The Nightfall Chronicles

The Last Replacement - 10

Nathaniel's P.O.V

I sprinted toward the mansion, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and urgency. Panic gnawed at my thoughts - what if she saw the painting? She would be terrified, and then I'd have no choice but to tell her everything. Everything I'd kept hidden. I prayed I wasn't too late, that she hadn't ventured inside. But as I approached the mansion, dread gripped me. She wasn't outside.

The door was ajar.

Damn it. I was too late!

I bolted through the entrance, my eyes darting frantically around the dimly lit hall. The cold, stale air made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I searched for any sign of her, my mind racing through worst-case scenarios. And then I saw her - on the top floor, standing before a room she had no business going into. My stomach twisted. Of all the places in this cursed mansion, that was the one place she should never set foot.

"Eliza!" I shouted, my voice louder than intended, echoing off the walls. She froze at the sound, her hand hovering near the doorknob. Relief and fear flooded me in equal measure, but there was no time for either. If she opened that door, there would be no going back. I had to stop her.

I bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time, my breath quickening with every step. As I closed the distance between us, my mind raced with what I would say, how I could explain this, how I could make her understand without shattering everything.

"Eliza, please," I called again, this time softer, pleading. "You can't go in there."

She turned to look at me, confusion in her eyes, but there was something else too - something curious, something that told me she was closer to unraveling the truth than I had ever wanted her to be. One wrong word, one false move, and the secret I had fought so hard to keep hidden would unravel, no matter how desperately I wanted it to stay buried.

Eliza's P.O.V

"'I can't go in there'?!" my mind raced as I stood frozen, hand hovering over the doorknob. What could he possibly mean by that? Was there something in that room that he didn't want me to see? Maybe... more paintings?

My heart fluttered with curiosity. Could Nathaniel have been hiding even more? More portraits of me tucked away in that forbidden room? The thought sent a strange thrill through me. What if there were countless other paintings, each one showing me through his eyes, capturing moments I didn't even know he noticed?

"So, you do like me back, don't you? And how long have you been hiding it? I asked, feeling more than certain from the way he looked at me.

Nathaniel's expression shifted. For a moment, his brows knit together in confusion, but then he let out a quiet sigh as his features softened. "Yeah, I like you too. I wanted to tell you during lunch, but... your friend was with you the whole time. It just felt a bit awkward, saying it in front of her."

Oh, so that's why he didn't show up earlier! How could I have been so dense? I should've asked Tia to leave or had her grab lunch alone while I went looking for him.

My gaze drifted back to the door, fixating on the worn-out knob. It seemed so ordinary, yet the weight of what lay behind it gnawed at my curiosity. "So, now that we've cleared things up," I began, my voice steady but laced with intrigue, "I can finally look inside, right?" I asked, eager to uncover the secrets he had locked away in that hidden room.

Without hesitation, he snapped, "No!" The word was sharp, but it was the fear in his eyes that caught my attention - fear that I might uncover whatever secrets he had buried behind that door. His shoulders sagged, and he let out a heavy sigh, "I'm... sorry," he muttered, almost defeated. "I'm not ready for that yet. Maybe another time."

I couldn't stop myself from pouting as he added, "Let's go downstairs. I'll take you home - it's too late now." His voice wavered with hesitation, but I nodded in agreement and watched as he began walking away.

But I couldn't shake the curiosity clawing at me. I wouldn't get a wink of sleep if I left without seeing what lay behind that door.

Quietly, I reached for the knob, twisting it slightly, and peered into the dimly lit room. The sight inside hit me like a wave of cold air. I froze, speechless, my heart hammering in my chest.

With terror lacing my voice, my eyes wide with shock, I whispered, "Uh, Nathaniel... what is this?"