The private jet cut clean through the clouds, humming in a steady rhythm that almost felt like a heartbeat. Sky below. Sky above. Nothing but white and quiet in every direction.
Mellody leaned toward the window, eyes bright.
"Ezra… look at this. Isn't it beautiful?"Her voice carried excitement—pure, unfiltered, the kind only she could maintain even after storms, sleepless nights, and chaos.
Ezra nodded softly."Yeah… it is."
She turned to him fully, tucking her legs beneath her."So tell me…" she began, playful."What are we going to do first? Beach walk? Underwater tunnel? Maybe… moonlit dinner by the cliffs?"
Ezra opened his mouth to answer—
—but the attendant stepped forward with a polite bow.
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Graves. Your coffee."
Two steaming cups were placed on the table beside them. The attendant disappeared quietly, the door sliding shut behind him.
Mellody picked up her cup, smiling."To us."
Ezra lifted his slowly.
But when he took the first sip, coffee warmth didn't comfort him—it only highlighted the cold pit burning somewhere beneath his ribs.
His mind wandered—to the whispers,the dizziness,the blank memories,the locket's strange pulse,the feeling of being watched even in silence.
Mellody noticed instantly.
Her smile faded into worry."Ezra… you're somewhere else. Talk to me."
He hesitated—then finally told the truth.
"I don't know what's happening to me," he murmured."I feel… dizzy. Distant. Like I'm here but not really here. Like I'm… slipping away from myself."
Mellody's expression fell.
She cupped his face gently, thumbs brushing his cheeks."Ezra… hey. Look at me."
His eyes met hers—warm, steady, trying so hard to understand what she couldn't see.
"You're not alone," she whispered."We're in this together. Whatever this is."She pulled him close, wrapping him in a soft, protective hug."Maybe this honeymoon will help. Maybe we just need peace. Time. A reset."
Her arms tightened slightly."You have me. Always. Husband and wife, remember?"
Ezra exhaled against her shoulder, his voice almost breaking."I know… I just… feel like I'm losing something."
"You're not losing me."She kissed his forehead gently—warm, grounding, human."And that counts for something."
He managed a small, fragile smile. Not hopeful—but trying.
They sipped their coffee quietly after that.
The sky outside turned brighter, ocean-blue beneath the clouds. The jet hummed peacefully.
Then Ezra shifted.
He lay down, resting his head gently on Mellody's thighs. Her hand moved instinctively to his hair, stroking softly.
"Sleep," she whispered."You need it."
Ezra's eyes fluttered.
He didn't know if sleep would bring him peace or drag him deeper into the quiet terror that waited behind his mind.
But Mellody's warmth…for now…was enough.
He closed his eyes.
And hoped.
Hoped for anything, hoped for calm, hoped for a dream that didn't bleed.
Mellody watched him, worry tucked behind every breath—holding him gentlyas the plane carried them toward a beautiful placeand a nightmare waiting beneath it.