The night didn't end. It only stretched longer.
Aria hadn't moved from the spot where Silas left her. The shattered glass was still on the floor, the red wine spreading like a bloodstain. Her reflection in the window stared back at her, eyes hollow, hair tangled, hands trembling.
She tried to convince herself that what she saw wasn't real.
That Silas was gone. Dead. Buried.
But his voice still echoed in her head, whispering every word he said, You became me.
She pressed her palms to her ears, whispering, "Stop. Stop. Stop."
The city outside was alive, lights blinking, cars honking, sirens screaming far below, but her world had gone completely silent inside. She could still smell his cologne in the air, faint and sharp like smoke.
Her phone buzzed again.
A message.
She didn't want to look, but her hand moved anyway.
Unknown: You can't hide from blood, Aria.
Her breath hitched.
Then another one came.
Unknown: He's not your only ghost.
