave your body, and make it burn together with me. I want you to feel how I feel," he said, the knot tightening against my neck.

"But I fucking can't," he loosened the rope again. "I can't because I know how much I need you, how much I fucking want you."

"And the thought of losing you would kill me too." He whispered against my face, his lips brushing my cheek.

I tilted my head, his lips meeting mine. "I need you," I whispered against his lips.

"Sophie needed me too," he said, tightening the knot against my neck. My hands flew up, my palms tapping his hands as mymouth struggled for breath. His eyes darkened, and my vision began to blur as I desperately tried to catch my breath.

The knot against my throat tightened, making my neck constrict even more. My brain felt like it was on fire, my ears began to shut down with a buzzing sound, and my eyes filled with tears as I desperately tried to breathe.

"I knew you were forbidden for me, but I decided to tie this fucking knot around us and I can't fucking stop, Thalia," he whispered against my face, tightening the rope even further. "I can't stop," he said silently.

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