FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

I couldn't sleep.

I had been lying in bed for almost two hours, tossing from one side to the other, but sleep seemed determined to avoid me.

I glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

1:43 a.m.

I sighed and turned to my other side.

My mind had been occupied with too many things lately, and I honestly didn't know which one to worry about first.

Storm.

Just thinking about him made my stomach twist.

I had spent years trying to forget the things he did to me. The letters, the constant surveillance, the strange gifts he left in my bedroom, the times I woke up in the middle of the night only to discover that someone had been watching me.

And now, somehow, I was married to his father. What sort of joke was the universe playing on me?

I closed my eyes and pulled the duvet closer to my chest.

Maybe I was overthinking things. Perhaps Storm had genuinely changed. He was no longer that eighteen-year-old boy who followed me around school and wrote disturbing letters about owning me.

He was twenty-six now. A grown man.

But then again, hadn't I spent the past seven years hoping he would eventually stop?

He stopped for two years, and I thought I had finally gotten my life back. Only for him to reappear again as my stepson.

And the worst part? He wasn't even pretending not to know me.

I swallowed. What exactly did he want from me this time?

Was he still expecting me to return his feelings after all these years? Did he genuinely believe I could suddenly wake up one morning and decide that the man who had stalked me for seven years was the love of my life?

I shook my head. No. That was impossible.

I had a husband now. His father, to be precise.

I turned to look at Donovan, who was sleeping peacefully beside me.

He had one arm stretched across his side of the bed, his breathing steady. He looked so comfortable that I almost envied him. How could he sleep so peacefully when his son was the very reason I couldn't close my eyes?

I reached for my phone, checked the time again, and dropped it on the bedside table. Perhaps I needed to stop thinking about Storm. Perhaps I needed to stop thinking about everything.

I closed my eyes and eventually drifted off. But I wasn't prepared for what came next.

---

"Raymond, I'm not doing this again!"

My voice echoed through the living room. I stood a few feet away from my husband, my arms folded across my chest.

He was holding a glass of whiskey, looking at me with an expression that made my blood boil.

"Then stop bringing it up, Bambi!"

"How am I supposed to stop bringing it up when you keep doing the same thing?"

He scoffed.

"Here we go again."

"Yes, here we go again! Because apparently, the only way to get you to listen is to repeat myself a hundred times."

He dropped his glass on the centre table.

"Watch your mouth."

I laughed bitterly. "Or what?"

I regretted those words almost immediately. He crossed the distance between us and grabbed my arm.

"Do you think you're talking to one of your students?"

"Raymond, let go of me."

"Answer me!"

"You're hurting me!"

He shoved me backwards.

My back hit the edge of the couch, and I winced. For a moment, I simply stared at him.

This was the same man I had married. The same man who had promised to love and protect me.

Yet, here I was, constantly walking on eggshells in my own home.

"You're becoming very disrespectful," he muttered.

I rubbed my arm.

"And you're becoming unbearable."

His expression changed. Before I could react, his palm connected with my cheek.

My head turned to the side. I stood there, completely stunned.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that again," he warned.

I touched my cheek, fighting the tears gathering in my eyes. "You're a horrible person, Raymond."

He laughed. "Then why are you still here?"

I had no answer.

He picked up his glass and walked towards his study. "Don't bother me for the rest of the night."

The door slammed behind him.

I remained on the couch, staring at the floor. A few minutes later, I got up and went to the bedroom.

I didn't bother changing out of my clothes. I simply sat on the edge of the bed, trying to calm myself.

I hated him.

I hated the way he made me feel small. I hated how he could hurt me and still walk away as though nothing had happened.

Most importantly, I hated myself for allowing things to get this bad.

I wiped my cheeks and reached for my phone. Then I heard something.

A strange noise came from downstairs.

I paused.

Was that the front door?

I listened carefully.

Another noise followed.

This time, it sounded like someone was trying to force the lock.

My heart skipped.

