CHAPTER 102: 102-CAUGHT FOR STEALING

Iris:

I rose from the ground and went into the bathroom, then took a shower.

Throughout it, I felt ridiculous, like a bad person who had used someone’s emotions to get what she wanted.

I had a feeling it was not going to be simple to steal it and then try to forget about it.

I knew what would come afterward, especially with the way Kash handled his trust issues.

I sighed and stepped out of the bathroom wearing a black nightdress. I felt dark that day.

A part of me kept trying to convince me not to think too much, to focus on how he had broken my trust.

I guessed I was going to use that excuse every time I did something wrong.

I knew it was unfair, but it was how my mind worked now.

As I was about to get into the bed, I heard a vigorous knock on the door.

I slapped my forehead when I realized someone had come back.

Tired, I dragged my body forward and reached the door, opening it to find Luca standing there.

He looked perfectly fine, as if he had come from a great nap. But the moment he saw me, I noticed lines forming on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" he asked instantly.

"None of your business," I replied, moving toward the bed.

"You’re going to sleep on the couch," I told him, pointing at it as I remembered how he had tried to take the bed from me last time.

"That is not a problem. You can take the bed. And if you want, I can leave the room for you," he suggested, sounding concerned.

I turned around, looked him up and down, and then nodded.

"Good. That would be really good. Please leave," I told him.

As soon as I said it, he narrowed his eyebrows at me.

"Okay, you do not seem worried. Did something happen when I was gone?" he questioned.

I gave him an eye roll.

"Did you not say you would leave the room if I wanted?" I asked, placing my hands on my waist.

"I have changed my mind. I will stay," he replied, which made me groan tiredly as I stretched my neck back.

I knew I was acting like a child, but they all deserved it.

They never cared about my emotions, so why should I?

"Fine. Do whatever you want to do, just stay out of my hair," I hissed, gesturing for him to stay in his space as I got under the blanket and hid my face.

I was still overwhelmed. Flashbacks of my childhood with my mother, and the way she used to humiliate me in front of others, kept returning to me.

Eventually, I fell asleep, but it did not take long before the nightmares started again.

Nightmares of Wilson waking up and running around the mansion, attacking whoever he could find.

I even remembered the first time he had his kill and the person he killed.

"Noooo!" I chanted awake, yelping as I pressed my hand to my forehead. Sweat gathered at my temples.

"Are you okay?" It was Luca, sitting in front of me. I looked up, and our eyes met.

"No. He killed him," I stated as my eyes began to fill.

"Who killed whom?" he asked.

In that moment, I wanted to wake fully because a part of me still felt stuck in the nightmare. I just could not pull myself out of it.

"Him. He killed him," I repeated, pressing my hands to my head, trying to control the headache I always felt after this particular nightmare.

"Iris, it was just a dream. Here, take some water," Luca remarked as he filled a glass and offered it to me.

As soon as his hand touched my skin, I felt the coldness of it.

His hands were icy cold, or maybe my body was too warm.

I jolted, stepped back, and crawled away from him on the bed while staring at him.

Then I noticed the light coming through the window. Morning had arrived.

I began looking around.

"Where is he?" I asked, and Luca frowned again.

I knew I was saying ridiculous things, half awake and half asleep, but I could not stop myself from reacting in a way that felt unnecessary and wrong.

"Iris, it was just a nightmare. Come on, look at me," Luca urged as he moved closer.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him.

After he gave me a firm shake, I realized I had been speaking and reacting while half asleep.

"Your body is heating up. The nightmare must have been very terrifying," Luca observed.

At that moment, I could not think. I lowered my head, giving in to him.

He seemed to understand that I needed comfort, so he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close for a steady hug.

But it was never that simple for me. Comfort was something I had never truly had.

From the mother I grew up with, I had been surrounded by pain, suffering, and loneliness.

Just as I expected, the brief moment of peace broke when someone barged into the room. Before I could react, that person had already seen us.

I broke the embrace and looked up to meet the grey eyes of Kash.

There was silence, and in that silence stood Storm.

He watched us without moving a muscle.

I was certain he had not even blinked before he steadily adjusted his posture, and the blankness on his face shifted into a look of fury.

He scowled and clenched his fists so tightly that I heard his knuckles pop.

"Where is it?" That was the first thing that came out of his mouth, letting me know his reaction had nothing to do with what he was seeing and everything to do with the fact that he had come here looking for something I had stolen from him.

"Where is it?" he shouted again as he lifted his hand and punched the wall behind him with his left hand without even turning around.

It was a backward punch that left a hole in the wall.

Luca instantly got to his feet in a defensive stance.

"What is it? You cannot just barge into someone’s room and start chaos," Luca argued.

"Luca, step back. I am not in the mood to deal with some lowlife scum," Kash yelled.

I began to get out of bed. Luca had no part in this, so I needed to deal with the matter myself.