Rhea's body trembled as Adrian carried her into his private quarters—
a place she had never entered before.
He kicked the door shut behind him, his breath uneven, face pale with fury and fear.
He gently placed her on the velvet couch.
"Rhea… are you hurt?" His voice cracked slightly.
She shook her head, though her throat burned where the ghost had gripped her.
Adrian knelt in front of her, his hands hovering near her cheeks but not touching—
as if he was afraid he might break her.
"You could have died," he whispered.
"I could have lost you."
Rhea blinked, startled by the raw emotion in his eyes—something she had never seen before.
"Adrian…" she whispered. "Tell me the truth. Who was she?"
His jaw tightened.
"She was someone I failed," he said slowly. "Someone the curse took because of me."
Rhea's breath hitched.
"The first girl with the birthmark?"
Adrian closed his eyes.
"I didn't know the mark meant anything back then," he said. "I didn't know it was tied to the Knight bloodline. The curse chooses someone who is… connected to me."
Connected.
The word twisted in Rhea's chest.
"How am I connected to you?" she whispered.
"We met just days before my wedding—this shouldn't be possible."
Adrian opened his eyes—dark, conflicted.
"Rhea… you and I didn't meet for the first time that night."
Rhea froze.
"What… what do you mean?"
He stood slowly, walking to the drawer of an antique desk.
He pulled out a small, old leather-bound journal, its edges worn.
He handed it to her.
"Open it."
Rhea hesitated, then turned the first page.
Her breath stopped.
There—drawn in ink—
was a sketch of her face.
Her face.
Younger, softer… but unmistakably her.
Rhea's hands shook.
"What is this? How do you have this?"
Adrian sat beside her, leaning forward.
"When I was nineteen, I met a girl," he said quietly.
"She appeared to me in a dream—every night—same face, same eyes, same voice."
Rhea felt the room tilt.
"She told me," Adrian continued, "that she would come into my life one day… and that when she did, I must protect her."
Rhea whispered, voice barely a breath:
"You're saying… you saw me in your dreams?"
"For years," Adrian said, his voice haunted.
"And I couldn't forget you. I drew you so I wouldn't forget your face."
Her heart pounded so violently she thought it might break out of her chest.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.
"Because it sounds insane," Adrian said, frustration flickering in his eyes.
"And because I didn't want to drag you deeper into something you can't escape."
Rhea looked at the sketches—pages and pages of her face, different expressions, different ages.
Some drawn boldly.
Some smeared as if tears had fallen on the ink.
Her throat tightened.
"You knew me," she whispered, "before you ever met me."
Adrian looked at her then—really looked at her.
His voice dropped to a painful softness.
"I've been searching for you for twelve years, Rhea."
Her lips parted, breath trembling. "Why me?"
He leaned closer, his forehead almost touching hers.
"Because the curse marked you. Because you were meant to be the one I save… or the one I lose."
Silence wrapped around them—fragile, dangerous.
Rhea swallowed. "And the first girl? The one who died?"
Adrian's expression darkened.
"She wore the same mark," he said. "But she wasn't the girl from my dreams. The curse tricked us. It made us believe she was the chosen one."
His voice dropped to a bitter whisper.
"I failed her. And I refuse to fail you."
Rhea's chest tightened painfully.
"Adrian… what if I die because of this curse?"
His hands cupped her face finally—warm, trembling slightly.
"You won't," he said fiercely.
"I will break this curse, even if it destroys me."
Their faces were inches apart.
Rhea felt her heartbeat sync with his—fast, desperate.
"Why are you doing all this?" she whispered.
He exhaled, voice low, honest, raw:
"Because losing you…"
"…is the one thing I can't survive."
The room grew still.
Rhea felt the confession hit her like a storm—terrifying and beautiful.
She opened her mouth to reply—
But a thunderous boom shook the entire mansion.
The lights flickered.
And a blood-curdling scream echoed from the forbidden wing—
Not the ghost's.
A human scream.
Adrian stood immediately.
"They're inside the house again," he said, eyes going cold.
"We're not alone tonight."
He grabbed her hand.
"Stay close. This time… I'm not letting you out of my sight."
They ran toward the source of the scream.
The curse wasn't waiting anymore.
It had begun.