Chapter 28: The house on the hill

The lights in the hospital flickered once, then again. I blinked, thinking it was my imagination, until the fluorescent hum stuttered completely. My heart began to pound.

The door creaked open. Two doctors walked in, at least, that’s what I thought at first. Their faces were hidden behind surgical masks, their movements too synchronized, too calm for the chaos outside.

“W... what’s happening?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Neither of them answered. The taller one came closer, holding a small white cloth in his gloved hand.

“Wait... what are you? ”

Before I could finish, the lights went out completely. A firm hand clamped over my mouth and nose. The smell was sharp and overwhelming. My scream was swallowed by the cloth. My body went weak, vision fading. Through the haze, I heard shouting, Amanda’s voice, Sean’s voice, panic filling the hallway.

Then nothing.

When I woke, the air was still. Cold and heavy. My wrists hurt where something coarse had rubbed against them. The ceiling above me was high, carved with ornate patterns and golden edges. This wasn’t the hospital.

I tried to move, but my legs felt stiff. The sound of footsteps echoed from the hall.

The door opened, revealing Nancy. She was dressed elegantly, her lips painted a perfect red. Behind her stood two older people, her parents and then Michael, his face calm.

Nancy smirked as she approached me. “Well, well,” she said coldly, crouching down to meet my eyes. “The pretty little thing who thinks she can take my man.”

I swallowed hard. “What are you talking about?”

She grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing me to look at her. “Sean,” she hissed. “He’s mine. You think you can seduce him with this innocent face?”

Before I could speak, Michael stepped forward, his voice low but sharp. “Don’t touch her.”

Nancy turned on him. “You’re defending her?”

“Leave,” he snapped. “Now.”

Nancy’s parents exchanged uneasy glances. Her mother touched her arm gently. “Come, Nancy. Let’s give him space.”

Nancy huffed, her glare burning into me before she stormed out, her heels clicking sharply on the marble floor. The others followed.

Michael’s demeanor softened as he turned back to me. “Don’t be scared,” he said, walking closer.

I stared at him, frozen.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he murmured.

I dropped my gaze instantly. He smiled faintly, almost boyishly, then disappeared through the door.

Minutes later, he returned carrying a silver tray. A plate of food sat neatly on it. “You need to eat,” he said.

“I’m not hungry,” I muttered.

He frowned. “You have to eat.”

“I said I’m not hungry.”

His jaw tightened. In a flash, he grabbed the fork, scooped a piece, and pressed it toward my mouth. “Eat.”

I turned my head, but he pushed harder until I finally bit down, then spat it out.

He stared at me, eyes dark, silent rage simmering beneath. “Fine,” he said after a tense pause. “Do it yourself.”

My hands trembled as I picked up the fork. I forced myself to eat under his watchful gaze until the plate was empty.

When I was done, he stood there, breathing slowly, his eyes locked on mine. “Good girl.”

He smiled then, but it wasn’t comforting, itwas possessive. He turned and left, locking the door behind him.

The next few days blurred together. Time had no meaning in that house. The heavy curtains blocked the sunlight, and the silence was broken only by footsteps outside my door. Sometimes Nancy would come by, perfume filling the air before she even entered.

She’d sit in the armchair near the window, pretending I didn’t exist while chatting with Michael.

“You’re taking your medication, right?” she’d ask in that lazy tone of hers.

“Yes,” he’d reply curtly. “Don’t nag.”

“You know what happens when you stop,” she said one day. “Last time, you scared the whole staff. You broke that mirror.”

He ignored her, flipping through a file on the table.

Nancy sighed. “You have all this money, all this power, and you waste it hiding away here with her.”

“She’s not a waste,” he said, his voice low.

I pressed my ear to the door, heart pounding.

Nancy’s laugh was sharp. “You’ve really lost it, haven’t you? You were always strange, cousin. Even when we were kids.”

The word cousin made my blood run cold.

She continued, “I told your parents this would happen. All that obsessive nonsense. You think she loves you? Look at her, she’s terrified of you.”

“Get out,” he said quietly.

Nancy’s tone shifted. “Fine. But don’t come crying to me when she runs away.”

I heard footsteps, the door opening, then closing.

Moments later, the floor creaked again. I scrambled to the bed, pulling the blanket over me, pretending to sleep.

The door opened softly. His steps were slower this time.

“Rose,” he murmured.

I didn’t move.

He came closer. I could smell his cologne, clean, faintly citrus, mixed with something metallic.

When I opened my eyes, he was kneeling beside the bed, holding a small box. Inside, a diamond ring gleamed under the dim light.

“Will you marry me?” he asked, smiling gently.

The air left my lungs. “What?”

“Marry me, Rose,” he said. “I’ll take care of you. No one will hurt you again.”

I shook my head slowly. “No. I can’t.”

His expression changed instantly—his smile fading, replaced by something darker, hungrier. “What did you say?”

“I... ”

“Say it again.”

“Yes,” I blurted out quickly, my voice cracking.

He relaxed, a smile spreading across his face again. “That’s better.”

He slid the ring onto my finger, his touch trembling. “Do you remember me?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing with something like longing. “You don’t remember, do you? We went to the same school. I was the nerd with glasses, the one everyone ignored.”

I searched his face, trying to recall, but nothing came. “I... I don’t”

“I always loved you,” he said, his voice soft, almost wistful. “You were kind. You smiled at me once in the hallway. No one ever smiled at me like that.”

“I smile at everyone,” I said quietly.

He shook his head. “No. Not like that. For me, it was different.”

Then he stood abruptly, slipping the ring box into his pocket. “Rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

When he left, I exhaled shakily and looked around the room. The window was large, but iron bars covered it. Outside, two guards in black suits stood watch, unmoving. The phone on the nightstand was dead—no dial tone, no signal.

The mansion sat alone in a vast field surrounded by dense woods. No other houses, no roads nearby. Just silence.

I tried the door once more. Locked.

From somewhere down the hall, a faint tune started playing, an old record, crackling with static.

Michael’s voice echoed faintly, humming along.