Suspicious Shade

Chapter 14: Clouded Revelations

Felix sat frozen in his chair, his mind swirling with questions and trepidation. Whatever secrets Yve's grandfather was alluding to might shake the very foundations of his understanding of his family's history.

"What do you mean?" Felix forced himself to ask, his voice cracking slightly from the nervousness.

Yve's grandfather leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Your family, Felix," he began slowly, "and mine have a tangled history. For generations, our families have been intertwined in ways you probably never imagined."

Yve's grandfather sighed, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness now.

"The things Yve's parents took... they weren't just any items. They were highly controversial, and if the public had found out about them, it would have caused a tremendous stir."

Yve's grandfather shook his head slightly, his frown deepening.

"Honestly, I don't even know what they took," he confessed, a note of frustration in his voice. "They were so secretive about it, and all I know is that it was something that could have destroyed both of our families."

Yve's grandfather then looked at Felix, his gaze steady.

"That's not all," he said, his voice taking on a graver tone. "There's a reason why it's crucial for Yve to marry you, Felix. It's something that your own parents understand better than anyone else."

Yve's grandfather's expression held a cryptic look as he continued.

"Felix, if you want the full story, there's something specific you need to find. Look for a book in your family's library, or it might be anywhere else in your house. The text in the book will be written in Morse code."

Yve's grandfather recalled the memory, his expression becoming grave.

"I remember stumbling upon that book once, but I couldn't decipher it since I didn't know Morse code," he confessed. "After that, I never saw it again. It's possible that your family may be hiding something within its pages."

Yve and her uncle, Mark, returned to the room, their footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway before they entered.

Yve's grandfather looked up and smiled, relieved to see them. "Ah, Yve, you're back. How was the walk?"

Felix's thoughts were a tangled mess. The conversation with Yve's grandfather had left him feeling a mix of confusion and intrigue. He tried to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to let on what he was feeling.

As Felix listened to Yve, her uncle, and her grandfather chatting, he found himself slowly emerging from his troubled thoughts. He forced himself to focus on the present moment, trying to shake off the unease the earlier conversation had instilled in him.

Yve looked at the clock on the wall, noticing how late it was.

"Felix," she gently called out, her voice pulling him out of his thoughts. "It's getting late. We should probably head back."

Yve, along with Felix, said their goodbyes to Yve's uncle Mark and her grandfather, expressing their appreciation for the time spent together.

"Thank you for everything, Lolo," Yve said, leaning down to give him a hug.

Yve's uncle, Mark, stood up from his chair, nodding respectfully at them both. "Take care, you two. Get home safely."

Yve and Felix made their way to his car, the cool night air hitting their faces as they stepped outside the hospital.

Quietly, they settled into the vehicle, the sound of the engine coming to life breaking the silence between them.

In the relative solitude of the car, Yve fidgeted in her seat, feeling the nagging guilt of the rendezvous night with Claude. Sitting next to Felix, she couldn't help but think that some secrets are best kept hidden.

As they started the drive back home, Yve found herself unable to shake off the nagging feeling. She glanced at Felix, his gaze focused on the road ahead, and wondered if his kindness towards her was truly sincere or just a result of their arranged marriage situation.

The car rolled to a stop, the gates of the large mansion before them. The imposing structure loomed in the dim light, its grandeur standing out against the night sky. Yve, sitting silently in the passenger seat, looked up at the mansion, the reality of her future as Felix's wife still weighing heavily on her mind.

Felix halted in the main hall of the mansion, turning to face Yve. His expression held a mixture of exhaustion and contemplation.

"I guess we're back," he murmured, breaking the silence that had enveloped them. "Good night, Yve."

Yve met his gaze, her nod silently acknowledging his words. There was a moment of hesitance between them, as if there were things left unsaid. However, the weight of the day's events and the tiredness they both felt hung heavy in the air.

Yve, still in the hallway, pulled out her phone, the screen illuminating her face in the darkness. Her fingers tapped the screen, unlocking it, and navigated to her text messages. There, a notification from Claude caught her eye, the unread text waiting for her attention.

Her eyes scanned the message, an odd mix of emotions welling up inside her. The simplicity of the question from Claude, "What're you doing?", felt like a stark contrast to the complexities of her current situation. Yve paused for a moment, her finger hovering over the screen, unsure of how to respond.

Yve stood there, her finger still hovering over Claude's message, when a strange sensation washed over her. It felt like someone was watching her. Slowly, she lifted her eyes from the phone screen, looking up. Just then, a figure stood at the top of the stairs, shrouded in shadows.

Yve gasped, her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes widened in shock. Standing at the top of the stairs was the enormous, shadowy figure she had been seeing in her recurring dreams and those strange "hallucinations." It stood there, its shape imposing and dark, seemingly staring down at her.

Before Yve could even react, the towering figure suddenly darted forward. It moved with surprising speed, its form slipping under the bed in the blink of an eye.

Yve stood frozen, her mind racing and her heart pounding loudly in her chest. With bated breath, she stared at the bed, silently praying for the figure to stay hidden. Time seemed to stand still as the silence in the room became suffocating.