THE NEW HOME

CHAPTER THREE

The moment I removed the blindfold, my eyes fell on the butler—and right beside him stood the dog.

It was already staring at me.

I tried not to look directly at it, but curiosity pulled me in. Slowly, I lifted my head… and our eyes met.

Sharp. Icy blue.

Too bright to be natural.

They cut through me without mercy, and my breath hitched. I quickly looked away, my chest tightening, only for my gaze to fall on its body.

Its coat was a strange silvery white—soft, almost delicate—but unnaturally pale, like it had never known sunlight.

I kept staring.

Then suddenly—

it disappeared.

A wave of fear rushed through me, cold and suffocating. For a moment, I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe—

“Mira, what are you looking at?”

The butler’s voice cut sharply through my thoughts.

My heart skipped.

Mira?

I turned to him, confusion flashing across my face. “How do you know my name?”

His expression didn’t change. “You forget too easily,” he said coldly. “I told you—I know everything about you.”

My stomach twisted.

“And I warned you,” he continued, his voice dropping slightly, “about what you should and shouldn’t do when you stepped out of that vehicle. Yet you did the complete opposite.”

He took a step closer.

“Are you trying to die?”

I swallowed hard. “I… I wasn’t feeling like myself,” I said, my voice unsteady. “It was like… something was pulling me. Like I was being controlled. I felt its presence—and now it’s gone.”

He studied me for a moment but said nothing.

I took the chance to look around.

And my breath caught.

This wasn’t just a house.

It was a mansion—no… a palace.

I couldn’t even see the gate we came through. It was as if the outside world had vanished completely.

The place shimmered, not with warmth or beauty, but with something else—something that sent a quiet chill crawling down my spine.

It wasn’t dark.

But somehow, sunlight didn’t seem to reach it.

And yet… plants grew. Alive. Thriving.

It didn’t make sense.

It felt like I was standing inside something carefully designed… something controlled.

Like a cage.

A beautiful, inescapable cage.

“I haven’t properly introduced myself,” the butler said calmly.

I turned back to him.

“My name is Steve. I have served my master and his family for over fifty years.”

My eyes widened slightly.

He looked no older than someone in his early twenties.

“My master is thirty,” he continued, watching me closely. “And you…”

He paused, almost as if measuring me.

“…you are only eighteen.”

My chest tightened.

“I’m sure,” he added quietly, “you haven’t experienced anything truly brutal.”

Something in me snapped.

The memories came rushing back—the Hathaways, the pain, the years I had survived.

I clenched my fists.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said sharply. “I’ve been through hell for the past ten years. Don’t stand there and tell me I haven’t experienced anything.”

A faint smile touched his lips—but it wasn’t kind.

“You’re becoming bold,” he said. “I just hope that boldness remains… when the real danger comes.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Before I could respond, he turned.

“Come,” he said. “Let me take you to your room, Miss Mira.”

The way he said my name sent a shiver through me.

Still, I followed him.

As we stepped inside, the air shifted.

That same presence I had felt outside—the one that didn’t belong—rose again, stronger this time.

My so-called husband.

I couldn’t see him.

But I knew he was there.

Steve must have sensed my unease, but he said nothing.

We walked in silence.

Doors lined the walls—too many to count.

Yet not a single sound came from behind them.

It was as if the entire place was holding its breath.

“If you need anything,” Steve said suddenly, “or have questions, you may ask.”

But I stayed quiet.

Something told me it was safer that way.

After what felt like forever—three floors and nearly ten minutes later—we finally stopped.

My room.

My name was written boldly across the door:

Mira’s Room.

I hesitated.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Steve said. “And don’t be surprised by the decorations. No one is inside.”

That didn’t make me feel any better.

I pushed the door open slowly and stepped in, counting each step without realizing it.

At first, the room felt… empty.

But something about it wasn’t right.

A strange feeling crept over me, like something was waiting. Watching.

I shook it off and walked further in.

The room was larger than I expected. A massive wardrobe stood to one side, with a door leading to a bathroom. At the far end was a large bed—soft, inviting… almost too perfect.

I walked to the wardrobe and opened it.

Clothes.

Dozens of them.

And every single one… my size.

My stomach twisted.

How long had they been preparing for me?

Exhaustion began to settle into my bones, and I let out a slow breath.

Maybe I should rest.

But just as I moved toward the bed—

the atmosphere shifted.

Something changed.

I froze.

And this time…

I knew I wasn’t alone.