THE LIE THAT PULLED HER BACK
1247 Words
The Drive Back From Mistwood Hills
The car rolled down the winding road of Mistwood Hills, the morning fog still weaving through the trees like silver smoke. Alina hugged herself, staring out the window, replaying the moment at the cliff again and again.
That pull she’d felt—
cold fingers curling around her waist, stopping her fall—
that face emerging from the mist…
it had shaken her to her bones.
Not because she recognized him.
But because he wasn’t human.
Beside her, Riaan reached out and slid his hand into hers.
“You’re quiet,” he murmured, voice low, warm. “More than usual.”
She swallowed. “Just… overwhelmed.”
He squeezed her hand gently but firmly, demanding her attention without raising his voice. “Look at me.”
She did.
His dark eyes softened, but a quiet authority remained in them—
the kind that made her stomach flutter every time.
“You’re safe,” he said.
“You’re with me.”
That should have comforted her.
It usually did.
But this time, the ghost’s presence clung to her like mist she couldn’t wipe away.
---
Back Home — But Nothing Feels Normal
The moment they returned to their penthouse, Riaan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He brushed his lips against her hairline.
“You’re home now,” he whispered.
She nodded.
But that night, while Riaan slept with one arm over her, breathing steady and warm…
The room turned cold.
Not violently.
Just… unnaturally.
A slow wind brushed across her cheek.
A soft shift in the darkness.
The faintest whisper of her name—
Alina…
Her breath hitched.
She sat up straight.
Riaan didn’t stir.
Only she felt it.
Only she heard it.
The whisper faded, leaving her heart pounding.
Why was it happening to her?
---
The Baba’s Call
In the morning, she found herself dialing the baba’s number before she even understood why.
He picked up on the first ring.
“You felt him again,” he said without greeting.
Alina froze.
Her fingers tensed around the phone.
“I… I don’t know what I felt.”
“You do know,” he replied calmly. “But you are afraid to name it.”
She closed her eyes.
“What’s happening to me?”
“You are being noticed,” he answered simply.
“And once the hills notice someone… they rarely let go.”
A chill went down her spine.
“Is he dangerous?” she whispered.
The baba didn’t answer quickly.
And silence was worse than truth.
Finally he said, “Come back to the temple at Mistwood Hills. Only there can you know what follows you.”
She took a shaky breath. “Why can’t you tell me now?”
“Because I cannot speak what the hills have not permitted.”
That sentence made her skin crawl.
Before she could ask anything else, he cut the call.
---
The Lie
There was only one thing she knew for sure—
she had to go back.
But Riaan would never allow it.
He was protective, territorial in the most intoxicating way.
If she even hinted about Mistwood Hills, he would book himself a ticket before hers.
So she had to lie.
That evening, as he loosened his tie and kissed her slowly—one hand gripping her waist, pulling her flush against his chest—she forced her heartbeat to stay steady.
“Riaan…” she said softly.
He hummed, lips brushing her jaw. “Hmm?”
“I have a business trip. For two days.”
He pulled back slightly, studying her face.
“Where?”
“Delhi,” she lied smoothly.
“The company needs me to finalize a merger.”
He framed her face with both hands.
Dominant.
Tender.
Firm.
“You want me to come?”
“No.”
She forced a smile. “It’s fine. Just work.”
Riaan’s eyes darkened—not with suspicion, but with that protective edge that made her melt.
He stroked her cheek with his thumb.
“Alina… I trust you. Just promise you’ll call me every night.”
Guilt stabbed her chest.
But she nodded.
And he kissed her again, slow and claiming.
“Good girl.”
Her breath faltered.
She didn’t deserve that trust.
But she needed answers.
---
The Journey Back
She asked her father’s old driver, Raghav, to take her. Someone Riaan would never track.
He frowned the moment she asked.
“Mistwood Hills again, madam? It’s not a place people return to so soon.”
“I need to,” she said, trying not to let her voice shake.
He nodded reluctantly.
“For you, I will go. But that hill has an old shadow. Don’t go anywhere alone.”
Her heart pounded harder at those words, but she said nothing.
The drive felt endless.
The higher they climbed, the colder the air grew.
The silence deepened.
Even Raghav kept glancing back at her through the mirror, sensing her tension.
And then—
they reached the same cliff road.
The air around her thinned.
Her breath turned sharp.
Something was near.
She felt it—
the shift in the atmosphere.
The temperature drop.
A presence pressing in from the edges of reality.
Her fingers curled around the car door.
And then she felt it—
A cold, invisible brush against her wrist.
Not grabbing.
Not hurting.
Just touching.
Like someone saying, I’m here.
Her entire body froze.
Raghav noticed her flinch.
“Madam? Are you alright?”
She nodded too quickly, staring out of the window.
Through the fog, for a split second—
A tall silhouette stood near the edge of the road.
Still.
Silent.
Watching.
Her blood turned to ice.
A blink later, it vanished.
---
Mistwood Durga Temple
As they reached the stone steps to the temple, the wind stopped completely.
Alina stepped out of the car, and the moment her foot touched the first step—
The air shifted.
Like the whole hill inhaled.
And waited.
Her pulse jumped.
Raghav placed a protective hand behind her shoulder. “Careful, beta.”
But she barely heard him.
Every cell in her body buzzed with tension.
A faint rustle came from the trees.
Something moved between the shadows.
Not an animal.
Not human footsteps.
Something… slower.
Heavier.
Watching.
The baba stood at the top of the steps, his gaze fixed on her.
“You came,” he said quietly.
“I want answers,” her voice trembled.
“And you will get them,” he replied.
“But remember—answers demand a price.”
She swallowed. “What’s following me?”
The baba’s eyes shifted past her shoulder.
“You already know.”
Alina turned—
And her breath left her body.
A silhouette stood in the fog.
Closer this time.
Clearer.
Unmoving.
She couldn’t see the face.
But she could feel its stare.
Her heartbeat thudded painfully.
Her lips parted in fear… or something else.
The wind whispered around her—
“Alina…”
She stumbled backward into Raghav’s chest.
The baba raised a hand.
“Do not run from it,” he said.
“If it wanted to harm you, you would not be standing here.”
Her blood ran cold.
“And if it wants something else?” she whispered.
The baba looked at her with eyes that carried too much knowledge.
“Then, child… your real journey is only beginning.”
- Writer
