“There won’t be a next time,” I snap.
“Yes, there will. Your parents’ murderers are still out there, and justice has yet to be served.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I stiffen, my knuckles turning white as I grip the door handle. I don’t want toturn around, don’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how deeply his words wreck me.
“Think, Dr. Andrews,” Ghost says, his tone eerily calm. “You’re here because of a choice you made, and every choice from here will either pull you further from the truth or push you closer to insanity. Mason was just the beginning. You’re in this now, whether you want to be or not.”
I turn, anger simmering in every fiber of my being as I meet his gaze, unflinching. “You think I’m here because I want to be?” I laugh bitterly. “I never asked for this. I didn’t ask for you to barge into my life, twisting everything until it’s unrecognizable.”
Ghost leans back, his expression unreadable, though a faint glint of amusement lingers in his eyes. “Maybe not. But people like you and me… we’re driven by something darker, something that won’t allow us to walk away.” He tilts his head, studying me with that unsettling intensity. “You want answers, don’t you? About your parents, about what happened to them. I can give you those answers, but not if you keep fighting me.”
I shake my head, clenching my fists. “You’re delusional if you think I’ll ever trust you.”
“All in good time.”
“Never.”
“Never say never, Dr. Andrews.”
I take one last look at him and then I leave, slamming the door behind me. But as I walk away, his voice echoes in my mind, an insidious reminder that maybe, just maybe, he’s right.
I will come back.
The hot water cascades down my back in rivulets, tracing lines along my body as I stand completely still under the shower in my apartment. The heat seeps into my fatigued muscles, attempting to loosen them, but to no avail. I’ve never come away from an interaction with Ghost with the ability to relax afterward.
Stress is synonymous with his name. Along with sensuality.
I close my eyes and will the water to wash away everything.
His beautiful face.
His haunting voice.
His provoking words.
All three dance along my senses, imaginary yet more real than the water heating my skin. And just as scorching. Little by little, Ghost is melting my defenses.
I let my head fall forward until it lands against the tiled wall with a muffled thud. The water continues streaming, and my mind continues churning. I take a deep breath and release it slowly, trying to quiet my thoughts.
What in the hell is wrong with me?
I’m the psychologist, the one who’s supposed to have the answers. The one who guides others through darkness to enlightenment. But it’s me who’s stumbling along the path of self-discovery as Ghost drags me further along.
I know what’s happening. Every tactic. Every bit of manipulation. But that doesn’t mean Ghost’s influence isn’t wrapping around me, constricting me while setting me free at the same time.
Maybe he’s not the only one who’s crazy.
I’ve interacted with psychopaths before, men who tested my patience and my ability to remain unemotional. But with Ghost, I’ve lost both. He isn’t just challenging my personal boundaries… he’s rewriting them. Expanding them, to include himself.
The mere thought sends a chill through me, combating the warmth of the water as my skin prickles. I turn off the shower and step from it to quickly grab a towel. Then I wrap it around my body as if it’ll shield me from my insidious musings.
“He touched what belongs to me.You. And I don’t tolerate that, Dr. Andrews. Not ever.”
Ghost’s words echo relentlessly in my mind, forcing me to grip the edge of the counter. His possessiveness was something I dismissed at first, assuming it was nothing more than a ploy to assert control over me. But as I stand here, alone with only silence as my companion, a realization settles over me, making my legs shake.
Ghost isn’t just mad at Mason. He’s mad atme. Because I didn’t defend myself the way he thinks I should’ve and it ended with me getting hurt.
But most of all, Ghost is furious with himself. For not being there. For failing to protect me as if I’m the most precious thing in his life.
