[1] Midnight Lips | Ghost

𝐂𝐇. 49 - NEW CHAPTER!

GHOST
༻☠︎︎༺

     I heard Valentina's sweet laugh down the hall as I made my way back toward the training room, though there was a hint of false humor in the tone. There were a couple of sounds of gloves hitting skin that echoed in the gym and I understood that she was training with somebody else. What I didn't expect was Nadia to be that somebody.

I stopped by the entrance and watched Valentina move, swift and smooth, before her step faltered and her guard came down. Nadia saw this as her opening, so she jabbed quickly, grabbing Valentina's shoulders and locking her in a hold.

She leaned in, and in a low voice told her how she'd destroy her, tear piece by piece my world with her.

There was a crack within me the moment I saw the way Valentina's smile faded–hell, the moment I heard Nadia's threat. They hung in the air like a thick fog, but had pierced through it like a knife before, and while I was a word away from snapping, Valentina looked as if they were talking about the weather when I made my presence known, like absolutely nothing happened.

Instead, she approached me, brushed her lips against mine through the mask, and left the room, claiming she had forgotten something in the meeting room.

But I knew the truth.
She was escaping.

So I went after her, asked about the conversation–the threat–and she... Val laughed it off, said it was nothing, before she pulled me into an empty room and had her way with me.

I knew Val almost perfectly. She was strong, fierce, stubborn, but always gave the best of herself. But there were nights where she'd toss around in her sleep, sometimes whimpers or cries would come out of her mouth, and the only way to comfort her was to tuck her against my side and whisper how everything was going to be okay.

There was something that we hadn't spoken about, just like I wasn't able to tell her about the incident five years ago. I couldn't hold it against her, because she wasn't holding my past against me. She wasn't even holding my mask against me, for God's sake, she was the most understanding woman I'd ever met.

But Nadia had just threatened this part of her, and I just knew Val wasn't happy about it.

I couldn't sit back and watch it unfold. I had to do something. I had to stop it before it got any worse. Before Nadia could do something that had no remedy. I was not about to let anything happen to Val. Not under my watch.

Later that night, when the base fell into complete silence, I stood in the shadows of Val and I's room, watching her sleep in our bed, unable to join her and keep her warm. The soft sound of her breathing was the only sign of life in the stillness of the air. I'd stayed here longer than I'd intended, like a fucking creep watching the rise and fall of her chest, but I couldn't help it.

Nadia's words circled my head like an annoying pattern. I couldn't stop replaying them, knowing exactly what I had to do. I had to move, but I didn't want to leave Val's side yet.

I came back to this sight; Val peacefully sleeping, one hand laying on my side of the bed like she fell asleep waiting for me. I failed to return early, failed to watch her close her eyes and feel her body softening in my arms. I didn't want to fail this time, I couldn't let Val wake up to a place where Nadia had followed through on her threats.

The last one that dared to do just that? He was now in fucking hell.

With one last glance at Val's sleeping form, I turned and slipped out, the door shutting with a soft click. I moved through the shadows toward Nadia's room, which stood right at the beginning of the corridor, just a few doors down from Val. Every step I took felt heavier than the last. When I reached the door, I hesitated, even though there was no space for doubt. There was a part of me that knew this was a bad idea, but the other wilder part wanted to get this over with before it turned into something that had no way out.