I’m the contracted bride of the billionaire

Philip felt a chill run down his spine at the deep rumbling coming from Amelia’s throat. The sound was guttural, bestial, the primordial growl of something wild and feral rising from the recesses of her mind.

With his fingers still lightly over hers, he halted, watching in dawning terror as Amelia’s eyes went glassy. The warm hazel pools that he was familiar with and cherished grew murky, their vivid brightness overshadowed by a cold, lifeless gaze. Her lips twisted as if trying to utter words she shouldn’t have been speaking while her mouth worked quietly.

“Amelia?” Philip sounded terrified and unsure in his speech. “Amelia, what’s wrong?”

She remained silent. Certainly not in the soft, sweet tones he had grown to love. Rather, that otherworldly growl became louder, a chilling baritone rasp emanating from the pit of her stomach.

Philip’s heart raced, and every labored breath seemed like tiny ice fragments piercing his lungs. His thoughts were racing, desperately attempting to make sense of the unsettling change he was witnessing. This was more than a recurrence of terrible recollections or a psychological disturbance. There was something far more sinister and subtle at work.

Amelia flinched away from him like though she had been shocked by an electric shock. She rolled back onto the bed, putting more space between them while her body twisted in strange, uncontrollable ways. With each gasp for breath, her tendons pulled against taut muscle as her fingers tore at the linens. She seemed like a marionette caught in the vicious manipulations of an invisible puppeteer.

“Get… out…” Slithering from between tight teeth, the words carried a dark undertone that made Philip’s arms stand up hairs. “Get out of my head!”

His gut told him to go, to get away from this horrifying perversion of the lady he loved. But his feet were anchors of lead, binding him to the place with silent fear. He was powerless to stop Amelia’s experience from becoming a full-blown existential crisis.

“It won’t leave…” Her voice broke into a choked whisper as she let out her agony. “It’s inside me… taunting me… violating me…”

Tears ran down her hot cheeks, and with every convulsive sob, her body shook. The blurry mist appeared to lift from her vision for a minute, bringing a momentary clarity back. Her gaze met Philip’s, and she silently begged him to help her understand the unfathomable nightmare she was stuck in.

Philip went over to the bedside and threw his arms around the weeping woman. She tensed at first, every muscle tense with terrifying expectation, but then she slowly relaxed into his embrace. He caressed her hair in a calming manner, laying delicate kisses on her brow and whispering comforting words.

“It’s okay, love,” he muttered, feeling like his throat was closing. “Yes, I am present. You’re secure.

Amelia felt as though something broke at his words. A savage moan leaked from her mouth, the hurt cry of a creature trapped in excruciating pain. She buried herself even further into his chest, clinging to him in a way that was only possible in complete despair.

“No…” The word sounded like a dry rasp, hardly discernible at all. You’re not understanding. It’s not secure. Nothing like this…” With a strained breath, she trailed off, feeling a fresh tremor course through her body.

Philip pressed closer to her, their foreheads meeting as he wished for her to feel comfort in his unwavering presence. Tell me, Amelia. We can overcome this together, no matter what is going on. Please allow me in.”

She did not say anything for several excruciating moments. They felt the weight of the heavy, tangible stillness suffocating them. Philip felt the battle raging inside her, the struggle of wills between the vulnerable young lady he loved and the sinister ghost that was throwing its devious shadow.

Finally, Amelia let out a gasp and started talking in a hesitant, tremulous tone. “At first, they were merely brief ideas that would flit by on the periphery of my awareness. I initially believed that what I was seeing was just my own subconscious anxieties coming to life.”

She gulped deeply, the memory alone bringing new tears to her already red eyes. However, the murmurs became louder and more enduring. And after that, they began to take shape.”

Repulsion spread like sneaking paranoid tendrils through Philip’s veins, making his blood turn to freezing water. He was forewarned by some sinister intuition that the route Amelia was taking would lead to places best avoided. However, he stayed fixedly by her side, unwavering no matter what new fear her words could unleash.

“What form?” His throat tightened with fear as he blurted out the inquiry.

Amelia raised her head to face him, her eyes haunting and vacant. Not a tangible form. At least not initially. More like an encroachment on my mental property. A persistent presence that seemed off. Evil.”

A shudder ran through her lean body, her teeth grinding against the ghostly cold of ingrained terror. She made a conscious effort to resist giving in to the dark, enticing pull of the wide void in her mind and to stay grounded in the here and now.

“I made an effort to shove it aside and send it back into the deepest corners, where it had been hiding. However, it grew stronger and more substantial the more I refused.” Her breath caught and came out in a strained gulp. “Like an inky stain bleeding across the pristine canvas of my self-identity.”

All Philip could do was stare in silent horror as he held Amelia’s frail body, a cold disgust coiling in his stomach. He was certain, beyond a reasonable question, that she was explaining the ominous consequences of Cambel’s immoral experiments. The lady he loved had been violated in ways too twisted to think about, by that twisted bitch, who had infected her with some sort of psychic nightmare.

Bile burned in the back of his throat as the extent of Amelia’s suffering became a sobering reality. She had been more than just Cambel’s object of physical and psychological abuse. No, that repulsive serpent had slithered much farther, sneaking sneakily into the sacred chamber of Amelia’s own thoughts. That ruthless creature was capable of delving into any depth.

Philip’s attention was brought back to the present moment by a faint, keening wail. Huddled up against him, Amelia was trembling all over from silent weeping. He embraced her more tightly, as though his arms could keep the depravities inside her that were festering.

“I apologize,” she stumbled between gasps. “I realize it seems unreal, as though my shaky hold on sanity has finally failed me. But Philip, I promise you, it’s true. just like you and I are.”

Her comments trailed off into little whimpers, and then there was a tense silence that made the space around them seem to expand and warp. Philip struggled to keep up a facade of stability, but on the inside his mind was filled with terrifying terror. The lady he loved was being infiltrated by an unidentified demon that had the potential to completely destroy her from the inside out.

He summoned tremendous strength and forced the storm clouds of anxiety and self-doubt to move away. He was the unwavering wall that Amelia needed to stand against the creeping lunacy. She needed his strength, his unwavering belief that they could and would succeed in spite of the extreme circumstances.

Finally, he responded, “I believe you,” sounding so certain that there was no room for doubt.

Amelia pressed herself into him, her whole body appearing suspended in the covert aftermath of his statement. She pulled herself slowly enough from his soft haven to look up at him, her flaming eyes revealing her bare vulnerability.

“You… you do?” Her speech was barely audible, a tremulous murmur with a few glimmerings of optimism. “However, how are you certain? What if my sense of reality is slipping away? What if my disintegrating mental state is all that this… presence… is?”

With his grizzled hands cupping her face, Philip captivated her with the intense conviction he held inside his gaze. Since I am familiar with you, Amelia. I am aware of your spirit’s unwavering resilience, regardless of how severely it is beaten. And above all, I have complete faith in that.”

His statements reeked with assurance. But a momentary darkness crossed Amelia’s features as she opened her mouth to reply. Her mouth twisted into a sarcastic, malicious leer as her pupils contracted into obsidian pinpricks. The lady he loved seemed to vanish in that startling moment, to be replaced by a lifeless replica that wore her skin like a hideous mask.

Philip wondered with spiraling fear whether he had just caught a glimpse of the first terrifying intimation of the nightmare to come, but then, just as swiftly, the black presence disappeared.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.