All Chapters of Underneath The Moonlight : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

67 Chapters

Prologue: Shadows and Snow

Snow at night is supposed to be peaceful. Christmas is supposed to be comforting. A time of warmth. A time of gentle light glowing from windows and laughter spilling into the cold air. But not for me. Not tonight. As I run through the forest, the world around me looks like a postcard—white snow drifting like feathers, moonlight reflecting on the ground like scattered diamonds, distant houses dressed in red and gold lights. The kind of beauty that usually makes my heart soften. The kind that almost makes you believe the world can be kind. Heck this is my favorite month. But tonight, Christmas is a cruel joke. Snow is just another layer of danger and its beauty is a sharp contrast to the nightmare swallowing me whole. Branches whip at my skin as I sprint through the darkness. My lungs burn. Every breath feels like swallowing ice. I’m shaking—not from the cold, but from terror so strong it feels like it’s carved into my bones. I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know

1: Familiar Strangers

Three weeks earlier— “Good morning everyone. I present your latest weather update……” I hear my mom watching today’s weather forecast as soon as I come out of my room. I can see that she’s being considerate by putting it on low volume so I wouldn’t hear it from my room. I did work overtime last night. It’s been very hectic at work because holidays are coming up soon. I dread this season so much. “……… bringing it with heave snowfall and lowest temperature in history”. Don’t they ever get tired of saying that every year honestly. They said that last year and the year before that and the year before that as well. It’s always the “coldest” around this time of the year. By now, I would have assumed they found a new word for that. I shiver a little as I sneeze when the coldness hit me. “Ah-Choo!” I let out a rather loud sneeze startling my mom. “Goodness gracious. You scared me!” “Honey, you’re up early. Didn’t you work late night?” She makes a rather confused look as if me w

2: Fragile Bonds

The office finally quiets down around mid-afternoon. The chaos of Mr. Everett’s impossible demands has faded like a bad dream, leaving only the low hum of computers and the occasional chatter of coworkers. It looks like there won’t be any overtime for the time being. Hopefully. For today, at least, because I don’t know what Mr. Everett will bring tomorrow. My fingers hover over my phone as I stare at Kade’s name on the screen. Why does it feel so heavy to send a single text? We’ve been together for three years. It should be easy, right? This shouldn’t be hard for me. I tap the keyboard and delete the message three times before finally typing: “Can we meet tonight? I want to talk. I think we should try to fix things before christmas.” I hit send and almost drop the phone from nerves. He sent me the same message. A part of me sighs a relief he’s thinking about me. Of course, he responds almost instantly (this time): “I’ll pick you up at 7. Same place as last time?” I

3: Half a Moon, Half a Truth

The two weeks disappeared before I could catch my breath.Work consumed everything—my mornings, my nights, my sense of time. I woke up tired and went to sleep even more exhausted, my thoughts always racing ahead to the next task, the next deadline, the next problem only I seemed trusted to fix. Christmas crept in quietly, string lights appearing along the streets sometime between my third late night and my fourth apology text to Kade.We barely talked. When we did, it felt… off. Not distant. Not angry. Just wrong. His messages were short, carefully worded. Sometimes overly affectionate, sometimes strangely cold. I never knew which version of him I’d get, and I found myself rereading our conversations, wondering what I’d done to deserve either.Still, it was Kade who suggested dinner again. A reset, he called it.I wanted to believe him.Friday evening came, and for once, I was ready on time. I shut down my computer exactly at six, a small, foolish sense of triumph blooming in my ches

4: Soltitude and Ultimatum

It had been almost a week since the fight with Kade, the fight that still replayed in my head in endless, exhausting loops. I tried to focus on work, on small tasks, even on the tiny decorations I’d put up in my apartment for Christmas, but nothing could drown out the sharp edges of his words. I could have used a friend. Aurora would have been perfect. She had this uncanny way of making me laugh even when I didn’t want to, talking me down from spiraling thoughts. But she was out of town for work, visiting a client across the country, leaving me entirely alone to deal with the chaos Kade left behind. I thought of my mom, too. She had done so much for me over the years, working tirelessly to support me and give me a life she could be proud of. Lately, she was buried in her own work, exhausted even in the evenings. The last thing I could do was trouble her with my problems, as if my heartbreak or frustration were another burden for her to manage. She had already done enough. More than

