CHAPTER 1
The Shadow Within
"Bang!" Her fist hit the desk. Yelling echoed from ear to ear.
She had found dirt on him—she did. She always did.
Katriel gripped the files to her chest. She knew this would count against her department. The Human Resources Manager had a talent for digging up dirt on anyone just before they got promoted.
"Oh my! What's the latest news?" Sandra, Katriel's colleague, asked eagerly.
Beatrice replied, "Apparently, they found out he dealt with drugs. Rumour has it he's still on them, even though he swears he's clean now and is seeing a therapist."
"That's not even the shocking part," she continued, lowering her voice. "His sisters are Midnight Ballerinas."
The words began to fade as Katriel slowly zoned out. She drifted into her own world—a quiet, peaceful place. A thought echoed in her mind: No one should suffer for their past mistakes… or for the people around them.
She had enough of her own problems. Yes, she did.
And hers was fatal.
One wrong decision could change her life forever.
She was being forced to marry a man she didn't even know. How pitiful.
It all started when the Qin family sent a marriage proposal to the Miller family. Her stepmother had convinced her father to accept it. The man was rumoured to be ruthless. Her stepmother claimed she didn't want her own daughter to suffer in his hands—so Katriel had to be the sacrifice.
Even though the man was extremely wealthy, the marriage wasn't about love. They just wanted to use Katriel as a puppet to bring in more money.
She had no choice. She had a younger brother to protect, and if she refused, he'd suffer too.
Still, she didn't want this life. Not like this.
"Wake up!" Fingers snapped in front of her face. "Did you come to work, or to daydream about God knows what?!"
"Get back to work," her superior barked.
The rest of the day was endless typing, just typing, and more typing.
Work was draining. But in her heart, she was focused on something else.
Her story.
Katriel loved writing stories. That was her escape. That was where she found peace.
Later that night, in her tiny, cluttered apartment, she sat hunched over her scattered desk. Her fingers hovered above the keyboard, frozen in thought, searching for the perfect word.
"I got it!" she whispered, excitement blooming in her chest.
As she poured her soul onto the pages, the words flowed like rivers, twisting and turning through the riddles of her mind. She was a weaver of shadows, and her stories were her refuge—the only place where she felt truly safe.
The world outside bustled with strangers and chaos, but her world was quiet. And in that silence, she found comfort. She could feel the joy and pain of her characters as if they were real.
Minutes turned into hours.
The night deepened, and her words began to blur. Her fingers trembled slightly from fatigue.
Then something shifted.
She felt it.
Something strange. Something she hadn't felt before.
A cool breeze brushed across her face.
The lights flickered.
Then, the room fell into darkness.
Her breath caught in her throat. A strange feeling crept over her—a whisper in her soul that told her she was being watched.
But she shook it off. Maybe it was just the story messing with her head. She was still wrapped in the world of her characters. They surrounded her now.
She reached out for the flashlight, just a few steps away, near the bed.
And then… there was a knock at the door.
Katriel's soul nearly left her body. Who could that be?
She didn't have visitors. She didn't even have friends.
"Who could that be?" echoed in her thoughts.
"Oh Lord, I can't die now… I haven't even had dinner yet," she muttered, panic creeping in.
She moved toward the door slowly. But then she hesitated.
Water first, she thought. Maybe if I take my time, whoever it is will leave.
She counted her steps as she walked to the fridge, hoping the knock wouldn't come again.
She avoided people like a plague.
She opened the fridge, picked up the bottle, twisted the lid, and took a long sip.
The water was still in her throat—
When the knock came again.
This time, louder.
Persistent.
Who could be knocking at such a strange hour?
Who was on the other side of that door, waiting silently?
The knock came again,louder this time, more urgent.She froze.That's when she saw it.... a shadow under the door.Someone was standing there.Waiting. Not moving. Not leaving.