David’s apartment was dimly lit, the soft hum of his old film equipment filling the silence as Y/N sat curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow tightly to her chest. She could still remember the night he’d saved her from the horrors of the mausoleum, the moment he’d pulled her out of the darkness and brought her here for safety. Back then, she’d felt grateful, even comforted, by the warmth of his presence. But now, with the doors always locked and the knowledge of his true nature looming over her, that comfort had long since faded. The faint scent of chemicals from his darkroom mixed with something metallic that made her stomach churn, but she said nothing. She couldn’t.

The news anchor’s voice droned on from the TV in front of her, reporting the disappearance of yet another woman—a young actress whose smiling face flashed on the screen. Y/N’s grip on the pillow tightened instinctively, her knuckles pale as she stared at the image. She had seen that face before. Not on the news, but in David’s camera, in the perfectly composed photographs he’d shown her late at night. The beautiful women he captured with such precision, the ones she knew she would never see again. Fear no longer paralyzed her; it had transformed into a cold, quiet acceptance. This was her life now, the cycle of watching, knowing, and keeping his secrets locked inside just as tightly as the door behind her.

She didn’t hear him approach until his arm slipped around her neck from behind, pulling her back into the familiar weight of his chest. “You’re quiet again,” David murmured, his voice low and velvety against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. His hand tightened just slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to remind her who held control. Y/N swallowed hard, clutching the pillow tighter as the screen flickered with the missing girl’s smiling face one last time. “It’s okay,” David whispered, his lips brushing her hair. “You’ll always be safe here with me.” And though fear no longer gripped her as it once had, Y/N knew the truth—this was her world now, a never-ending loop of secrets and silence, with David’s shadow forever looming over her.