Chapter 5 On My Bed

• Eve
• The moment Aunt Clarissa moved closer, her eyes narrowed as if she were studying Sage under a microscope. “And who’s this handsome, young man?” she asked, with a satisfied little smile. “He looks quite familiar, I must say.”
• I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My throat felt tight, and the last thing I wanted was for her to sniff out the panic crawling up my spine.
• “Why are you here?” I finally asked, keeping my voice as flat as I could manage.
• “Oh, come on now. It’s not respectful to keep your aunt outside. Invite me in, and invite this young man in too. He seems to be impatiently wanting to see you or talk to you.”
• I resisted the urge to groan. Instead, I rolled my eyes and turned to Sage. “Can we talk later? There’s something I really need to do.”
• “I came concerning—” he began.
• “I’ll give you a call,” I cut in quickly.
• Before he could say another word, I pulled myself inside and shut the door right in his face. My heart was still beating too fast when I turned around, my back facing my aunt.
• “So,” I said, keeping my tone cool, “what do I owe this visit? Because I know for a fact you never visit me.”
• Clarissa laughed as if I had just told a harmless joke. “You didn’t even ask me to take a seat or offer me anything to drink. But anyway, I’ll make myself feel at home.”
• She waltzed into my living room and settled into a chair like she’d owned the place for years. I stayed standing, watching her with impatience rising slowly in my chest.
• “Alright,” I said, folding my arms. “You’ve made yourself comfortable. Now tell me why you’re here.”
• “It’s about Margot,” she replied.
• My jaw tightened. “What about her?”
• Margot. Of all people. My cousin who treated me like a stranger, who never respected me, who never bothered to hide how little she cared about me. We were family by blood, nothing more. I couldn’t imagine what reason Clarissa had for even mentioning her, and the fact that she came all the way here because of Margot instantly put me on edge.
• “What happened?” I asked, already bracing myself for something unpleasant.
• Clarissa crossed her legs and folded her hands neatly on her lap, as though she was preparing for a business proposal. “It’s about Margot,” she said, leaning forward slightly. “She’s short on blood again, and you know the two of you have the same type. We need some blood from you.”
• For a moment, I simply stared at her. Then the absurdity of it all hit me, and a sharp laugh escaped before I could stop it. “This is the second time,” I said, still laughing under my breath. “Unbelievable.”
• Margot and her deficiency issues had nothing to do with me, yet somehow I was always the convenient solution. Nothing like family to appear only when they needed something drained out of your veins.
• After my laughter faded, I exhaled slowly. “Leave. I’ll think about it.”
• Clarissa’s eyes widened as if she’d just heard the answer she never wanted. She immediately softened her voice, playing the sweet, caring aunt she never truly was. “Please, Eve. You’re the only one who can save her. Just this once.”
• I could only stare at her. There was nothing left to say. My head was already pounding.
• “I said I’ll think about it,” I replied.
• She gave a tight, forced smile and stood up. “I will await your response. I’ll send you a message.”
• And with that, she finally left.
• I shut the door, leaned my back against it, and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, Mia was already coming down the stairs.
• “What’s really up with that woman?” she asked. “Anyway, don’t tell me you’re thinking of giving her daughter blood.”
• “You were listening?” I asked.
• Mia nodded quietly and sat opposite me. I sank into the seat across from her, my bottom lip caught between my teeth. “I really don’t know. I’m so confused.”
• “Then call her and tell her you aren’t interested,” Mia said gently. “And while you’re at it, call Sage too. Tell him you’re not interested in whatever this arrangement is supposed to be.”
• I grunted and shook my head. “It’s not as easy as you think. I told her I’d think about it. And everything with Sage… I’m tired, Mia. I’m really tired and confused.” I pressed my fingers to my forehead, feeling the ache deepen with each breath.
• She noticed immediately and stood up. “Wait here. I’ll get your drugs.”
• A moment later, she came back down with a glass of water and the pills in her hand. I took them silently, swallowing the pink tablets before handing the empty glass back to her. My head eased only slightly, but the heaviness in my chest remained.
• After Mia went back upstairs to her own room, I dragged myself into my bedroom and opened my laptop. I needed to distract my mind, even if only for a little while. There were still documents to review, financial updates to check, and a few internal memos from the company that I wasn’t supposed to be managing yet. I scrolled through them anyway. It was the only connection I had to my father’s empire, and the bitter truth was that I couldn’t step foot into the physical office until I fulfilled his one condition: a husband. Only then would the inheritance legally fall into my hands, just as he had signed.
• The thought alone made my chest tighten, but I kept working until the letters on the screen started to blur. Eventually, I closed the laptop and pushed it aside. I needed to rest.
• I lay down, pulling the sheets over myself, and within minutes, exhaustion dragged me under.
• My dream came in harsh fragments at first—darkness, whispers, an empty night sky. Then I saw my parents’ faces, my brother’s small hands reaching for me. Blood spread across the floor like spilled ink, and the metallic scent felt too close, too real. I was screaming for them, begging them to answer me, but they lay still as the red kept spreading. My chest tightened and I tried to run, tried to lift them, tried to stop whatever force was taking them from me.
• Just when the fear peaked, a bright light appeared in front of me. It grew and grew until it swallowed the entire scene. I tried to raise my head to see who or what it was, but my eyes burned.
• That was the moment I jolted awake.
• I sucked in a sharp breath and blinked rapidly, trying to clear the lingering terror from my mind. For a second, I didn’t understand where I was. Then the room came back into focus—my bedroom, morning light filtering through the curtains. And Sage…
• He was lying beside me on the bed, propped slightly on one elbow, watching me with a calmness that didn’t match the storm inside my chest. His face was only inches from mine. His eyes were dark, steady, and impossibly unreadable.
• My heart lurched violently. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even inhale properly. I just stared, wide-eyed and frozen, my mind scrambling for any understanding.
• What was he doing here?
• How did he get into my house?
• Why was he in my bed?
• Was this still some damned dream?
• My lips parted, but no sound came out. I could only look at him, unsure if I was still dreaming or if the nightmare had simply shifted forms.