Chapter 10 – Words That Shouldn’t Exist
512 Words
The journal burned beneath Luna’s pillow like a live coal. Every time she shifted in bed, she felt it pressing against her ribs, a constant reminder that she was hiding something from Rick.
But more than that—it was a reminder she wasn’t alone. Someone else had been here before her. Someone who had felt the same terror curling around her now.
When dawn crept into her room, she finally pulled it free. Her hands shook as she turned the pages, careful not to let the paper crinkle too loudly.
He tells me I should be grateful. He says no one will ever love me the way he does. That’s why I can’t leave. But love shouldn’t feel like chains.
Luna’s throat tightened.
Another entry read:
Sometimes I hear him outside my room at night. Breathing. Waiting. I know what he wants. I know one day he won’t stop at waiting.
The words blurred as her pulse quickened. Julia’s voice was reaching across time, warning her. Begging her to see.
Luna turned to the final entries.
If anyone finds this, don’t trust him. Rick Hayes is dangerous. He’ll never let you go once he decides you’re his.
Her breath hitched. It was the same warning she’d already received in anonymous notes. Only this time, the voice had a name. A victim.
Before she could process it, a knock rattled her door.
“Luna?” Rick’s voice, smooth as ever. “You awake?”
She slammed the journal shut and shoved it beneath her blanket just as the door creaked open.
Rick stepped inside, smiling faintly. “Good morning.” His eyes swept the room, sharp as glass.
“Morning,” Luna whispered, forcing her voice steady.
He leaned against the wall, watching her. “I thought we could take a walk today. Just us. Get some fresh air.”
The suggestion should have sounded innocent. But the way he said it, like it wasn’t a request but a decision already made, sent her heart racing.
“I—I promised Aunt Marjorie I’d help her with the garden,” she lied quickly.
Rick tilted his head. “The garden can wait. Don’t you want to spend time with me?”
There was no right answer. Yes meant giving in. No meant challenging him.
She forced a shaky smile. “Of course I do. Just… later, maybe?”
His gaze lingered on her, unreadable. Then, slowly, he smiled back. “Later, then.”
But as he turned to leave, his eyes flicked once—just once—to the lump beneath her blanket where the journal lay hidden.
Her blood ran cold.
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That night, Luna pressed her ear to the wall, listening for footsteps. She heard them—steady, unhurried, passing by her door.
But this time, she wasn’t sure if Rick was just pacing the halls.
Or if he was waiting for her to make a mistake.
And in the darkness, one thought haunted her more than the rest:
How many mistakes had Julia made before it was too late?
- Writer
