Their Midnight Obsession | 18+

Chapter 23

LUNA'S POV

The air in the apartment hung heavy with grief and the acrid scent of despair as men in black suits rushed in and out, cops huddled around Salvo, and the shocking reality of Claudia's lifeless body became an indelible image etched into my mind.

I stood on the uncarpeted floor, paralyzed, my eyes fixed on her unmoving figure. Tears threatened to escape, but horror settled deep in my stomach, making my body rigid. Zola, standing beside me, was trapped in a trance, silent tears carving pathways down her cheeks. Her eyes flickered with pain and terror as she trampled the floor, a display of unexpected fear. The room seemed to pulsate with the weight of the tragedy.

Inhaling deeply, my gaze never wavered from Claudia's lifeless body. My mind played back to a night six years ago, a haunting flashback that felt like a nightmare I desperately wanted to end.

"Z... Zola?" I called out, my voice barely more than a whisper, stepping slowly towards her. She turned, her eyes locking onto mine with an abnormal intensity, as if she had witnessed a ghost. The words seemed to elude her, her face drained of color, as if all the blood had been sucked out of her skin.

I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her firmly. The room echoed with our shared cries, a melancholic melody resounding in the tragic space where our friend's body lay. The pain was palpable, the loss suffocating.

"Duncan?" she called out, her voice shaking, breaking the silence. She turned towards him, her face a canvas of grief, and he enveloped her in his arms. He kissed her head gently, rubbing her back as they held each other amidst the echoes of sorrow.

My feet moved as if guided by an unseen force, leading me to where Salvo stood on his phone. I could feel the tremors in my limbs. His eyes met mine, and in an instant, he rushed to my side.

"Lu!" he exclaimed, catching me as my legs gave way beneath me. I collapsed into his arms, the world around me blurring into a haze of pain and fear.

The weight of the situation pressed down on me, and the realization of Claudia's life slipping away enveloped me in a paralyzing agony. As I wailed, he held me close, his voice a soothing balm as he whispered words. "You've got me, Lu. I'm here. Just breathe. We're going to get through this together."

The apartment echoed with Zola's anguished shriek as they carried Claudia's lifeless body out on a stretcher, bound for the hospital. I clung to Salvo, tears streaming down my face, my sobs muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

Outside, the world moved in slow motion as the stretcher disappeared into the ambulance. Zola's cries pierced the air, a symphony of despair. Cradled in his arms, I felt the weight of grief settle over me like a suffocating blanket.

Duncan gently guided Zola into her room. She was pregnant, and the revelation of Claudia's brutal assault had plunged her into a whirlpool of horror.

I stood in the dimly lit living room as hours passed, my eyes swollen from ceaseless tears, while Salvo tried to pacify the storm of emotions raging within me. His arms enveloped my trembling form, offering a fragile sense of solace in the midst of overwhelming grief.