Chapter 1
I feel his breath piercing my neck, and I feel his weight on the other side of my bed.
I tremble beneath my blanket, my eyes tightly shut from fear, my breathing almost breaking apart…
And then—morning arrives, finally.
I lean back against the headboard of my bed, wondering how long my life will stay like this. I am twenty years old now, but I have felt him since I was eight. Someone shares my room with me, yet no one believes me—no one except my reflection in the mirror. My face tells everything: the dark circles beneath my eyes, my exhausted skin from lack of sleep. How could I sleep while I am afraid?
Louisa walks into the bathroom to shower. She puts on her silk shirt, prepares her coffee, brushes her hair, and sits quietly on the balcony. All her family members are still asleep—it is still early morning. She is not married, and it seems she never will be.
“Good morning, my daughter,” her mother says.
“Good morning, Mom. Since when have you been awake?” Louisa asks.
“I prepared breakfast. Why are you sitting on the balcony? It’s cold. Come inside.”
“It is cold indeed—we’re in December,” Louisa replies. ❄️🌨️
“Your grandmother is visiting us today,” her mother says.
Louisa sighs in annoyance. “Oh my God… then I’ll sleep at my friend’s place until she leaves.”
“Oh my God, why? She loves you,” her mother replies.
“She’s annoying and interferes in things that don’t concern her,” Louisa says.
Her little brother enters the room, yawning. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, sweetheart,” their mother replies.
“Jack, do I have school today too?” he asks.
“Of course. Come and eat your breakfast,” she says.
Jack sits beside his mother and says, “I had a terrible dream.”
“Tell me about it,” she replies.
“I saw Louisa sleeping, and there was a man standing over her, trying to choke her. I tried to help her, but my body wouldn’t move.”
He looks at Louisa with sad eyes. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
Their mother laughs lightly. “It’s okay. It was just a dream.”
But to Louisa, it wasn’t just a dream.
She starts screaming, taking it seriously as fear floods her face. She rushes to her room, changes her clothes, grabs some of her belongings, and tells her mother, “I’m staying at my friend’s place.”
“Why?” her mother asks.
“I just want to spend some fun time with her… go out a little,” Louisa answers.
But in truth, she never thought about spending time with her friend.
She only wanted to escape her house—escape the one who fills her days and nights with fear.
