"Sharlene… Sharlene."
She stirred awake, heart pounding, as a whisper echoed in her ears. Her name was called out in a voice so familiar, so gentle.
Her eyes blinked open, adjusting to the dim light. Standing before her, still and silent, was her grandmother.
"Grandma?" she whispered, quickly rising to her feet.
But her grandmother said nothing—she only turned and began to walk away.
Without hesitation, Sharlene followed. Her feet moved instinctively, guided by something deeper than thought. The surroundings blurred until she found herself standing before a massive mansion, the structure both majestic and unfamiliar.
She stepped inside.
The interior was silent and grand, with high ceilings and long velvet curtains swaying slightly, though no wind touched them. The soul she had followed was gone. Sharlene scanned the ornate room until her gaze landed on a woman seated at a vanity mirror.
The woman hummed as she combed her hair, her features radiant with joy. Sharlene gasped.
"Leah…"
She knew that face. She had seen her before—in dreams, in fragments of sorrow.
Suddenly, the woman's joy faded. The image shifted. Leah now sat curled on the bed, face pale, tears streaming as she held her stomach.
"Why?" Leah whispered brokenly. "Why did you do this to me? Even to our child—you showed no mercy."
Sharlene felt her chest tighten. The ache was too real, as if Leah's sorrow had passed into her.
She saw her grandmother again—close, yet distant. Always just watching.
"Grandma… What do you want me to do?"
Still, no answer. Only that same deep stare.
Suddenly, another scene unfolded. A cry echoed. Sharlene turned and saw Leah again, standing before a man she didn't recognize.
"I'm not happy anymore, Leah," the man said coldly. "We used each other. I never loved you."
Leah trembled but stood her ground. "I know. I knew it all along. But I loved you anyway. All I ever wanted was love. Why couldn't you give that to me?"
Tears blurred her vision as she fell to her knees. "I forgave everything—everything. Just don't leave me. Please."
The man walked away without a word.
Rage and helplessness surged through Sharlene. She wanted to scream, to shake him, to defend Leah. But she was only a witness to memories etched in pain.
Then the scene faded. A hand gently shook her shoulder.
"Sharlene? Are you okay?" Vivianne's voice broke through.
Sharlene jolted awake, finding herself sitting against the wall. Tashia stood beside her, worry etched into her face.
"You need to rest," Tashia said softly.
Her head spun as she stood, but she leaned on her sister for support. Once inside, she sank into the couch.
"I'll go help with the preparations," Tashia said before stepping out.
Sharlene nodded. "Thanks, Tash."
The silence after her sister left felt heavier than before.
Her parents were still nowhere to be found.
I shouldn't expect them anymore, she thought bitterly.
She pushed herself up, walking slowly to the window. Guests were arriving steadily, dressed in black. As she looked out, her eyes locked on a woman in mourning clothes. Her face was turned away, but there was something strange—no one else noticed her.
The woman held a bouquet of roses—but they were withered, drooping, and brown at the edges. Sharlene's heart clenched. She had seen those roses before.
The woman walked forward. Someone brushed past her… Yet she didn't move. The mourner glided above the ground, leaving behind faint, bloody footprints mixed with mud.
Sharlene's breath caught. A cold chill wrapped around her neck, and she instinctively reached up to touch her skin.
She couldn't move. Couldn't look away.
The woman approached her grandmother's coffin, placed the rose atop it, and leaned in. Whispering something. Then she turned.
Sharlene gasped.
The woman had no face.
Yet Sharlene felt her eyes burning into her soul.
The faceless woman smiled. A slow, twisted smile that sent a ripple of fear through her body.
Sharlene trembled.
"Ma?"
The voice jolted her.
She turned quickly, expecting to see Ashley. But it wasn't her daughter—it was a child in a hospital gown, with eyes full of sadness. Then the face shifted.
Now it was Ashley.
"Mama," the girl whispered.
Sharlene screamed—
—and woke with a start.
She was back on the couch. Breathing heavily. Around her, the murmurs of visitors filled the room. Everything was normal again.
Just another nightmare.
She looked at herself—still in her clothes from last night. The dizziness had faded.
She stood and walked toward the bedroom. Inside, Ashley was still sound asleep. Peaceful.
Sharlene sat beside her, watching her little one breathe softly. After a few moments, she stood and got dressed, bracing herself to face the guests once again.
These dreams… these nightmares, she thought, they're becoming too real.