A Love To Die For

CHAPTER 16: Haunted 💀

It was 1 a.m., and I couldn't sleep. I'm not the type to stay up unless there's work to be done, but something felt... off. I figured coffee might help, so I got up, headed to the kitchen, and made myself a cup. Honestly, I can't explain why I needed coffee of all things in the middle of the night, but there I was, holding a mug, wide awake.

Then I found myself walking upstairs, back toward her room. I thought maybe I'd just check on her, maybe sleep in one of the other rooms because, let's be real, I can't keep my guard up with her sleeping right next to me. But when I opened her door, what I saw... it stopped me in my tracks.

She was lying there, so stiff, like she was frozen in place. Her face was tense, twisted with worry, and there were actual tears streaming down her face. She was sobbing—hard. Her fists were clenched tight, and I knew, in that instant, this wasn't just a bad dream. This was something worse.

I moved fast, setting my coffee aside and rushing over to her. "Sophia?" I whispered, grabbing her shoulders gently and trying to wake her. She wasn't responding. Her teeth were clenched, and her body was practically shaking. My heart pounded in my chest; I'd never seen her like this, completely lost to whatever was happening in her mind.

And then, just as suddenly, she jolted up, her arms flying out to grab me, holding me so tightly around my waist that I almost lost my balance. She didn't let go, and I couldn't move. I just held her, wrapping my arms around her, feeling how badly she was trembling. My hand moved to her back, trying to soothe her, to let her know she was safe, here with me.

Then she started mumbling, and I'll never forget the way her voice broke. "Aaron... you have to leave... you have to go." Each word was soaked with fear, like she was begging me to go. But she wouldn't let go of me, her fingers clenching tighter, like I was the only thing keeping her here. "You can't stay with me... please, go away," she said, her words all mixed with her sobs. But her each word felt as if she was asking me to stay....and never leave.

I hugged her tighter, pulling her close and resting my chin against her hair. I wasn't going to leave her. There's no way I could, not when she needed me like this. So, I whispered, "It's okay, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'd never leave you alone."

I kept holding her, whispering to her, feeling her sobs start to ease, little by little. She was still clinging to me, and I knew that as long as she needed me here, I wasn't moving. I'd stay, right here, holding her, until she knew for certain that I wasn't going anywhere.