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I was sleeping drowsily, In a daze, I heard a series of knocking sounds, Knock, knock, knock! I glanced at my phone, It was twelve o'clock. Who could be knocking at this hour?
Chapter 1
Introduction:
I was in a deep, groggy sleep when I heard a series of knocks at the door. Knock, knock, knock! I glanced at my phone. It was midnight. Who could be knocking at this hour?
(1)
I had just moved into a new house. The landlord was a sleazy middle-aged man. Grinning with a mouthful of yellow teeth, he said to me, "You're a young girl, and so pretty too. I'll rent it to you for a cheaper price!" His words were hard to ignore, but the rent was affordable, and given my current situation, I couldn't afford anything more expensive. So, I put up with it.
After finally unpacking, I sat on a chair and surveyed the room. Suddenly, I noticed a spot on the wall that was a different color from the rest. There was a grayish smudge on it. I sat up and stared at the smudge. Slowly, it began to bulge. Before long, a woman's face emerged from the wall. I couldn't see her features clearly, but I knew she wanted to break through the wall. Instantly, I felt a chill run down my spine. I tried to get off the bed but found myself unable to move. She seemed to notice me and struggled, opening her mouth towards me. I mustered all my strength. Move! If I didn't move, I would die!
With a sudden jolt, I sat up in bed. Finally, I could move! Covered in sweat, I glanced at my phone. It was already 11:50 PM. I must have fallen asleep at some point and had a nightmare. Looking at the wall again, it was smooth and showed no signs of any difference. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I went to the bathroom to freshen up. The bathroom was my favorite part of the house, especially the large, bright mirror. Everything was brand new. After getting ready, I finally felt at ease and went to bed. I pushed down the fear from the earlier dream and snuggled under the covers. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!
(2)
I woke up immediately and sat up in bed. Holding my breath, I stared towards the door, even though the room was pitch dark. The knocking continued. Who could it be? Who would knock at such a late hour? I got out of bed, deliberately not putting on shoes to keep my movements quiet. For some reason, I didn't want anyone to know I was home. No matter what, I had decided not to open the door, no matter who it was.
I tiptoed to the peephole and looked outside. It was completely dark. Maybe the motion-activated light hadn't turned on. The knocking continued. I still couldn't see anything. Suddenly, I realized something was wrong. The knocking should have triggered the motion-activated light. It had worked fine earlier in the afternoon. So, it wasn't that the light hadn't turned on; someone was blocking my peephole. What I saw were the eyes of the person knocking!
I quickly covered my mouth to stifle a scream. Hiding behind the door, a chill ran from my feet up to my scalp, and goosebumps covered my skin. Who was it? What did they want? Summoning my courage, I looked outside again. This time, the hallway was empty. There was nothing there. Filled with questions and fear, I returned to bed. But I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. I hid under the covers, browsing on my phone.
"Help: What to do if someone knocks on your door in the middle of the night?" I quickly received comments from other users. "Check if it's a ghost looking for you." "Did someone die in the house you rented?" Though the comments were nonsense, they still stirred something in me. The apartments in this complex were old and looked quite run-down from the outside. But the interior of my unit was recently renovated. What seemed like a pleasant surprise when I rented it now felt suspicious. And that dream-no matter how tired I was, I shouldn't have fallen asleep so deeply without any awareness and had such a bizarre nightmare.
Everything was too abnormal. Everything around me was sending a message. There was something wrong with this house.
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"