Threads of Obsession

Chapter 1 ~ The handsome Storm

♡ Aleiirah ♡

The wind wailed through the trees, its mournful cry echoing down the semi- empty streets of the small town. The skeletal branches of the old oak trees outside my window scraped against the glass, a sound that reminded me of fingernails on a chalkboard. The sky, heavy with pregnant gray clouds, hung low like a dark shadow threatening to suffocate everything beneath it. Halloween was a week away, and the air was thick with the scent of decaying leaves, rain, and something else—something more sinister, lurking just beyond the horizon.

I pulled my sweater tighter around me and glanced at the clock. 5:45 p.m. Asteri would be home soon.

Home. The word tasted wrong in my mouth. This wasn't home—not really. It hadn't felt like one for months now. The once-cozy apartment I had decorated with such love and care had become a gilded cage. The photographs of us—laughing, carefree—mocked me from their frames. Our love had seemed so perfect in the beginning. How had everything unraveled so quickly?

The weather outside mirrored the turbulent storm in my mind. The oppressive clouds and ferocious wind felt like an extension of Asteri's presence, even when he wasn't physically here. I could feel him all around me, watching, waiting, his grip tightening with every passing day. The apartment had once been my sanctuary, but now it felt more like a fortress, with no way out.

I walked to the window, peering out through the glass smeared with raindrops. The town was preparing for Halloween, decorations already hanging in storefront windows, pumpkins grinning eerily from porches. But even the festive atmosphere felt off this year. There was something different about it—a sense of foreboding that clung to the air like the mist creeping through the streets.

I could see the neighbors across the street setting up their decorations. Children giggled as they hung paper bats in the windows, while their parents carved pumpkins on the porch. The laughter, the warmth—it all felt so far away from me now. Once, I had longed to be a part of that world, to have a life that felt normal, stable. But now, that dream seemed like a cruel joke.

A flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky, followed by a deep rumble of thunder that vibrated through the walls. My heart skipped a beat. The storm was getting worse.

Just like Asteri.

When we first met, he had been a storm of a different kind—one that swept me off my feet with his charm and intensity. He was unlike anyone I had ever met: dark, brooding, with an air of mystery that drew me in like a moth to a flame. I had been captivated, intoxicated by his presence. But now, I realized too late that I had been burning all along.

The floor creaked behind me, and I froze. My pulse quickened, my breath catching in my throat. I turned slowly, half-expecting to see Asteri standing in the doorway, his eyes cold and calculating as they so often were now. But the room was empty, save for the shadows stretching across the floor, cast by the dim light of the setting sun.

I let out a shaky breath. I was alone—for now.

I moved to the kitchen, my movements mechanical as I poured myself a glass of water. The tap sputtered for a moment, then the water gushed out, cold and clear. I stared into the glass, watching the ripples distort my reflection. I barely recognized the woman staring back at me. My once-bright eyes were now dull, ringed with dark circles from sleepless nights. My skin, once vibrant, now looked pale and drawn.

How had it come to this?

I set the glass down with a clink, the sound too loud in the silence of the apartment. The kitchen light flickered above me, casting brief moments of darkness. It felt like the entire world was on edge, waiting for something terrible to happen. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched, even when I knew Asteri wasn't here.

The front door creaked open, and my heart leaped into my throat.

"Aleiirah?" His voice was soft, but it held an edge, a dangerous undercurrent that made my skin prickle.

I swallowed hard and forced a smile as I turned to face him. Asteri stood in the doorway, rain dripping from his dark hair and onto the hardwood floor. He was soaked through, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes—those piercing blue eyes that had once made me feel seen, understood—were now cold, calculating, as they raked over me.

"You didn't answer your phone," he said, his voice low and steady, but I could hear the rage and accusation beneath it.

"I—I didn't hear it," I murmured, my hands trembling slightly. I hated how easily he could make me feel small, how quickly my confidence crumbled under his gaze.

He took a step toward me, and I instinctively backed up, pressing myself against the counter. His presence filled the room, sucking all the air from it, leaving me gasping for breath.

"Didn't hear it?" He tilted his head, a small, predatory smile playing on his lips. "Strange. I called three times."

"I—I must've been distracted," I mumbled, feeling the walls closing in on me. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears.

Asteri's smile widened, but it didn't reach his eyes. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. "You need to be more careful, Aleiirah," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"I don't like it when you don't answer."

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I'll be more careful."

For a moment, he just stared at me, his eyes boring into mine, searching for something. And then, just like that, the tension melted away. His smile softened, and he pulled me into his arms, his embrace both comforting and suffocating.

"I'm sorry," he murmured against my hair. "I just worry about you."

I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. This was how it always went. The storm would rage, and then it would pass, leaving behind a false sense of calm. But I knew better now. The calm never lasted.

"I know," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I know."

We stood like that for what felt like hours, the storm outside mirroring the turmoil inside me. The rain pounded against the windows, and the wind howled, but I was trapped in a different kind of storm—a storm of his making.

When he finally pulled away, his eyes were soft again, the darkness receding for now. "Let's have dinner," he said, his tone casual, as if nothing had happened. As if the tension that had filled the room just moments ago had been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.

I nodded, forcing a smile as I turned to the stove. The smell of the chicken I had prepared earlier filled the air, but I could hardly taste it. Everything felt muted, dull, like I was living in a shadow of my former life.

As I set the plates on the table, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window. Outside, the wind whipped through the trees, their branches swaying wildly in the storm. But it was my reflection that held my attention—the woman staring back at me looked hollow, empty, like a ghost trapped in a world she no longer recognized.

And in that moment, I realized the truth: I was no longer the person I used to be. Asteri had changed me, broken me down piece by piece, until all that remained was a shell of the woman I once was.

I was trapped.

And the storm wasn't over.

It had only just begun