Novels by Afamefuna Nwanyibuife

"Arlene, stop!" I shouted, taking another step toward her.She froze on the stone railing, her body swaying in the wind. Her silver eyes met mine, wild and desperate."Look at yourself," I said, my voice shaking. "You have so much power. So much beauty and grace. Do you really want to throw it all away for nothing?"Arlene's face crumpled. She stepped back from the edge, her feet finding solid ground again. But her eyes never left mine."If you weren't here," she whispered, her voice broken, "Carlos would have been mine. He would have chosen me."I threw my head back in frustration, a sound escaping my throat that was part laugh, part scream."Are you that delusional?" I demanded, staring at her. "Don't you see that you've caused so much damage? That you've hurt people with the way you think? With your obsessive behavior?"Arlene's eyes flashed with anger. Tears still running down her cheeks."Carlos loves me," she said, her voice growing stronger. "He does. Maybe he'll finally see it

I smiled.Arlene stopped. Her silver eyes narrowed as she stared at me. The scratches on her face were still bleeding, but her expression had changed from fake terror to confusion."Why are you smiling?" she asked, her voice suddenly quiet.I kept smiling as I looked past her toward the doorway. "Because Carlos heard everything."Carlos stood in the doorway, but he wasn't looking at me. He was staring at Arlene with complete disbelief. His face was pale. His mouth hung open."I can't believe it," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I can't believe what I just heard."Arlene's eyes went wide. She began to stutter. "Carlos... I... she tricked me! Amelia tricked me into saying those things!""You confessed to murder," Carlos said, his voice growing stronger. "You admitted to killing people. To tormenting them in their dreams.""No!" Arlene covered her ears. "She made me say it! She's lying!"I stepped closer to Carlos. "I knew you trusted Arlene too much to believe she was dangerous. You n

We covered the maid's body with an old cloth and left the room quickly. My hands were still shaking from what we had found. "We need to expose Arlene," I said as we walked back toward the main part of the manor. "But we have to be smart about it." Rowan nodded. "What do you have in mind?" I stopped walking and turned to face him. "I have an idea. But I need you to trust me." I whispered my plan to him. His eyes widened as I spoke, but when I finished, he nodded slowly. I took a deep breath and walked toward my room. It was time to face Arlene directly. I sat on my bed and waited. After about ten minutes, I heard footsteps in the hallway. I called out in a sweet voice. "Arlene? Could you come here, please? I'd like to speak with you." The footsteps stopped. Then I heard her voice, cautious. "Of course, dear. Is everything all right?" She appeared in my doorway, her silver eyes curious. She was wearing another beautiful gown, this one pale green silk that made her loo

"But it was all here," I said again, my voice breaking. "The dolls, the personal belongings, the book with my name. Everything was here just minutes ago." Carlos stepped into the empty room and looked around. His footsteps echoed in the small space. "Amelia," he said gently, "there's nothing here. Just dust and cobwebs." "Someone moved it," I said. "Someone knew I found it and moved everything." Arlene shook her head sadly. "Who would do such a thing? And why?" "The maid," I said quickly. "The maid who gave me the key. She warned me about you. She said you were dangerous." "What maid?" Arlene asked. "The young one. Brown hair, thin, nervous. She said she'd been here for five years." Arlene frowned. "I'm sorry, dear, but I don't know anyone by that description. What was her name?" My heart sank. I realized I never asked the maid her name. "I... I don't know her name. But she was real. She gave me this key." I held up the silver key. Arlene looked at the key, then a

I dreamed of thorns. They surrounded me on all sides, thick and twisted, reaching out like hands. The thorns were black and sharp, taller than trees. They pressed closer and closer until I couldn't move. Then something grabbed me from behind. A force I couldn't see. It dragged me forward through the thorns. They tore at my skin, my clothes, my hair. I screamed but no sound came out. The thorns cut deeper and deeper. I felt my blood running down my arms, my legs, my face. But the force kept pulling me through. I woke up gasping. My heart was racing. Sweat covered my body. I touched my face, expecting to feel blood. My fingers came away wet, but not with sweat. With blood. I sat up quickly and looked at my arms. Light scratches covered my skin from my wrists to my shoulders. They were thin but real. Fresh. Still bleeding slightly. I looked at my legs. More scratches there too. But how was that possible? It had been a dream. Just a dream. I stood up and walked to the m

I found Carlos in the main hall. He was looking at one of the paintings on the wall, his hands clasped behind his back. "Carlos," I said, walking up to him. "We need to talk." He turned to me with a smile. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" "No, I didn't." I took his arm and led him to a quiet corner. "It's about Arlene." His smile faded. "What about her?" I took a deep breath. "She said things to me. In the garden. Things that made me uncomfortable." "What kind of things?" "She said I was feeding on your kindness. That what you feel for me is just pity, not love." The words hurt to say out loud. "She said she wouldn't let you leave this time." Carlos was quiet for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Amelia, Arlene jokes around sometimes. She doesn't mean anything by it." "This wasn't joking, Carlos. She was serious…" "You're reading too much into it," he said, reaching for my hands. "Arlene and I have known each other for years. She has a strange sense of humor, but she's h