Chapter 78. Didn’t Imagine You To Be

Chapter 78: Chapter 78. Didn’t Imagine You To Be

Chapter 78. Didn’t Imagine You To Be

His chest heaved. The heaviness in his body refused to leave. He could still feel the lingering remnants of that heavy darkness that had crawled through his veins all through the night. It felt like dark, swirly ink moving through his bloodstream, fading slowly and gradually dissipating into his aching muscles.

He kept panting hard, struggling to pull large gulps of air into his body. He sat up. His lungs felt like they were filled with crushed rocks and coarse paper. Everything felt gritted, rough, lacking any smoothness. He clenched his fists tightly together, his entire body vibrating with residual tension. Cold sweat dripped down his skin. His hair stuck to his forehead and neck in wet strands, drenched completely in his own sweat. He clenched his teeth tightly together, groaning and grinding them while still panting heavily.

He tried to move his arm, but the sudden weakness rushing through his body was intense—a heavy weight, a powerful rush he couldn’t control. He crashed back against the cold wall, the chains rattling loudly and echoing all over the damp room, ringing straight in his ears. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. That same horrifying image was still etched into his mind. That scene hadn’t left his thoughts throughout the entire night.

"Rosa," he murmured, his voice strained through his jagged breathing.

His consciousness slowly drifted back into him. He felt as if he were being pulled away from a dark void, a pitch-black place where he had been locked up without reason. His eyes slowly opened, darting around the empty, cold, damp room. There were no furnishings, no decorations. The bare brick walls were completely unpainted, devoid of any windows. That was exactly how he had structured the room—exactly how he had kept it for this purpose. But the damage and scars on the walls were not caused by neglect; most of the destruction had been caused... by him.

He ground his teeth together, eyelids fluttering as his consciousness fought to crawl back into his mind. He blinked once, then twice, letting out a heavy breath. As his strength gradually began to return, an overwhelming exhaustion settled over him, deeper than anything he had ever felt. The struggle, the frantic fight, the immense lingering pain still throbbed in his arms, his chest, and every single nerve ending in his body.

He ground his feet against the floor and crashed his head back against the wall. A hysterical laugh escaped his throat, bubbling up aloud as tears dripped from his eyes and slid down his cheeks. His mouth hung open, laughing like a man who was completely losing his mind.

"Oh my God," he groaned, shaking his head. He slapped his palm against his forehead, the chains rattling loudly with the motion. He leaned back against the wall, laughter still escaping him while his shoulders vibrated uncontrollably.

When the laughter finally subsided, he stared at the ceiling with his eyes wide and hollow. He was losing it. He was going mad. Why did these episodes have to happen so frequently now? He ground his teeth together. How much more of this can I take? he thought. He blinked rapidly. His eyes slowly dropped down to scan the room, tracing the chains attached to his wrists and anchored deep into the wall on either side. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head slowly in despair.

Rosa’s face flashed back in his mind: the horrified look in her eyes last night, how desperate she had sounded, the way she kept coming to him, and her reaction when he slammed the door shut in her face. He remembered every second. He had felt her fear, inhaled the sharp scent of nervousness that flooded her, and seen the overwhelming mix of worry and confusion that made her feel as if she were losing her sanity. He clenched his teeth tightly together. Something unfamiliar and uncontrollable instantly snapped inside him.

He reached for the chains and unlocked them, letting them fall heavily to the floor, free from his wrists. He rushed out of the room with a speed that made his stiff bones ache. He slammed the door behind him, locking it instantly and ensuring it was securely sealed. Then he staggered down the long corridor toward Rosa’s room, a soul-prickling heat of worry searing through his chest. His breath hitched, his eyelids fluttered, and his lips trembled.

Goodness me, he thought frantically. I really hope she didn’t catch on to anything. Did she see me? Did she understand what happened? Did I hurt her? The worry consumed him, beating like a ticking time bomb in his chest.

He suddenly crashed into her room, slamming the door open. He froze on the threshold. Her room was completely empty. His eyes widened.

"Rosa?" he called out loud.

No response. His head darted left and right. Did she walk over to the restroom? he wondered, anxiety tightening its grip on him. What if she had been so terrified that she crawled under the bed and slept there? He quickly crouched down to the floor and looked under the bed. It was empty. She wasn’t there.

He turned toward the restroom door. Maybe she’s sleeping in there. He walked slowly, trying to move as gently and calmly as possible toward the restroom door. He froze, his hand lingering inches from the doorknob, clenching his fingers into tight fists. What if she’s too scared to see me? he wondered, dread washing over him. What if she says she doesn’t want to see me anymore? He frowned. That should be the right thing, right? At least then she won’t be able to bother me again. She won’t want to come close to me again. That would be the best way to break this loop... but why does it feel so wrong? A deep crease formed on his forehead.

He closed his eyes tight, clenching his jaw. Fuck! he cursed internally. He spun around and brushed strands of his wet hair away from his face, then turned back toward the restroom door.

Just as he was about to cast caution aside and swing the door open, a loud sound caught his attention. It was the slam of the main entrance door from downstairs, signifying that someone had just stepped inside.

