Twisted Shadows

Chapter 6: Warm Poisons

I woke up the next morning to the sound of light rain tapping against the bedroom window. I stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes, contemplating my calm features which no longer resembled the gentle Kinda; Raghad's rebellious personality had begun to penetrate my veins with a cautious coldness. I washed my face with cold water and went down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast with a feigned innocence.

Houssam entered the kitchen shortly after, and his expression from last night was still painted on his pale face. The dark circles under his eyes clearly betrayed his lack of sleep and his psychological terror of the ghosts chasing him behind the crowds. He sat at the table in a mysterious silence, holding his coffee cup with hands that trembled slightly.

- "Good morning, my love.. did you sleep well last night?" I asked him in an overly warm tone as I placed the breakfast plate in front of him.

- "Good morning.. no, I didn't sleep well, the nightmares were suffocating," he answered in a low, interrupted voice, looking at his phone resting next to his plate with constant apprehension.

At that exact moment, Houssam's phone vibrated violently, announcing the arrival of a new text message. His gaze froze completely and the spoon fell from his hand onto the table. I had programmed my secret phone to automatically send a message at this precise time, containing the chemical formula for the rare psychiatric drug whose torn strip I found in the pharmacy, followed by a breathless phrase: (The next dose of formulas will not pass through Kinda's pharmacy.. The code is completely broken and the shadow is watching you).

I watched with my sharp eyes how terror escalated throughout his entire body; his breathing became heavy, and he suddenly stood up from behind the table as if the ground were shaking beneath his feet. He turned to me, his red eyes carrying a strange look that combined suspicion and madness. He left in a hurry without finishing his breakfast, and I took out the secret notebook with a cold triumph. Houssam is now drowning in a swamp of doubt and panic!