Page 11 of Fade With Me

The moment I stepped into the farmhouse, I froze. Reggie was sitting at the kitchen table, his figure outlined in the dim light. A thick stillness pressed in around me, so heavy it felt like the walls were listening.

His voice, slow and deliberate, sent a tremor through me.

“Bryn...”

He let the silence stretch, suffocating.

Then, in that same careful tone: “Where have you been?”

Something was wrong.Verywrong. My mind scrambled, searching for the mistake I hadn’t realized I’d made. His usual false charm had vanished, replaced by something colder—something dangerous.

My legs turned to lead. “I…I was out hiking. What’s wrong, Reggie?” I hated how small my voice sounded.

His chair groaned as he turned to face me. His gray eyes locked onto mine, steel and smoke swirling likea storm. But behind them, something darker waited. Twisted. Almost…otherworldly. A shadow had taken hold of him, and I could feel it warping the air around us.

Then I saw it. The book. The one I’d hidden beneath my mattress. Clutched in his hand.

My heart plummeted.

No. No, no, no.

I thought I’d hidden it so well. How did he find it?

His gaze burned through me, stripping me bare. My breath caught. My hands trembled.

His voice was a low growl. “What exactly do we have here?”

The question clung to the air, heavy with threat.

I tried to speak, but nothing came—just a broken, “Uh, um…” The words choked in my throat.

Reggie’s lip curled. He mimicked me with a sneer: “Uh, um…”

Then his voice cracked through the room.

“I thought I made it crystal clear these books were off-limits. What part ofstay awaydidn’t you get?! Are you really this stupid?”

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink.

My eyes stayed locked on his as tears clawed their way up. I fought to keep them back. My chest burned. My heartbeat thundered.

He rose slowly, pressing his palms into the table. Every inch of him radiated control—and fury. Whenhe stepped closer, his breath hit my skin. Hot. Close. Threatening.

He leaned in, eyes gleaming. “Cat got your tongue? Where’s the quick wit? The clever quips? You’re usually full of them.”

His voice dripped with venom. Every word meant to slice.

I lowered my gaze, avoiding his burning stare, and stepped back, trying to find space.

“Reggie, listen…” My voice shook. Every word was a struggle. But I clung to what little control I had left.

He stepped forward, closing the gap I’d tried to create.

“No…youlisten,” he growled, the sound crackling through me like a live wire. “Apparently, you’ve forgotten how I feel about these things. Let me refresh your memory.”

He ripped the pages from the book one by one, his jaw clenched tight as his fingers gripped the edges with force. The sound of tearing paper sliced through the air like a warning bell, and his shoulders tensed with each pull, his movements controlled and precise.

He strode into the living room, the fire crackling in the hearth, and tossed the shredded papers into the flames. The blaze devoured them greedily, as if it thrived on my horror.

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