Somewhere unseen, the very same shadows that tore them apart before began to stir — patient, waiting, and ready to try again.
They did not rush.
They never did.
Like hunters who knew their prey would return to the same place, they moved in silence, circling the edges of Adrian and Elena's lives, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Adrian didn't see them. Elena couldn't feel them. But if they had paid closer attention — to the way certain moments felt too still, or the way some strangers' eyes lingered a second too long — they might have realized the truth.
The past was not gone.
It was here.
It was watching.
That night, Elena dreamed.
It began with the sound of laughter — light, pure, and so familiar it made her chest ache. She found herself standing in a small, sunlit room, its walls painted a warm cream, with curtains swaying gently in the soft afternoon breeze.
In the middle of the room sat a child.
A boy.
He couldn't have been older than four. His hair was dark, like Adrian's, curling just slightly at the ends. His eyes… oh, his eyes were the same warm brown she saw in the man she was still learning to love. But there was something else in them — an old sadness, a depth far too heavy for such a young soul.
When he saw her, his face lit up. He ran to her without hesitation, throwing his tiny arms around her waist.
"Mama," he whispered, as if he had been waiting a very long time to say it.
Her heart squeezed painfully. She didn't know this child, yet she knew him. Every instinct in her screamed that she had held him before, kissed his cheeks, sung him to sleep.
"Who… who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I'm the one you lost," he said softly. "But I'm still here… watching over you both."
The words sent a shiver through her. Before she could reply, the sunlight streaming through the curtains began to fade. The edges of the room darkened, shadows stretching like fingers across the floor.
The boy's smile faltered. He took a step back, his eyes darting toward the creeping darkness.
"They're coming again." His little voice shook. "You have to protect him this time."
Her pulse raced. "Protect who?"
"Papa." His gaze softened. "Don't let them take him from you again."
Before she could move, the shadows surged forward like a wave. The boy's form began to blur, fading into the dimness. She reached for him desperately —
"Wait! Don't go!"
"Elena…"
Her eyes flew open. She was back in her room, her heart pounding. Adrian was leaning over her, his brow furrowed with worry.
"You were calling my name in your sleep," he said quietly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Are you okay?"
She sat up slowly, her throat tight. The dream still clung to her like smoke. For a moment, she almost told him everything — about the boy, about his warning, about the danger that felt so real she could almost touch it.
But something held her back.
Because deep down, she feared that if she spoke the words out loud, she would invite the shadows into their reality faster.
Instead, she forced a small smile. "Just a bad dream."
Adrian studied her for a long moment, as though he knew she wasn't telling the whole truth. But he didn't push. He simply pulled her into his arms, holding her until her heartbeat began to slow.
Still… Elena couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere out there, the child who carried their light was watching — waiting — and trying to guide them through the danger that was already on its way.
As Elena closed her eyes, determined to forget the dream, she heard it — a child's voice, soft and close to her ear. "Mama… they're already here."