A nightmare
Sleep didn’t come easily that night.
I tossed and turned, my mind replaying Gigi’s words over and over again. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard her voice—sharp, calculated, dripping with venom.
That old bat.
I’ll make him trust me.
The words curled around my thoughts like a noose, suffocating me.
And then, at some point in the middle of the night, the nightmare came.
\---
I was in Mrs. Isolde’s house.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
The air smelled strange, metallic.
Something was wrong.
I walked through the dimly lit hallway, my footsteps eerily silent against the floor. Every door was slightly open, shadows stretching from within, dark and endless.
“Mrs. Isolde?” My voice barely made a sound.
No answer.
I stepped into the living room.
The furniture was untouched. The tea set on the table. Everything looked normal.
But then I saw the cane.
Mrs. Isolde’s cane.
Lying on the floor.
A chill crawled down my spine as I bent down to pick it up. My fingers wrapped around the handle, and suddenly—
A hand grabbed my wrist.
I gasped, looking up.
Gigi.
Standing there, smiling.
Except it wasn’t a normal smile. It was twisted. Dark.
“Too late,” she whispered.
I tried to move, to push her away, but my body wouldn’t respond. I was frozen.
Gigi leaned closer, her breath cold against my skin. “You should have stayed out of it.”
Then I saw it.
Behind her.
Mrs. Isolde—slumped over, unmoving.
Lifeless.
“No,” I choked out, shaking my head.
Gigi tilted her head, amusement flickering in her eyes. “Oops.”
And then—
A deafening crash.
The entire room shattered.
\---
I woke up with a sharp gasp, bolting upright in bed.
My skin was damp with sweat, my chest heaving, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to escape my ribs.
I frantically looked around, trying to ground myself.
My bedroom. The dim glow of the bedside lamp. The faint sound of the wind outside.
Not Mrs. Isolde’s house. Not the nightmare.
But the terror still clung to me, thick and suffocating.
I wiped a shaky hand across my forehead, exhaling slowly.
I needed to do something.
I couldn’t let Gigi get away with this.
****
I barely slept after the nightmare.
The moment the sun rose, I knew what I had to do—I needed to tell Rowan.
Gigi wasn’t just manipulative. She was dangerous. If she was willing to go after Mrs. Isolde just to get to Rowan, then who knew what else she was capable of?
I grabbed my phone and dialed his number.
No answer.
I frowned, trying again.
Straight to voicemail.
I cursed under my breath, pacing the length of my bedroom. I could text him, but this wasn’t the kind of thing I wanted sitting in his inbox. He needed to hear me.
Maybe I could just show up at his office.
Before I could decide, there was a loud knock at my bedroom door.
“Remi!” Jo’s voice carried through. “Are you awake?”
I sighed. “Barely. What is it?”
She swung the door open, grinning way too much for this early in the morning. “You, my dear, are going on a trip.”
I blinked. “What?”
Jo walked in, waving her phone. “Surprise! Unexpected but completely necessary. Pack your bags.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Jo, what the hell are you talking about?”
She smirked. “The research facility trip, obviously.”
I frowned. “That’s not for another month.”
She clicked her tongue. “Well, plans changed. The investors want to see results sooner, and guess who’s been specifically requested to present?”
I groaned. “Please don’t say me.”
Jo grinned. “You.”
I threw my head back. “I do not have time for this.”
“You do if you want funding,” she shot back. “Oh, and there’s one tiny detail I forgot to mention.”
I raised a brow. “What?”
Jo’s smirk widened.
“You’re not going alone,” she said, wiggling her brows. “Rowan Vaughn is going with you.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?” I breathed.
Jo crossed her arms. “Apparently, he pulled some strings and arranged this little trip.”
I swallowed. “That—That doesn’t make sense. Why would he do that?”
Jo shrugged. “Maybe he really believes in the project.”
Or maybe he had other reasons.
Reasons I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “So you’re telling me I have no choice?”
“None.” Jo grinned. “Now hurry up and pack. You leave tonight.”
I exhaled, dragging a hand down my face. “Fine.”
Jo clapped. “That’s the spirit.”
“It’s not the spirit,” I muttered, but she was already walking out, humming like she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on me.
A trip with Rowan Vaughn.
Unbelievable.
I grabbed my bag, shoving in a few essentials before my eyes landed on my phone.
Before I got on that plane, I needed to see Claire.
—
The hospital was quieter than usual.
I walked into Claire’s room, the steady beep of the monitor the only sound.
She looked peaceful—too peaceful.
Like she wasn’t fighting a battle just to be here.
Her burns had mostly healed, but the scars were still there, a harsh reminder of everything she’d been through. Her hair was shorter now, uneven in some places.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and sat beside her, taking her hand in mine.
“Hey, Claire,” I whispered. “I’m here.”
Her fingers twitched.
I blinked, my breath catching.
The nurse had told me yesterday that she’d mumbled something in her sleep. Nothing clear. Just… a sound.
But now, watching her, I knew it wasn’t just a sound.
Because her lips moved ever so slightly.
And the faintest whisper left her mouth.
“…Remi.”
My heart broke.
Just like the first time she woke up.
Tears burned my eyes as I squeezed her hand gently.
“I’m here,” I w
hispered, my voice shaking. “I never left.”
She didn’t say anything else.
But for the first time in a long time, I knew she was still in there.
Still fighting.
Still my Claire.
She would survive this. I am sure.
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