The chains of desire

The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting long, pale streaks across Ivy’s bed. She lay there, motionless, staring at the ceiling as the memories of the night before replayed in her mind like a twisted dream.

Lorne had left at some point in the early hours, slipping away into the darkness as silently as he had come. But his presence still lingered, like a shadow that refused to fade.

She had let him in. She had given in to the pull. And now, there was no going back.

Ivy sat up slowly, her body aching, as if she had been through a battle. In a way, she had. A battle against herself, against the feelings she had been trying so desperately to deny.

The sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand broke the silence, and she reached for it with a sigh. Dorian’s name flashed on the screen, and guilt twisted in her chest.

She hadn’t told him about Lorne. She hadn’t told him anything.

She answered the call, her voice hoarse. “Hey.”

“Morning, Ivy.” Dorian’s voice was cheerful, but she could hear the concern lurking beneath the surface. “How are you feeling? You sounded pretty out of it last night.”

Ivy swallowed hard, glancing around the room as if the walls might somehow hold the answer to the question she couldn’t even ask herself. “I’m… better,” she lied, rubbing her eyes. “I just needed some rest.”

Dorian didn’t respond right away, and Ivy could imagine him frowning, sensing that something was off. “I was thinking,” he said finally, “maybe we could meet up today. Grab coffee or something? It’s been a while since we hung out, just the two of us.”

Ivy hesitated. She wanted to see Dorian, to ground herself in his warmth, his normalcy. But the thought of facing him, of pretending everything was fine when her world was crumbling, felt impossible.

“I’m not sure,” she said softly. “I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”

“Ivy…” Dorian’s voice was gentle, but firm. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I’m worried. You can talk to me, you know that, right? About anything.”

She closed her eyes, the guilt gnawing at her insides. He deserved to know the truth. He deserved to know what was happening to her, what she was getting pulled into. But how could she explain any of it when she didn’t even understand it herself?

“I know,” she whispered. “I just… I need a little more time.”

Dorian didn’t push, but she could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Okay. But promise me you won’t shut me out.”

“I promise.”

After they hung up, Ivy sat there for a long time, staring at her reflection in the mirror across the room. Her face looked pale, her eyes hollow, like someone she barely recognized.

And then, as if on cue, she felt it.

That familiar, intoxicating presence. Lorne.

He was near.

Ivy’s heart raced as she stood and moved to the window, her eyes scanning the street below. There he was, standing in the same place as before, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her blood turn to ice.

She had fallen into his world, and now, there was no escape.

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