IVY

Chapter 1: Where the End Begins

I woke up with a gasp, my heart hammering against my ribs. The room was dark. Moonlight spilled through the curtains, casting long shadows that twisted across the walls like fingers reaching for me.

My sheets were tangled around my legs, sticky with sweat. The dream… it wasn’t just a dream. I could still hear his voice, feel the weight of his gaze, smell the damp earth from that night.

I swallowed hard, trying to calm my shaking hands. Three years. Three years since I escaped him. And yet, every nightmare felt like he was still there, just beyond the door.

Nova lay curled at the foot of my bed. When I shifted, she lifted her head and released a low growl—protective, steadying. She always knew before I spoke. Before I broke.

But even her presence couldn’t stop the cold feeling crawling up my spine.

Something told me… this wasn’t just a nightmare.

Something was coming.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦

Sunlight streamed through my window the next morning, too bright for how heavy my chest still felt. Downstairs, I heard Mumma humming as she cooked. The small, everyday sounds anchored me to the present.

Nova trailed behind me, pressing herself against my leg—my shadow, my shield.

“Good morning, my baby,” I whispered, kissing her head.

When I reached the kitchen, Mumma smiled. A fragile smile, but still a smile.

“Did you sleep well, sweety?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I lied.

Her silence told me she knew the truth.

“I made your favorite,” she said gently. “Eat a little, okay?”

I nodded, setting Nova down near her bowl.

“Oh,” she added casually, “a new neighbor is moving in next door. That’s why it’s so noisy.”

The doorbell rang before I could respond.

I walked to the door. Nova stayed close, ears perked. Mumma followed me quietly—too quietly.

The moment I opened the door, A young man stood before me—tall, handsome, composed. He wore a button up blue shirt tucked into cream trousers, casual yet effortlessly sharp. His hair was slightly messy—though in the kind of way that somehow made him look even more charming.What really caught me, though, were his eyes—blue, like the ocean. Not the calm postcard kind, but a raging sea that could pull you under, deeper and deeper, if you stared too long..

A strange shiver ran through me.

Something about him felt familiar.

Too familiar.

Nova suddenly lunged forward, barking with a viciousness I’d never heard from her. I quickly scooped her up.

“I’m so sorry,” I blurted. “She’s not usually like this.”

“It’s alright,” he said with an easy smile. “I’m Cristian. Your new neighbor.”

His words were for me, but his eyes were on Mumma.

I turned to her—and froze.

Her face was pale, frozen in an expression I hadn’t seen in a very long time

Fear.

And something else.

Recognition.

When I looked back at Cristian, he finally shifted his gaze to me.

His smile didn’t change.

But his eyes did.