Chapter 3
1050 Words
Selena lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling, her mind tangled with thoughts she couldn’t escape.
The locked room. The whispers. Adrian’s touch.
Whatever was happening in this mansion wasn’t normal. And neither was he.
She turned onto her side, watching the fireplace cast flickering shadows across the walls.
Her marriage to Adrian was supposed to be simple—a contract, a transaction. But nothing about him, or this place, was simple.
She wasn’t sure if she was trapped in a mystery or slowly being consumed by one.
Then she heard it.
Footsteps.
Not distant, but right outside her door.
Her heart pounded as she sat up, straining to listen. The sound was slow, deliberate, like someone was waiting.
Her breath caught.
She reached for the bedside lamp, but before she could turn it on—
The door handle moved.
A sharp gasp left her lips. She scrambled back, gripping the covers.
Then—
Silence.
The handle stilled. The footsteps faded.
Selena rushed out of bed, heart hammering. She yanked open the door.
The hallway was empty.
But she knew, deep in her bones—she wasn’t alone.
---
The next morning, Selena stormed into the study, where Adrian sat behind a massive oak desk, flipping through documents.
He barely glanced at her. “You’re up early.”
She slammed the door behind her. “Who was outside my room last night?”
He didn’t react. Didn’t even blink.
“Selena,” he said, voice calm, “don’t work yourself up over shadows.”
Shadows.
That word sent ice down her spine.
“I heard footsteps. Someone tried to open my door.”
Adrian finally looked at her, gray eyes unreadable. “Did they succeed?”
She frowned. “What?”
“Did they get in?”
“No—”
“Then there’s no problem.”
Selena clenched her fists. He was hiding something.
She stepped closer. “You keep telling me to ignore things. But I’m your wife, Adrian. Shouldn’t I know what’s happening in my own home?”
Adrian exhaled, rubbing his temple.
Then he said, softly, “You shouldn’t call this place home.”
Selena froze.
Something about his tone—like a warning, or maybe a plea.
She took another step. Tested him.
“What happened to your first wife?”
The air between them went still.
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“That,” he said, voice razor-sharp, “is none of your concern.”
Her stomach twisted. “Did she leave you?”
He laughed, but it wasn’t amused. It was hollow.
“No, Selena.” He leaned back in his chair, watching her. “She never left.”
A chill ran through her.
Before she could ask more, he stood.
His tall frame towered over her, casting her in his shadow.
“Drop it,” he murmured.
Then he walked past her, leaving the air thick with unsaid truths.
That night, Selena couldn’t sleep.
Adrian’s words haunted her. She never left.
What did that mean?
She slipped out of bed, quietly opening her door.
The halls were eerily silent. Moonlight spilled through the tall windows, painting silver streaks along the floors.
She walked cautiously, her bare feet making no sound.
Then she saw it.
A figure.
Standing at the far end of the corridor.
Her breath hitched.
It was a woman.
She was dressed in white, her long hair cascading down her back.
Selena’s throat went dry. “Who… who are you?”
The woman didn’t move.
Selena took a step forward—
And the woman vanished.
Just like that.
A sharp gust of wind tore through the hallway, though all the windows were closed.
Selena turned, ready to run back to her room—
And slammed into Adrian’s solid chest.
A startled cry escaped her lips, but before she could speak, his arms were around her, holding her still.
“What are you doing?” he hissed.
Selena’s pulse raced. “I—I saw her.”
Adrian stiffened. “Saw who?”
She swallowed. “Your first wife.”
His hold on her tightened. For a second, she thought she saw pain in his eyes.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
“There is no one here,” he said, voice clipped.
Selena shook her head. “Adrian, I saw her.”
His jaw clenched. “Go back to bed, Selena.”
“But—”
His grip tightened. “Now.”
She didn’t argue.
But as she walked away, her heart pounded with fear.
And a terrible realization settled in her bones—
She wasn’t the only woman in this house.
---
The Sinclairs' Curse
The next day, Selena sought out the only person who might tell her the truth.
Margaret.
She found the older maid in the rose garden, trimming dead petals.
Selena approached carefully. “Margaret.”
The maid flinched, then quickly straightened. “Mrs. Sinclair.”
Selena ignored the formalities. “Tell me about his first wife.”
Margaret’s fingers tightened around the shears. “I can’t.”
Selena stepped closer. “Please. I need to know.”
Margaret hesitated.
Then, in a voice so low Selena had to strain to hear, she whispered—
“You’re not the first.”
Selena’s breath caught.
Margaret’s wrinkled hands trembled as she set down the shears.
“This house… it doesn’t keep wives.”
A chill ran down Selena’s spine. “What do you mean?”
Margaret’s eyes shone with something between fear and pity.
“They all disappear.”
Selena’s heartbeat roared in her ears.
Margaret continued, voice heavy with dread. “Every woman who marries a Sinclair… vanishes.”
---
Adrian's Past
Selena found Adrian in the library, standing by the fireplace, staring into the flames.
She didn’t hesitate.
“You were married before.”
Adrian tensed.
Selena stepped closer. “What happened to her?”
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, softly—“I lost her.”
Selena’s chest tightened. “You mean she disappeared?”
His gaze lifted, locking onto hers.
“No,” he said, voice like a storm. “She died.”
A sharp breath left her lips.
Adrian turned back to the fire.
“My family is cursed, Selena,” he murmured. “And you? You’re next.”
- Writer