He froze. He kept dead quiet, tuning his ears to listen downstairs and pick up every single sound. He heard the rapid locking of the door, followed by hurried footsteps moving across the living room straight toward the staircase. He closed his eyes, listening attentively. The world died around him. Everywhere suddenly felt heavy, filled with a sudden, intense sense of calm. The rapid movement of footsteps told him everything he needed to know.

It was definitely Rosa.

He spun around, rushed out of the room with a speed eyes couldn’t track, slammed the door, darted across the corridor, and stumbled down the stairs. The moment he reached the bottom landing, he froze—just as Rosa was about to step onto the bottom stair. Both of them stopped dead at the same time, their eyes wide, locked onto each other in complete shock.

A heavy silence lingered between them for a few moments. He quickly gathered himself, trying to act as though he had merely been looking for her out of curiosity to see if she was okay. He squared his shoulders, stood upright, folded his arms behind his back, and cleared his throat.

Rosa relaxed slightly, keeping her hand against the staircase railing while her eyes darted nervously from side to side. He could clearly see the anxiety in her gaze as she avoided looking directly at him.

He frowned, forcing his tone to sound like an adult reprimanding a child. "Where have you been?" he asked suddenly.

The question made her flinch. She blinked rapidly and swallowed hard, words failing her completely.

Her eyes raked over his sweating chest, taking in his tense muscles, bulging torso, and sculpted stomach—all visible and bare, bearing witness to an immense physical struggle, like someone who had fought all night. But there were no claw marks, no injuries, nothing. She frowned in sheer confusion. Is he really okay? she thought to herself. Just what the hell happened last night? Could it be he wasn’t fighting a beast? Was HE the beast? It was the only explanation her mind could come up with, but she shook her head internally. There’s no way. It just doesn’t make sense. Why would he become a beast all of a sudden? Nothing was adding up.

Totally absurd.

She swallowed hard and stepped closer. She saw him flinch and take a subtle step backward against the stair, still staring at her with a cold look. She blinked and fiddled nervously with her fingers.

"Mr. Don," she called, her voice soft, gentle, and calm, reaching straight into that deep, hidden place inside him he struggled so hard to keep locked in the dark. "Are you okay?"

He frowned, trying to school his expression to look irritated and stubborn, but his composure faltered. Heat and warmth flooded his chest. He ground his teeth together. She sounded so vulnerable that it was jarring, almost driving him crazy. He closed his eyes and breathed out, steeling himself to stay composed. Then he looked back at her. He forced a smirk and a light chuckle, acting as though everything were completely fine and nothing wrong had happened.

"Of course I’m fine," he replied hastily. "Why would you ask that? Why wouldn’t I be?"

She blinked at his response. The expression on his face made it seem as though last night had been merely nothing—like this was just a casual morning where he woke up, realized she was missing, and was looking for her to scold her.

The confusion in her mind was at an all-time high, far worse than anything she had felt before. She faltered, her jaw hanging open, her mind void of words.

"I believe I asked a question," he said, folding his arms and staring down at her like an adult speaking to a child.

She blinked, clasped her hands together, and let out a heavy exhale, grinding her teeth. She chuckled nervously, swallowed hard, and stopped talking. Closing her eyes, she took a steadying breath.

He stepped closer to her, placing his hand gently against her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, a worried expression surfacing on his face as he checked her over, trying to ensure she was unhurt.

She slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. Seeing the worry in his eyes, she bit her bottom lip, exhaled, and looked off to the side.

"Something weird happened last night," she said, then looked directly into his face, tracking every micro-expression. She saw him raise an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side.

"Really?" he said. He nodded slowly, then dropped his hand from her shoulder. He walked past her into the living room, casually making his way toward the kitchen.

She frowned and followed immediately behind him. She watched him step inside and move toward the coffee maker. He took a glass cup from the set, poured a fresh cup of coffee, and casually walked back over to her, handing it off.

"Talk to me," he said, leaning against the kitchen center island with a raised eyebrow, acting like an adult preparing to listen to a child. "Tell me, really, what happened?"

She blinked. He stared at her with both eyebrows raised, tilting his head from left to right.

"You said something happened," he murmured.

She stared back at him, her eyes squinting slightly.

"Aren’t you going to talk, or did the cat get your tongue?" he asked smoothly. "Explain it to me."

She pressed her thumb against her bottom lip. He was acting completely nonchalant, and frustration flared within her. What the hell was going on? Tim wouldn’t say anything either, acting completely oblivious as if nothing had really happened. She breathed out and lifted her hands, lacing her fingers together.

"I’m going to explain things to you if you promise me one thing," she said, looking straight at him without blinking, cataloging his expression.

He gave her a slow nod.

She let out a long breath. "I want you to promise me that you will not lie to me. Tell me the truth, exactly as it is, because I am freaking losing my mind here."

She observed him carefully. She saw him frown, his calm expression faltering for a split second, but he quickly caught himself and forced a smile.

"I’m really confused, Rosa. You’re asking me to explain something you haven’t told me yet, so I don’t know. What do you want me to explain?"

She ground her teeth together, tilting her head to the side. "I’m having this strange feeling that either you are not the only resident in this house... or you are probably something I totally never imagined you were going to be."