Episode 1: The House That Forgot How to Breathe
476 Words
Aria Monroe had learned how to leave places without letting them leave marks on her.
That was the rule of her job.
Record. Observe. Walk away.
So when the car stopped in front of the Vale estate, she told herself this place would be no different.
The house stood alone on a cliff, facing the sea. Old stone walls. Tall windows dark with silence. The ocean crashed below like it was angry at something it could not reach. The wind moved through the tall grass, whispering, warning.
Aria stepped out of the car and felt it immediately.
The heaviness.
This house did not feel empty.
It felt like it was holding its breath.
She hugged her jacket closer and walked toward the front door. Each step felt slower than the last. When she touched the door handle, it was cold. Too cold.
Inside, the air smelled of dust and salt and something older—something sad.
Aria took out her notebook.
Vale Estate. Condition: preserved. Emotion: heavy.
She paused.
Emotion wasn’t supposed to be part of the record.
She moved through the rooms carefully, opening drawers, taking photos, writing notes. Everything looked untouched, as if the house had been frozen in time. A chair pulled out. A cup left behind. A life stopped suddenly.
Then she saw the photos.
They were placed neatly on a shelf in the study. A woman with soft eyes and a tired smile. The kind of smile people wore when they were trying not to break.
Aria’s chest tightened.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered to the photo, not knowing why.
That was when she felt it.
Someone watching her.
She turned slowly.
A man stood at the doorway.
Tall. Still. Dressed in dark clothes that looked too sharp for such an old place. His face was calm, unreadable. His eyes were cold, but not empty.
Dangerously controlled.
Sebastian Vale.
“You’re early,” he said.
His voice was quiet, but it filled the room.
“I was told to begin today,” Aria replied, forcing her hands to stay steady.
His eyes moved from her face to the notebook in her hands. Then to the photos.
Something dark passed through his expression.
“You shouldn’t touch things that don’t belong to you.”
“They belong to the house,” Aria said softly.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he stepped closer.
“This house is being destroyed,” Sebastian said. “So are its memories.”
Aria looked at him, really looked at him, and realized something strange.
This man didn’t hate the house.
He feared it.
That night, as Aria lay in bed, the wind howled outside her window. The house creaked and whispered. Sleep refused to come.
And just before dawn, she was sure of one thing.
The Vale estate did not want her to leave.
- Writer
