Chapter23
566 Words
Chapter 23: In the Shadows of a Nightmare
Days passed, and slowly, the walls between Shanaya and Lorenzo softened. Their conversations came easier, their silences were no longer awkward. He would touch her hand gently when talking, and she would look at him a little longer when he wasn’t noticing. There was peace—for a moment.
That night, thunder cracked across the skies of Italy, lightning flickering like angry flashes through the windows of their bedroom. The wind howled, rain thrashed against the glass. Shanaya tossed in bed, curled under the thick covers, her face tense with fear.
Her dream clawed her into darkness.
She was standing at the grand ballroom again—but everything was grey and cold. The chandelier flickered above, and there, standing at the other end of the hall, was Christian.
His face was twisted in a sick grin. His eyes were dark with madness.
He raised a gun.
Lorenzo stood in front of her.
She screamed.
But the bullet rang out.
BANG!
Lorenzo fell, blood blooming across his chest. Shanaya dropped to her knees, sobbing as she tried to hold him, but Christian yanked her by the wrist.
“You will never escape me,” he growled, dragging her away from Lorenzo’s dying body. “You were always mine.”
“No! No!” Shanaya cried out.
She jolted awake with a scream, drenched in sweat, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her heart thudded painfully in her ears. She touched the other side of the bed—empty.
“Lorenzo?” she called out. No response.
She reached for her phone and dialed his number. No answer. Again. And again.
She got up, throwing on a robe, her hands trembling. The storm outside mirrored her panic. Thunder boomed louder, lightning lit up the sky—and still no sign of him.
Shanaya sat on the couch in the living room, hugging her knees to her chest, staring at the door. Her calls went straight to voicemail. What if the dream was real? What if Christian…?
She waited.
And waited.
Sometime after 4 a.m., her eyes finally closed. Her body slumped sideways on the sofa, sleep pulling her into its grip.
A warm hand on her shoulder woke her.
“Shanaya?” Lorenzo’s voice was soft.
Her eyes flew open and she gasped in relief. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
“You i***t!” she cried, her voice muffled against his chest. “Why didn’t you pick up my calls? I was so scared!”
He blinked, surprised by the sudden emotion. He wrapped his arms around her and held her gently. “I’m sorry, cara… my battery died, and I was at the estate handling something urgent. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
She pulled back slightly, realizing she was still hugging him—and that she’d done it willingly. Her cheeks turned crimson, and she looked away, brushing off her tears.
“I… I just had a nightmare. That’s all.”
He gently brushed her hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to explain. But thank you… for caring.”
She looked up at him, eyes glistening. “You scared me, Lorenzo.”
He smiled softly, kissed her forehead, and whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.”
And though she didn’t say it, Shanaya was glad. More than she had expected.
- Writer
