Chapter 15

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"Aish!! Ok OK but I want you with us tomorrow," Lisa almost threatened, her voice coated in honeyed sweetness. Emily's heart raced in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears as she stood before the door of Steve's bedroom. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Emily raised her hand and knocked on the door, the sound echoing in the silence of the hallway.

The air inside is heavy with smoke, wisps curling lazily in the dim light filtering through the curtains. The scent assaults her nostrils, a mixture of burnt wood and something acrid that stings the back of her throat.

Steve seated in a worn armchair, His silhouette is shrouded in the haze, the smoke swirling around him like an ethereal cloak. She can sense his presence, a weighty aura that seems to permeate the very air.

Instinctively, she bended my head slightly, not daring to meet his gaze directly. She can feel the weight of his scrutiny even without looking directly at him, a palpable tension that hangs in the