📖 Defying Destiny – Book 2, Episode 11
876 Words
The Morning After
Claire stirred, feeling the warmth of Ethan’s body against hers.
For a moment, everything felt perfect.
The sheets tangled between them, her bare skin pressed against his, his arms wrapped around her waist.
The steady rise and fall of his chest.
The way his fingers absentmindedly traced slow circles along her spine.
It felt real.
It felt right.
She never wanted to move.
"Morning," Ethan murmured, his voice still heavy with sleep.
Claire smiled against his skin.
"Morning."
Ethan’s fingers slid beneath her chin, tilting her face up.
His blue eyes locked onto hers, still dark with last night’s fire.
"You look beautiful."
Claire rolled her eyes, but her heart fluttered.
"I probably look like a mess."
Ethan smirked, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"A beautiful mess."
He kissed her softly, slow and deep, pulling her impossibly closer.
And just like that—
The rest of the world disappeared again.
Claire melted into him, fingers tracing the sharp lines of his jaw, the warmth of his skin.
But just as Ethan’s hands slid down her back—
The clock on the wall stopped.
Claire froze.
The air shifted.
A pulse of something cold.
And then—
The lights flickered.
Ethan pulled away, eyes narrowing.
"Did you feel that?"
Claire swallowed hard.
Because the feeling from last night?
That eerie sense that something was watching them?
It was back.
And this time—
It wasn’t leaving.
The Mystery of the Letter
Ethan sat at the table, gripping Ryan’s letter between his fingers.
"It makes no sense," he muttered.
Claire sipped her coffee, watching him.
"We both saw him last night, Ethan. Or… something that looked like him."
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
"It wasn’t him."
Claire exhaled, setting her cup down.
"So what do we do?"
Ethan’s gaze darkened.
"We find out who sent this. And we start where the letter was delivered."
Claire nodded.
"The post office."
Ethan smirked.
"Road trip?"
Claire chuckled, shaking her head.
"You just want an excuse to get me alone in a car."
Ethan leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear.
"Do I need an excuse?"
Claire shivered.
Because the way he said it?
Low. Teasing. Possessive.
It sent a thrill down her spine.
"We should go," she whispered.
Ethan kissed her neck, his lips lingering.
"I’d rather keep you in bed all day."
Claire bit her lip.
"Tempting. But we have a mystery to solve."
Ethan sighed dramatically.
"Fine. But the second we get back—"
"I’m all yours," she promised.
His eyes darkened.
"You already are."
And just like that—
They were on the road.
The First Clue
The post office was quiet.
Too quiet.
Claire stepped inside, glancing around.
An older woman sat behind the counter, typing something on her computer.
Ethan approached, flashing his best charming smile.
"Hi, we’re trying to track a letter we received. It was delivered here."
The woman barely glanced up.
"Tracking number?"
Ethan hesitated.
"It… didn’t come with one."
The woman sighed, looking up for the first time.
But when she met Claire’s eyes—
She stopped.
Her face paled.
Like she had seen a ghost.
Claire’s stomach twisted.
"Ma’am?" she asked softly.
The woman blinked rapidly.
"I… You shouldn’t be here."
Ethan’s expression hardened.
"What do you mean?"
The woman stood abruptly, hands shaking.
"You need to leave. Now."
Claire and Ethan exchanged glances.
But before they could ask anything else—
The woman whispered something under her breath.
And then—
She collapsed.
Right there.
In the middle of the post office.
The Dream That Wasn’t a Dream
Claire’s head pounded.
The post office.
The letter.
The woman’s face when she saw them.
Something wasn’t right.
She curled deeper beneath the blankets, Ethan’s warmth beside her, his steady breathing calming her.
Maybe she was just tired.
Maybe—
Then—
She wasn’t in bed anymore.
The air shifted.
And suddenly—
She was standing somewhere else.
A dimly lit hallway.
Familiar. Too familiar.
A door stood at the end.
Slightly ajar.
A warm glow spilling from the inside.
Her heart pounded.
Because she knew this place.
She had been here before.
And as she stepped closer—
A voice called out from inside.
"Claire?"
Her blood froze.
Because that voice?
It was Ryan’s.
And then—
The door slammed shut.
And Claire jolted awake.
The Truth Starts to Unravel
She gasped, sitting up.
Ethan stirred beside her, blinking.
"Claire?"
Her hands were shaking.
"I saw him."
Ethan sat up instantly, fully alert.
"Who?"
Claire swallowed.
"Ryan."
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
"You saw him? Where?"
Claire pressed a hand to her chest.
"I don’t know. It wasn’t here. It wasn’t real. But it felt—"
She stopped.
Because she realized something.
The hallway.
The door.
It was the same one from the Ashwick Estate.
The place where it all began.
The place they left behind.
The place that shouldn’t exist anymore.
Her pulse spiked.
"Ethan… what if the Ashwick Estate is still there?"
Ethan froze.
Because the possibility was terrifying.
They had watched it collapse.
Watched it burn.
But if it was still standing—
That meant fate wasn’t finished with them.
Not yet.
And neither was Ryan.
To Be Continued…
- Writer
