Sweet Hatred-Chapter 451: Nightmare

ARIA

Everything felt perfect.

Too perfect, maybe, but I didn’t question it.

We were all gathered around a long table... the kind you’d see in a mansion, polished wood gleaming under soft golden light. Candles flickered everywhere, casting warm shadows that danced across smiling faces.

Kael sat beside me, his hand resting on my thigh under the table, his thumb drawing lazy circles that made me feel safe and grounded.

Olivia was there, laughing at something Ash had said. Kaleb was running around behind us, Lily was seated on her mother’s lap, their giggles filling the air like music.

Ash was telling some elaborate story, her hands gesturing wildly. Sylas playfully interrupting his sister. Niko stood near the wall, a rare smile on his usually serious face.

Everyone was here. Everyone I loved and appreciated.

The air smelled like home-cooked food and happiness. Wine glasses clinked. Conversation flowed easily.

I felt content in a way I hadn’t felt in... I couldn’t remember how long.

Then my eyes drifted to the empty chair across from me.

It sat there, conspicuous in its vacancy. A place setting in front of it. A napkin folded neatly.

Waiting for someone.

Something about it made my chest tighten.

Who was supposed to sit there?

I tried to remember, but the thought slipped away like water through my fingers.

"Aria?"

Kael’s voice pulled my attention back. He was looking at me with concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile. "Just... that chair. Who—"

The door opened.

And she walked in.

Sarah.

Relief flooded through me immediately. Of course. Sarah was supposed to be here.

But as she moved closer, something felt... off.

Her smile was too wide. Too fixed. Like it had been painted on and left to dry in that exact position.

And her face.

God, her face.

It flickered. Like a TV with bad reception. One moment it was her... familiar, beloved Sarah. The next moment, something was wrong. The features shifted slightly, the proportions not quite right, the eyes too far apart or too close together or...

I blinked, and she looked normal again.

"Sorry I’m late," she said, her voice bright and cheerful.

No one else seemed to notice anything strange.

Olivia waved at her. Ash called out a greeting. Even Kael nodded in acknowledgment.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling crawling up my spine like insects.

Sarah sat down in the empty chair, and I realized she was holding something.

A box. Wrapped in beautiful paper, tied with a perfect bow.

She pushed it across the table toward me, her smile never wavering.

"I brought you a gift," she said. "To congratulate you on the baby."

Everyone turned to look. Expectant. Encouraging.

"Open it!" Olivia said.

"Yeah, open it," Ash echoed.

Kael’s hand squeezed my thigh. "Go ahead, baby."

My hands trembled as I reached for the box.

Something was wrong. I knew it was wrong. But everyone was watching, and I didn’t want to make a scene.

I untied the bow.

Lifted the lid.

And looked inside.

The smell hit me first. Rotten. Decay. Death.

Then I saw it.

Body parts.

Not clean. Not surgical. But torn and ragged and decomposing.

Fingers. Toes. Something that might have been an ear. All jumbled together in a pile of meat and bone and...

I shoved away from the table so violently my chair crashed backward.

"What—what is that?!" I gasped.

Sarah tilted her head, her expression shifting to confusion. "Don’t you like it?"

"That’s—there are—" I couldn’t form words. Couldn’t breathe.

She stood, and her face flickered again. Wrong. So wrong.

"I did it for you," she said, taking a step toward me. "My gift. To show you how much I care. How much I love you."

"Stay away from me!"

I backed up, and the room seemed to stretch and warp around me.

"Kael," I called, turning to him for help.

But he didn’t respond.

None of them did.

I looked at the table.

And my heart stopped.

They were all dead.

Olivia’s eyes were open, blood streaming from them like tears, her throat slit so deep her head hung at an unnatural angle.

Ash slumped forward, a knife buried in her back, her mouth frozen in a silent scream.

Sylas’s chair had tipped over, his body sprawled on the ground, limbs twisted wrong.

Niko slumped against the wall, unmoving, blood pooling at his feet with a knife buried deep.

And Kael.

God, Kael.

He was still sitting beside me, still looking in my direction.

But there was a hole in his forehead. Perfectly round. A bullet hole.

Blood and brain matter splattered the wall behind him.

His eyes were open but empty. Dead. Gone.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no—"

"They were in the way," Sarah said from behind me. "But now it’s just us. Like it should be. Like it was always meant to be."

I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Sarah’s hand reached for me...

---

I jolted awake with a gasp.

The room was pitch black.

Completely, utterly dark.

The lights were out.

Panic slammed into me like a physical force.

I couldn’t see. Couldn’t orient myself. Couldn’t tell what was real and what was the nightmare still clinging to me.

The darkness pressed in, suffocating, and all I could see in my mind was Kael with that hole in his forehead, blood running down his face, his eyes empty and dead...

My breath came in short, sharp gasps that didn’t bring any air.

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t...

"Aria."

Kael’s voice cut through the panic.

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest.

"Breathe, baby. You’re safe. I’ve got you."

But I couldn’t. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t stop shaking.

"Please," I gasped out. "Please don’t die. Please don’t leave me. Please—"

"I’m right here." His hands cupped my face in the darkness. "I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere."