"Raymond?"

There was no response.

I got up and walked towards the bedroom door.

Perhaps he had heard it too.

I stepped into the hallway, listening. Then I heard a loud crash. My blood ran cold.

Someone was inside the house.

I immediately turned around and hurried towards Raymond's study.

"Raymond!"

I pushed the door open.

He was standing beside his desk, looking towards the entrance.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"Someone is inside the house!"

Before he could respond, a figure appeared behind him.

A man.

He was dressed entirely in black, from his clothes to his shoes. A black mask covered the lower part of his face, leaving only his eyes and nose partially visible.

I froze.

"Who are you?" Raymond demanded.

The stranger didn't answer. He simply stepped closer to him.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Raymond moved towards him.

I stood behind the door, unable to understand what was happening.

Was this a robbery? Had someone come to steal from us?

"Get out of my house!" Raymond barked.

The stranger reached behind him.

And then I saw it. An axe.

My eyes widened.

"Raymond!"

Everything happened so quickly.

The man raised the axe. Raymond barely had time to process anything before the weapon came down.

A loud, sickening sound filled the room.

And then—

His head came off.

I stopped breathing.

For a few seconds, I couldn't even understand what I was looking at.

Raymond's head rolled across the floor and stopped right beside my leg.

I looked down.

His eyes were still open.

His mouth was slightly parted, and blood was dripping from his teeth.

I stared at it.

I couldn't move or scream or do anything at all.

My husband's head was lying beside my leg.

His body was still standing for a brief moment before collapsing onto the floor.

Blood spread across the carpet.

I slowly raised my head.

The masked man was looking at me. Our eyes met.

And that was when I finally found my voice.

I screamed.

I screamed so loudly that my throat hurt.

The man didn't move.

He simply stood there, holding the axe.

I stumbled backwards, my legs giving way beneath me.

"NO! NO! NO!"

I tried to run, but my feet wouldn't cooperate.

My eyes moved between Raymond's head and the stranger.

Then everything went black.

---

"AHHHHH!"

I jolted upright, screaming.

My hands immediately went to my chest as I struggled to catch my breath.

"No! Please! Don't!"

I was shaking.

My eyes darted around the room, but I couldn't immediately recognise where I was.

The bedroom door opened.

"Bambi?"

Someone rushed towards me.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and immediately flinched.

"Don't touch me!"

"It's me. It's Donovan."

I looked up.

Donovan.

My husband.

He was sitting beside me, looking concerned.

I stared at him for a few seconds before finally recognising the room.

It had been a dream.

I had thought the nightmares of what happened the night my husband was murdered had stopped but I guess I was wrong.

I brought both hands to my face and began crying.

"Oh, sweetheart."

Donovan pulled me into his arms.

I buried my face against his chest and allowed myself to cry.

"It's okay. You're safe."

I shook my head in sobs as Donovan tightened his embrace. "Shh. It was a nightmare, darling. You're here with me."

Donovan kissed the top of my head.

"Take a deep breath for me."

I did.

He reached for the glass of water on the bedside table and handed it to me.

I took a few sips, my hands still trembling.

"Do you want me to call someone?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I just want to sleep."

He nodded and took the glass from me.

"Alright."

He helped me settle back against the pillows before pulling the duvet over me.

I turned to my side, facing him.

"Donovan?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you stay awake with me for a little while?"

He smiled gently.

"Of course, sweetheart."

He moved closer and wrapped an arm around my waist.

I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

For some reason, I felt a little better. Perhaps it was because I wasn't alone anymore.

Or perhaps it was simply because I needed someone to remind me that I was no longer in that house.

That Raymond was gone.

And that the man with the axe couldn't hurt me anymore.

Donovan gently stroked my hair.

"Try to get some sleep, Bambi. I'm right here."

I nodded.

He kissed my forehead and adjusted the duvet around me.

"Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight."

I closed my eyes again. This time, I eventually fell asleep.