CHAPTER 74 — Shadows Return
Dante woke before sunrise—heart pounding, shirt clinging to his skin, breath sharp like he'd been running for hours.
A dream.
No—a nightmare.
He swallowed hard as the fragments replayed:
Auri standing in a white hospital hallway, back turned.
Calling his name.
Then fading—like smoke—disappearing faster the harder he tried to reach her.
He woke just before losing her completely.
His chest ached.
Beside him, Auri slept peacefully on her stomach, hair messy, cheek pressed against the pillow. She looked so soft, so alive—nothing like the vanishing figure from his nightmare.
Dante brushed his fingers through her hair gently.
"Thank God," he whispered, voice broken in a way he'd never admit awake.
He slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake her, and stepped into the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, gripping the cold marble sink as he stared at his reflection:
Tired eyes.
Shadows deeper than usual.
Jaw tight with the pressure of unspoken guilt.
His reflection angered him.
He should be stronger.
He should be fine.
He should not be haunted by a stranger's perfume or a ghost-child in his dreams.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He exhaled shakily, forcing himself to breathe.
Auri's Morning With Marcela
Auri bounced into the kitchen an hour later, hair tied in a cute messy bun, wearing her most comfortable sundress. Her mood was sunshine compared to his storm.
"Good morning!" she chimed, hugging him from behind as he drank coffee.
He forced a smile. "Good morning, sweetheart."
"I'm going with Marcela today," she said while pouring her citrus drink. "She said she found a café that makes pastries 'so good they could fix trauma.' Her words."
Dante huffed a soft laugh. "Have fun."
Auri tilted her head. "You sure you don't want to rest with me today?"
"I'm fine," he lied smoothly.
Too smoothly.
"Okay," she smiled and kissed his cheek.
"I'll be back by lunch."
Her light footsteps faded through the hallway, and Dante felt the house collapse into silence.
He welcomed it.
Feared it.
Hated it.
Because silence left him alone with the thing he couldn't talk about.
Celestine's Reappearance
Around late morning, Dante stepped into his home office, sorting flight receipts and documents from his recent trip.
One receipt slipped loose from the stack.
Not a receipt.
A card.
Her card.
He froze.
White edges.
Gold lettering.
Celestine Laurent.
He had forgotten he kept it in his suit pocket.
His jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
He grabbed it instantly—ready to tear it in half—when something made him stop.
A familiar perfume.
Soft, floral, expensive.
Not in the room—just from the paper itself.
His stomach tightened with revulsion.
His mind replayed her voice:
"You look like a man who carries too much tension…"
His fist tightened.
He should burn it.
Destroy it.
Erase it.
But he didn't.
His hand shook.
Not from want—but from anger at himself for even needing to think about it.
Then—
In his email inbox…
A new unread message.
From: C. Laurent
Subject: Pleasure meeting you, Mr. Moretti.
Ice shot through his veins.
She had found his business email.
She sent a simple, polite message—but the intention behind it was unmistakable.
He closed it immediately.
Deleted it.
Blocked the sender.
But the damage was done.
She was real again—not just a memory.
Not just guilt.
A presence.
And that terrified him more than temptation itself.
Dante's Spiral
By the time noon came around, Dante's thoughts were a war zone.
Burn the card.
Why was she bold enough to email you?
What if she's trouble?
Why is your body reacting to stress like this?
You're a mess.
Auri doesn't deserve a mess.
His breathing grew tight.
He pressed his palms to his eyes, rubbing hard.
The room tilted slightly.
it felt dangerously close.
Auri Returns
The sound of the front door opening snapped him back to reality.
"Dante?"
Auri's cheerful voice floated in. "I'm home!"
He straightened instantly, masking everything.
Auri entered the office with a pastry bag. "Marcela bought too many snacks so she gave me some for you."
She placed the bag on his desk, smiling softly. "Are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm fine," he replied automatically.
Auri stepped closer, eyes scanning him lovingly—worriedly.
"Dante… you sure?"
He forced a smirk. "Just missed you."
She rolled her eyes affectionately, kissing his forehead. "Dramatic."
But Dante's heartbeat sped.
Because as she stood this close…
He realized something horrifying:
His body was still tense with that leftover pressure from the flight—
the same tension Celestine had triggered.
He stepped back slightly, controlling his breath.
He would not let Auri feel that tension and misunderstand.
He would not let guilt seep between them.
"Let's eat," he said quickly.
Auri nodded, unaware.
As she walked ahead, humming happily…
Dante's gaze dropped to the card still clenched in his fist.
And his decision came instantly.
He opened the office window.
Ripped the card in half.
Then into smaller pieces.
The wind carried the fragments away.
Good.
Gone.
But the guilt in his chest?
Still there.
Alive.
Burning.
And for the first time…
Dante feared that hiding it wouldn't be enough.