Chapter 18

The door to my bedroom crashed open, the sound of splintering wood tearing through the silence of the night. I jolted upright, my heart in my throat as Callie’s silhouette filled the doorway, her frame backlit by the hallway light.

“Cora!” she hissed, her voice a strangled whisper-shout. “What the hell were you thinking?”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding before me. Callie’s face was a mask of fury, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

How the fuck did she get in my house and how did that not wake my mom?

“Do you have any idea how much more we could have milked this if you’d just told me?” She continued, her words coming out in a torrent of pent-up frustration. “We could have made videos, started a whole social media campaign! But no, you had to go and do it without me.”

I blinked, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. “Callie, what are you talking about?”

“The kidnapping, Cora!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in exasperation. “You faked your own kidnapping and didn’t even think to include me? I’m your best friend and your editor! I thought we were in this together.”

Groggy and bewildered, my mind raced to catch up. I had to tell her the truth, to explain the inexplicable. “Callie, listen to me,” I said, my voice steady despite the tremor of anxiety that coursed through me. “It wasn’t fake.”

She scoffed, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. “Bullshit, Cora. You expect me to believe that? After everything we’ve been through, you’re going to lie to my face?”

I took a deep breath, the weight of my revelation heavy on my tongue. “I’m not lying. Haides… he’s real. I don’t know how it’s possible, but he is. And I’m not going to question any of it.”

Callie’s expression shifted from anger to confusion, her brow furrowing as she processed my words. “Haides? The character from your book? Cora, you’re not making any sense.”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my feet landing on the cool hardwood floor. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. Somehow, Haides stepped out of the pages of my novel and into my life. He kidnapped me, Callie. It was terrifying and exhilarating, and… and I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Callie’s mouth opened and closed, her mind seemingly at a loss for words. She stumbled backward, collapsing onto the edge of my bed as the gravity of my confession settled over her.

“You’re serious,” she finally muttered, more to herself than to me. “You’re actually serious.”

I nodded, my hands clasped tightly in my lap. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. Haides is out there, and I need to find him. I can’t let him go now that I know he is real.”

Callie shook her head slowly, her eyes locked onto mine. “This… this changes everything, Cora. If what you’re saying is true, then we’re dealing with something beyond any of our wildest dreams. But I need you to be sure. Absolutely, positively sure.”

I stood up, my resolve solidifying with each passing second. “I’ve never been more sure of anything. Haides is real, and I’m going to prove it to you.”

“How are you going to do that?” Callie’s voice was laced with skepticism, her eyes searching mine for a glimpse of sanity.

I took a deep breath, the words tumbling out with a conviction that surprised even me. “I’m going to hire a private investigator. With the book sales skyrocketing after… well, after everything, I can afford it. I can afford to focus on finding Haides full-time.”

Callie’s reaction was instantaneous, her screech piercing the quiet of my bedroom. I clapped my hand over her mouth, glancing fearfully at the door. “Shh! You’ll wake Mom!” I hissed, my heart pounding in my chest.

She batted my hand away, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You quit your job? For a guy you met for two seconds? Cora, this is insane!”

I looked away, the weight of her judgment pressing down on me. Callie was my best friend, the one person who knew me better than anyone else. And yet, she couldn’t understand the depth of my connection to Haides.

The silence hung between us, thick and heavy, until Callie’s eyes suddenly widened, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ as the realization hit her. “Oh my God,” she breathed, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. “You didn’t just meet him. You… you had sex with him.”

My cheeks flamed with a mixture of embarrassment and defiance as I met her gaze. “Yes, we did. And I know it sounds crazy, but I love him, Callie. I would do anything to be with him.”

Callie stared at me for a long moment before muttering under her breath, “This is why people who don’t read dark romance think the people who do read it are fucked in the head. We are.”

I reached out, grabbing her hands in mine. “No, we’re not. We understand the complexity of human emotion, the allure of the danger.”

Callie sighed, her expression softening as she squeezed my hands. “Cora, I love you, and I’ll support you no matter what. But please, be careful. If what you wrote about him is true then this man, whoever he is, is dangerous. And I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”

I nodded, gratitude washing over me. “I promise, I’ll be careful. But I need to do this, Callie. I need to find Haides and figure out what this connection between us really means.”

We sat there in silence, the gravity of my decision settling over us like a heavy shroud. I knew the road ahead would be fraught with peril, but with Callie by my side, I felt ready to face whatever challenges lay in wait. Together, we would navigate this twisted path, seeking answers in the shadows of my own creation.

“Well, do you know which private investigator we’re meeting with?” Callie asked, breaking the silence. My head whipped in her direction in disbelief.

“What?! You think I’ll let you do this alone? Bitch, fuck that! I want to be a part of the sequel and bag me a hot serial killer too.” She smirked. “Oh and Money Bags, you’re my new sugar mama because I’ll need to quit my day job to make sure you’re not running off without me. That is a full-time job apparently.”

“It’s not a full-time job!” I sputtered. “I just got kidnapped once!”

“Yeah, well, let’s not make it twice. Now shove over. I want to take a nap before we start figuring shit out.”