HER'S

Chapter Seven

My eyes snapped open and I sat up with a jerk as my hands involuntarily went to my throat at the same time. Without waiting for anything, I jumped off the bed and rushed towards the dressing mirror, disorientated searching my throat and neck for any sign of a bite or hickey there.

I didn't-

"Sophia,"

I ignored the person calling my name. I ignored him.

I continued checking my skin until the person calling my name gripped my wrist and turned me to face him.

"What the f**k is wrong with you?” He asked. “You just regained consciousness and went straight to the mirror. What are you looking for on your neck and throat?"

I snatched my wrist from him and turned to the mirror. “Matteo, I-" My words died on my tongue when my eyes fell on the large portrait of myself above the bed.

I whipped my head towards the portrait and then at him.

"I'm home? You’re here?"

Matteo frowned. "Where would you have been? Where do you expect me to be?"

"I-" Memories of what happened to me flashed through my mind and I looked up at him. “How did I end up here? I wasn't here before. I was with-,"

He cut me off. “What the f**k are you saying? I walked into your room early this morning and found you in the closet. You were unconscious and there were ashes of something burnt in front of you. You burnt the dress you wore last night to the party,"

"No,” I shook my head. “He took me. I heard him. I heard his voice. I told you someone was in the shadows back there last night but you refused to believe me. He was the one. He burnt the dress and did something to me. He took me away and I- he brought me back home. Look-,"

"Soph-,"

I cut him off by moving closer to him. I angled up my head. “Look, there's a bite mark on my throat, right? He left it there,"

"There's nothing there, Sophia" He said. "Your skin looks normal. No bite marks or anything,"

I froze for a second before regaining myself. I turned to the mirror, angling my neck at it. When I still couldn't see anything I rushed to the bedside table and carried my phone.

Quickly unlocking it, I went straight for the camera app. Setting the camera directly on the spot I wanted, I clicked a photo and looked at the result. My grip on the phone loosened and the phone fell on the ground.

I was sure Chase left a bite mark on my throat. I was sure that he had bitten me when he said those words.

"Without Chase, there's no Sophia and without Sophia, there's no Chase,"

I slumped on the bed and stared into empty space.

Matteo was quick to sit beside me. "Are you okay? Is everything alright?"

I said nothing. What Chase had done and said to me felt real. It was too real to be a dream or imagination.

"Sophia,"

"I'm okay,” I lied. “I just had a bad dream and I got scared. I thought it was real,"

"Things like that happen, Sophia" He said. "I hope you're okay now?"

I nodded.

He enquired. “Can I ask you a question?"

I nodded again.

"Why did you burn the dress?” He asked. “You didn't like it?"

"I didn't burn it. I didn't, Matteo,” I fully faced him. “I understand that you didn't send it to me and that there was a little misunderstanding but I didn't burn it. Someone was in my closet last night and I had put off the fire when I started choking. I didn't understand what was happening to me again,"

"Would you like me to take you to your therapist later?” He asked.

"I'm not imagining things, Matteo. I saw all these things with my eyes,” I said. “If everything was just an imagination, I'm sure I wouldn't imagine someone I don't know dropping me mysterious notes, flowers and chocolate, would I?"

His brows furrowed into a frown. “Notes? Chocolate? Flowers?"

"Yes" I nodded. “On the night of our engagement, I had found a congratulatory note in my closet on the ground. It didn't have the sender's name on it or anything. In fact, I was in the bathroom when the person snuck in. I heard the sound while I was still in there and came out, "I stood up, hoping to convince him and myself that I actually wasn't imagining things. "Yesterday morning, I had also woken up and found a bouquet of flowers, chocolate and a good morning note beside me as well,"

Matteo looked hesitant for a moment. “Show them to me,"

"Right away,"

I rushed towards my closet with him on my tail. I unlocked the safe in one of the drawers in there and-

There was nothing there. The notes and chocolate were gone.

Matteo called from behind me. "There's nothing there, Sophia,"

I turned to him, frustration evident in my features. “I had kept the two notes and chocolate in there, I swear. I’m sure I did,” I paused for a while. "Wait, I dropped the flowers in the vase in back in my room. Let’s go,"

Without letting him say a word, I dashed out of the closet and he followed closely behind.

Once I reached the corner of my room where I had kept the flower in the vase in, I froze at the sight before me.

The heck.