"I saw you die," I choked out, my whole body trembling so hard I thought I might shake apart. "There was a hole in your head and you were dead and I couldn’t—I couldn’t—"

"It was just a dream." His voice was steady, anchoring. "Just a dream, Aria. I’m here. I’m alive. Look."

He pressed my hand to his chest, over his heart.

I felt it beating. Strong. Steady. Real.

But I couldn’t stop shaking.

"I’ve got you," he murmured, gathering me closer. "I’ve got you."

He stood, lifting me with him, and I clung to him like a child.

Helpless. Terrified. Broken.

He carried me somewhere... I couldn’t tell where in the darkness... and then I heard water running.

The bathroom.

He was running a bath.

"It’s okay," he kept saying, his voice low and soothing. "You’re safe. I’m here. Nothing’s going to hurt you."

Slowly, gradually, my breathing started to even out.

The shaking lessened, though it didn’t stop completely.

Kael lit candles... the power was still out... and warm, flickering light filled the bathroom.

I could see him now. Alive. Whole. No bullet hole. No blood.

Just Kael, looking at me with such concern it made my chest ache.

"Come on," he said gently. "Let’s get you warm."

He undressed me carefully, his hands shaking slightly... he was rattled too, I realized, even if he was trying to hide it.

Then he helped me into the tub.

The water was almost too hot, but I welcomed it. Needed it. Something to ground me in reality.

Kael climbed in behind me, pulling me back against his chest, wrapping his arms around me.

We sat there in the warm water, surrounded by soft candlelight, while the storm raged outside.

"Tell me about it," he said quietly. "The dream."

I didn’t want to. Didn’t want to relive it.

But I also couldn’t keep it inside.

So I told him.

About the dinner. About Sarah appearing with her distorted face. About the gift full of rotting body parts. About turning around to find everyone dead.

About him with a bullet hole in his head.

By the time I finished, tears were streaming down my face, mixing with the bathwater.

"I have this feeling I can’t shake," I whispered. "Like something bad is going to happen. Like Sarah’s going to come back and hurt you or hurt the baby or—"

"Hey." He turned me slightly so he could see my face. "Look at me."

I did, my vision blurred with tears.

"I’m not going to let anything happen to you," he said fiercely. "Or to our baby. I promise you, Aria. Whatever it takes, I will keep you both safe."

"But what if—"

"No what ifs." His hands framed my face. "I won’t let her near you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Do you understand?"

I wanted to believe him. Wanted to let his certainty wash away my fear.

But the nightmare still clung to me like cobwebs.

"Promise me you’ll be careful," I begged. "Promise me you won’t—you won’t take risks. You won’t put yourself in danger. Promise me, Kael."

"I promise," he said without hesitation. "I’ll be careful. I’ll stay safe. For you. For our baby. I promise."

I searched his eyes, looking for any hint of doubt or insincerity.

I found none.

Just absolute, unwavering certainty.

I nodded, finally, and let him pull me back against his chest.

His arms tightened around me, one hand splaying across my stomach.

"Nothing is going to happen to us," he murmured into my hair. "We’re going to be fine. All three of us."

I wanted to believe him.

So I chose to.

At least for now.

We sat in silence for a while, the water warm and soothing, the candles casting dancing shadows on the walls.

Gradually, finally, I felt my body start to relax.

The trembling stopped. My breathing steadied. The panic receded, leaving exhaustion in its wake.

Kael’s hands moved to my shoulders, massaging gently.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said softly. "Better."

His hands slid lower, washing me carefully. Not sexual. Just tender. Caring.

He traced my collarbones. My arms. The curve of my waist.

His touch was reverent, like he was reminding himself I was real. Whole. Here.

I leaned back against him fully, letting the warmth of the water and the safety of his presence sink into my bones.

His lips found my shoulder. A soft kiss. Then another on my neck.

The shift was gradual. So gradual I almost didn’t notice it.

But his hands lingered longer. His kisses became more deliberate.

My breathing changed, deepening, my body responding to his touch in a way that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with need.

I turned in his arms, water sloshing, until I was facing him.

Our eyes met in the candlelight.

"Aria," he said, his voice rough.

I kissed him.

Slow and deep and full of everything I couldn’t put into words.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for keeping me safe. Thank you for loving me.

He kissed me back with equal intensity, his hands sliding up my back, pulling me closer.

I shifted, straddling him, the water rising around us, unhurried, our bodies finding a rhythm that was intimate and tender and achingly perfect.

The candles flickered. The water lapped against the sides of the tub. The storm howled outside.

But in here, we were safe.

We were whole.

We were together.

And for now, that was enough.

After, when we were both boneless and sated, Kael helped me out of the tub.

We dried each other off slowly, carefully, neither of us speaking.

Then he carried me to bed... I was too sleepy and relaxed to protest and tucked us both under the covers.

I curled into him, my head on his chest, his arm around me, his hand resting protectively on my stomach.

"I love you," I murmured.

"I love you too," he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

The storm still raged outside, but wrapped in his arms, I felt safe.

And finally, finally, I let myself drift back to sleep.

This time, there were no nightmares.

Just warmth and the steady beat of his heart beneath my ear.