5: The Eve Before

The night before Christmas Eve felt impossibly bright, even through the grey city streets. I couldn’t stop smiling. For the first time all week, my chest felt light instead of heavy. Ever since last night’s talk with Kade—though I had thought he’d been mean at first—we’d been texting and calling back and forth nonstop. Each message, each laugh shared through the screen, seemed to erase the sting of the past week. I could almost forget the way he had made me feel small and guilty. Almost. And somehow, he had become the Kade I knew again—the one who made me laugh until my cheeks hurt, the one who reminded me of all the little reasons I loved him, even when he drove me crazy. That Kade was back. I kept rereading his messages, the ones where he teased me, shared silly little thoughts, and promised that Christmas Eve would be special. My heart did a little flip each time I saw his name pop up on my phone. I had no reason to doubt it—tonight, everything felt right. The texts, the calls,

6: The Day Everything Changed

I woke up before my alarm, my eyes snapping open as if my body already knew how important today was. Christmas Eve. For a moment, I just lay there staring at the ceiling, a smile slowly spreading across my face. My chest felt warm, buzzing with excitement that refused to let me rest any longer. Today mattered. Everything about today mattered. I rolled out of bed, nearly tripping over my own feet as I hurried to get dressed. I threw on a sweater, wrapped a scarf around my neck, and grabbed my bag, already mentally running through a checklist. Presents. I still needed a few last-minute Christmas presents—one for Mom, one for Aurora, and one for Kade. I wanted them to be perfect. Not expensive, not flashy, just… thoughtful. Something that said I know you. The city was quiet as I made my way toward the shopping mall, the early morning air crisp and refreshing. The streets were still half-asleep, dusted with leftover snow that crunched softly beneath my boots. Christmas lights li

7: The Great Escape

Cold. That’s the first thing I register when consciousness creeps back in. Not the sharp cold of winter air, but something heavier—something that sinks into my skin and refuses to leave. My head throbs. My mouth is dry. When I try to move, pain flares through my wrists. Rope. My eyes snap open. Darkness presses in on all sides, broken only by a dim, flickering light somewhere to my left. Stone digs into my cheek. My arms are bound behind my back, my ankles tied so tightly that my legs tingle with numbness. My breath comes fast and shallow. Okay. Okay. Don’t panic. I swallow hard, forcing myself to focus. Wooden beams stretch overhead. Iron fixtures line the walls. This isn’t a car. It isn’t a basement. It’s… older. Rougher. The air smells wrong—earthy and sharp, like damp soil and metal. Memory hits me in fragments. The restaurant. Candlelight. The hallway. Then hands. Voices. Darkness. My heart slams against my ribs. Kade.

8: Quiet Before The Truth

I wake slowly, the way you do after a fever breaks or a long night of bad dreams. There’s no sudden jolt, no sharp gasp for air. Just a dull awareness that my body feels… wrong. Heavy. Sore. When I try to move, a quiet hiss slips from my lips before I can stop it. Pain blooms along my ribs, deep and aching, like a bruise pressed too hard. My ankle throbs in protest, and my arm feels stiff, wrapped too tightly. I open my eyes. The ceiling above me is wooden, beams dark with age but clean and solid. Warm light spills softly from a lamp nearby, not bright enough to sting. The air smells faintly of herbs and clean linen, oddly comforting. For a moment, I just lie there, disoriented. Then I notice the bandages. White cloth wraps my forearm. My ribs. My ankle. Neatly done. Carefully done. Someone took their time. My heart stutters. The memory returns in pieces. The forest. Running until my lungs burned. The way my legs finally gave out beneath me. The ground rushing up

9: The House of Quiet Shadows

The first thing I notice is how still it is. I wake slowly, body sore but a little steadier than yesterday. My ankle aches if I move too quickly, and my ribs are stiff, but I can sit up without that sharp pain stabbing through me. Lucien is already there, as if he never left. He’s sitting in a chair by the door, hands clasped loosely, watching me. “Morning,” he says gently. “How are you feeling?” “Better,” I mutter. “Still sore, but… better.” He nods. “Good. You slept well. That’s important.” I glance around. Everything is neat, warm, simple. A small table with water, a folded blanket, and a few personal items: a hairbrush, comb, cream, and a soft cotton robe. “You can move around today,” he says. “The house is safe, and you’re not in any immediate danger. But don’t go outside yet. You’re not healed completely, and it’s only forest out there—you’ll get lost.” “Forest?” I ask. “You’ll see. For now, explore inside,” he says. “If you need anything, I—or someone

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