Once in a lifetime

Elena’s breath came in sharp gasps.

The vision had lasted only seconds, but the weight of it pressed against her ribs like a ghost’s embrace.

She had been here before. The night she disappeared.

Liam’s hands stayed firm on her shoulders, grounding her in the present. “What did you see?”

She swallowed hard. “The room… it wasn’t like this. It was clean. There was candlelight, and…” She turned toward the dust-covered chair. “A wedding dress.”

Liam’s fingers tensed slightly, but he said nothing.

Catherine, however, looked intrigued. “So, you’re finally remembering.”

Elena ignored her and stepped further into the room. It was waiting for her.

She ran her fingers lightly over the surface of an old vanity, its mirror fogged with dust. A fractured image of herself stared back at her—distorted, incomplete.

Just like her memories.

Then—a flicker.

For the briefest moment, her reflection wasn’t alone.

A shadowed figure stood behind her, watching.

Her heart seized. She spun around—

Nothing.

The air was thick, the scent of old perfume and something metallic clinging to her senses.

“Elena,” Liam said cautiously.

She exhaled shakily. “There was someone here.”

Catherine smirked. “Of course there was.”

Elena turned to her, pulse hammering. “Who?”

Catherine’s gaze flickered toward the far corner of the room, where the light barely reached. Something felt… off.

She sighed, feigning boredom. “You’re asking the wrong question.”

Elena frowned. “Then what’s the right one?”

Catherine’s lips curved into a knowing smile.

“Are they still here?”

A sharp crack sounded from the vanity.

The mirror splintered.

Elena’s breath hitched.

And in the fractured glass—her reflection was still standing still.

But her eyes had turned hollow black.

Liam grabbed her arm. “We’re leaving. Now.”

But Elena couldn’t move.

Because she finally understood something.

This wasn’t just about her past.

Something in this house didn’t want her to leave.

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"If a place from your past life started reacting to your presence—mirrors cracking, voices whispering—would you stay and investigate, or would you run?"

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