Rhea barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, Lilith's cold laugh echoed through her head, and the memory of that icy touch crawled across her skin.
By morning, her wrist still glowed faintly—
a slow, steady pulse, almost like it was breathing.
Adrian didn't leave her side for a single second.
He sat in the armchair near her bed, watching her with a tension so sharp it made the air feel heavy.
When Rhea finally opened her eyes, his voice broke the silence.
"How do you feel?"
She hesitated.
"Like something is watching me. Even with you here."
Adrian's jaw clenched.
"It's the mansion. It knows Stage Two is close. It's… preparing."
His words made her skin crawl.
Rhea sat up slowly.
"What exactly happens in Stage Two?"
Adrian exhaled a long, painful breath.
"Your soul starts… crossing its boundary."
"My boundary?" she whispered.
He nodded.
"The line between your presence and the mansion's presence weakens. You'll hear things others can't and feel things no one else does. The mansion will try to get inside your mind. To manipulate your senses."
Rhea shuddered.
"Like seeing figures? Shadows? Hearing voices?"
"Exactly."
She swallowed hard.
"Adrian… how did the first bride die?"
Silence.
Thick.
Uncomfortable.
He looked away.
"She didn't die," he finally said.
"She became… this place."
Rhea's blood turned to ice.
Before she could question him further, the temperature in the room plummeted.
Adrian stood instantly, eyes sharp.
"Stay behind me."
Rhea's breath misted in front of her lips.
The curtains fluttered, though no wind blew.
The floorboards creaked with slow, deliberate steps.
Then—
A soft voice whispered from the corner of the room:
"Little bride… you're waking."
Rhea gasped and clutched Adrian's arm.
The air rippled, and Lilith appeared—
not fully formed, just a shimmering silhouette with eyes like black ink.
Adrian growled low under his breath.
"Stay back."
Lilith smiled—a slow, sinister curl of her mouth.
"Why so protective, Adrian?
We both know how this ends."
He stepped in front of Rhea completely.
"You come near her again, and I'll burn this entire mansion to the ground."
Lilith cocked her head.
"Then you die with her. The curse binds you both now."
Rhea felt nausea twisting inside her.
Lilith floated closer, her voice brushing against Rhea's ear like a ghost of a touch.
"Stage Two will be beautiful, little bride.
Your fear will feed the walls.
Your heartbeat will echo through the halls.
Your screams will soften the stone."
"Stop talking to her!" Adrian snapped.
Lilith's shadowy head turned toward him sharply.
"You can't protect her from what she is."
Adrian's voice dropped into a deadly whisper.
"She isn't yours."
Lilith laughed.
"She's not yours either."
Rhea couldn't breathe.
Lilith's dark form dissolved into mist, swirling around Rhea like a storm.
Cold needles prickled across her skin.
The golden mark on her wrist flared, burning so painfully she cried out.
Adrian grabbed her, pulling her into his chest.
"Rhea! Stay awake—look at me! Don't let her pull you in!"
Her vision blurred.
Darkness crawled at the edges of her sight.
Whispers filled her ears—dozens of voices, all chanting, echoing, begging, and calling her name.
Adrian held her face firmly, forcing her focus.
"Breathe with me," he urged. "Stay with me. Don't let it take you."
Rhea clung to his shirt, her voice cracking:
"It hurts—Adrian, it feels like—like something is tearing inside me—"
"I know," he said fiercely. "But you're not dying. You're fighting."
The mark pulsed again—brighter, hotter—
Then suddenly, the voices stopped.
The cold vanished.
The room fell silent.
Rhea collapsed against Adrian's chest, shaking violently.
He held her tightly, stroking her hair, whispering over and over,
"You're safe. I've got you. I won't let anything take you."
After several minutes, when she finally calmed, he lifted her chin gently.
"Rhea," he said softly, "Stage Two has begun. But that wasn't the mansion."
She frowned weakly.
"Then… what was it?"
Adrian's eyes darkened.
"Lilith tried to force the transition early."
Rhea's stomach tightened.
"But she failed," he said, brushing his thumb across her cheek.
"You fought harder than she expected."
Rhea stared at him—terrified, exhausted, but somehow steadier.
"So what happens now?" she whispered.
Adrian took her hand.
"Now?"
He looked at the door, as if sensing something coming.
"We prepare for what Stage Two really brings."
The lights flickered once.
Twice.
And the mansion… breathed.