Chapter 1: Part 1 : Welcome Home (POV Sharon) :
The key turns in the hight security lock with a satisfying click. My heart beats faster and faster from joy as I push the door of Our home. After three long years of construction, planning, spending a lot of money a lot !!! and endless waiting a lot too ! , we are finally here. A small smile stretches across my lips as I turn to my love Liam .
"We made it," I whisper, my breath unsteady.
Liam smiles, wraps an arm around my waist, and pulls me in for a tender and soft kiss. "Yes, Mrs. Calloway. We made it finally my pretty wife ." , i have such a nice men ... "
I close my eyes slowly , savoring the moment. The house is stunning—modern, spacious,luminous , bathed in the afternoon sunlight. The large glass doors offer a breathtaking view of the garden, still bare and virgin but full of promise maybe a futur pool there or just a nice garden ?.
I wander through the vast living room with that long black sofa designed by the popular furniture brand luxEE , my fingers gliding over the smooth marble surface of the open kitchen island. Everything is minimalistic, luxurious. It's exactly as we had imagined it.
"Can you believe it?" I breathe. "all this years of waiting, and now it's ours."
Liam nods, chuckling softly, before lifting a box. "Well, now we just have to turn this place into a real home."
We quickly get to work, unpacking boxes, wiping down dusty surfaces. Each item finding its place perfectly brings me immense satisfaction, as if I'm building our future with every movement. But as I organize a kitchen cabinet, something makes me frown.
A pack of cigarettes, left behind on the white counter.
But it's not just any pack. It's bright pink, with a red heart drawn on the front and the word "Vengeance" written in bold dark black letters.
A small shiver runs down my spine. That's strange. I've never seen a cigarette brand like this before.
"Babe?" I call out. "Did you switch to something new its a new pack not your usual one ?"
He comes over, wiping his hands on a dish towel, and raises an eyebrow at the cigarette pack.
"No. That's not mine. Probably something one of the workers left behind last time ."
I nod, still unsettled by the unusual design. "Vengeance"? its a weird name for a cigarette brand, or its me ? I shake off the thought i'm such a Drama queen being stressed for a pink pack . It's probably just one of those trendy new brands trying to make an impact with bold marketing to attract young audiance . Nothing more nothing .
Without another thought, I toss the pack into the kitchen trash, promising myself to forget about the oddity.
Without knowing that this is only the beginning of this story .
Part 2: The Shadow in the Night (Sharon's POV):
The silence in the house is almost deafening, terrifying... Lying in our massive bed, I stare at the clean white ceiling, unable to find sleep. Liam breathes peacefully beside me, already asleep for an hour or two—I've lost track of time. I should be tired, exhausted even, after this moving day... but something unknown keeps me from surrendering to sleep something that i don't know yet.
Maybe it's the excitement. Maybe it's this strange feeling of finally being HOME , yet not quite feeling like this house belongs to me not yet ! why this feeling ? .
I close my eyes slowly, determined to try to sleep.
Then, a noise .
A soft sound, almost imperceptible. A creak, like wood settling... or like someone walking slowly in the living room.
I hold my breath maybe i'm just hallucinating .
Clack. Clack Clack...
Or Maybe not .
Footsteps. Slow. Measured. As if someone were moving cautiously, trying not to wake us.
I open my eyes, my heart pounding. My first instinct is to listen carefully, but silence has returned. Maybe just the house adjusting... or my imagination playing tricks on me. But what if I'm right?
This feeling of being watched refuses to fade...
I sit up slowly, trying not to wake Liam, who is still sleeping peacefully. My foot touches the cold floor, and I shiver—but not from the temperature.
Tiptoeing, I leave the bedroom and descend the winding staircase. Each step creaks louder than I remember.
In the living room, darkness is thick, disturbed only by the pale moonlight filtering through the glass doors. I scan the room, holding my breath.
Nothing.
I look again.
Still nothing...
No shadow in the dark. No intruder. Everything is in place... except this strange sensation that refuses to leave me.
A hand brushes my shoulder, and I jump violently.
— Sharon? What are you doing?
Liam, standing behind me, his face creased with sleep. My heart pounds in my chest.
— I thought I heard... footsteps.
— That's normal, he says with a yawn. First night, you're not used to the place yet. I didn't hear anything.
He's probably right. I suddenly feel ridiculous.
I shake my head and walk to the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water. I drink slowly, savoring the cool liquid soothing my dry throat.
Then, without thinking, I toss the empty bottle into the kitchen trash.
My gaze stops abruptly.
The pink cigarette pack " VENGANCE " from this morning. It's gone.
I frown. I threw it away here just hours ago. It should be there, buried under other trash. I lift a paper, a banana peel, rummage around for a moment—but nothing.
A chill runs down my spine.
I turn to Liam, hesitant.
— Babe... Did you take out the trash?
He shakes his head, still half-asleep.
— Not yet, Shar. I'll do it in the morning.
I freeze. Then where is the pack?
A long silence stretches between us. Finally, I let out a nervous laugh and close the trash can.
I'm just imagining things. That must be it.
— Come on, let's go back to bed, Liam says, pulling me into his arms. We need sleep, I'm exhausted.
I nod and follow him upstairs.
But once I'm lying down, staring at the darkness of the ceiling, I can't help but think:
If Liam didn't take it... then who did?