( Raina’s pov ) continuation ....

"What are you talking about Malcolm?" Ethan said immediately. "You have to be mistaken. Raina has nothing to do with Felix disappearing."

Malcolm smiled slowly.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "Then why don’t we ask her ourselves?"

His eyes shifted toward me.

And suddenly—

The room started spinning.

The walls felt too close.

The sound of the clock ticking somewhere behind me became unbearably loud.

Ethan turned toward me slowly now, confusion spreading across his face.

"Raina?" he asked carefully. "What is he talking about?"

Grace looked worried too.

"Raina... is this true?"

Malcolm laughed softly.

That laugh.

God.

It echoed inside my skull like a knife scraping against glass.

"Raina," Grace called again.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

My chest tightened painfully.

"Raina?"

Ethan’s voice sounded farther away now.

Like I was sinking underwater.

"Raina..."

Malcolm’s grin widened.

"Raina."

"Raina!"

"Raina!"

"Raina!"

I jolted awake with a sharp gasp, my entire body jerking violently against the couch as air rushed into my lungs.

My chest rose and fell rapidly.

For a second I genuinely didn’t know where I was.

"Raina?"

I blinked hard.

Ethan was kneeling in front of me, both hands on my shoulders.

His brows were pulled together with worry.

"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"

I stared at him blankly.

"Ethan...?"

Relief hit me so hard it almost hurt.

He was here.

Safe.

No Malcolm.

No reveal.

No destroyed life.

Just a nightmare.

"What are you doing here?" I finally asked weakly.

"I got back from work like an hour ago," he said. "I kept calling you but you weren’t answering."

He glanced toward the couch.

"When you still didn’t pick up, I figured I should come check on you myself."

Shit.

I rubbed my forehead tiredly.

"What time is it?"

"Almost six."

"What?!"

I sat up immediately and started searching around the couch cushions.

"where is it , where is it ?"

"What are we looking for?" Ethan asked, already bending down to help.

"My cellphone."

He checked under the table while I searched through the blanket.

"I don’t see it."

"Wait— ah."

I reached into the narrow space beside the couch and pulled it out.

"It slipped down here."

I exhaled softly.

Ethan sat beside me again.

"You sure you’re okay?" he asked quietly. "You’re sweating a lot."

I forced a small smile.

"I’m fine. Just a nightmare."

His expression softened immediately.

"Come here."

Before I could say anything, he pulled me gently against him.

"It’s okay," he murmured against my hair. "I’m here now."

I closed my eyes slowly.

God.

He smelled so warm.

So safe.

For a moment I allowed myself to stay there, listening to his heartbeat while the remains of the nightmare slowly faded away.

Eventually we pulled apart.

Then Ethan frowned suddenly.

"Wait," he said. "Weren’t we supposed to go shopping today?"

I blinked.

"Huh?"

"For Halloween costumes."

"Oh shit."

I sat upright immediately.

"I completely forgot."

Ethan laughed softly.

"I noticed."

"No no," I said quickly. "I remembered. I was just... resting my eyes."

"Sure you were."

I rolled mine.

"Give me ten minutes. I’m gonna shower and get dressed."

"Alright," he said. "I’ll wait downstairs."

After he left, I sat there quietly for a few seconds.

The dream still clung to me.

Too real.

Way too real.

I grabbed my phone immediately and texted Frank.

Raina:

Everything good at the warehouse?

A few seconds later—

Frank:

Everything’s under control boss.

I stared at the message for a moment before typing again.

Raina:

Good.

Then another.

Raina:

I’m gonna need you to handle something for me . Something important.

I locked my phone afterward and headed to the bathroom.

Some things needed insurance.

And Malcolm was becoming dangerous.

About forty minutes later, Ethan and I arrived at the mall.

Halloween decorations covered almost every corner of the place. Orange lights wrapped around pillars, fake spiderwebs hung from store signs, and giant pumpkins sat near the entrances while kids in cheap costumes ran around screaming at each other.

Eerie music played faintly overhead.

The entire place felt alive.

Ethan held my hand as we walked through the crowd.

"So," he said. "Matching costumes?"

"Absolutely not."

"What? Why?"

"Because matching couple costumes are embarrassing."

"That hurts my feelings."

"oh come on don’t be a baby "

He gasped dramatically.

"I date one rich girl and suddenly she becomes a bully."

I laughed .

We spent almost an hour moving from shop to shop arguing over costumes.

Ethan wanted vampire outfits.

I rejected it immediately.

I wanted something elegant.

He wanted something stupid.

At one point he seriously suggested zombie bride and groom costumes.

"You’re sick," I told him.

"And yet you love me."

Unfortunately true.

Eventually we settled on something simple enough for the party tomorrow night.

Afterward we grabbed dinner at a small restaurant near the cinema floor. Ethan spent most of the meal talking excitedly about work at HQ while I mostly listened and smiled at him.

He looked genuinely happy lately.

Lighter.

And every time he smiled at me, guilt twisted somewhere deep inside my chest.

Because people like me didn’t deserve peaceful things.

Still...

I wanted this.

I wanted him.

And I would protect it no matter what.

The next day was Halloween.

Ethan had the day off, so we spent most of the morning decorating his apartment for the small get-together he planned with his friends.

Orange lights.

Plastic bats.

Cheap pumpkins.

Fake spiderwebs Ethan kept putting in the wrong places because apparently he had no sense of decoration whatsoever.

"You placed that upside down," I told him.

"It’s abstract."

"It’s ugly."

"It’s art."

"It’s terrible."

He pointed the tape gun at me dramatically.

"You wound me."

I laughed softly.

For a few hours things felt normal again.

Too normal.

Around noon I checked my phone and stood up.

"I need to make a few stops," I told him.

Ethan looked up from the fake cobweb he was wrestling with.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I lied smoothly. "I’ll be back before the party starts."

He walked over and kissed my forehead gently.

"Alright. Be safe."

"Always."

I headed downstairs and got into the car.

"Warehouse," I told Malik.

The drive there was quiet.

When we arrived, armed men still patrolled the area while security cameras watched every corner of the compound.

One of Frank’s men opened the warehouse door for me and silently led me inside.

Malcolm was still inside the cage.

The moment he saw me, he smirked.

"Well," he said. "I know it’s Halloween but I didn’t expect the devil herself to visit."

I ignored the comment completely and walked closer.

"Hello Malcolm."

He leaned back lazily in his chair.

"What do you want?"

"I just came to personally update you on a new development."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

I took out my phone.

"Hold on."

Then I dialed Frank.

The second he picked up, I said only one word.

"Now."

I ended the call immediately.

A few seconds later my phone vibrated.

I smiled slowly.

"Well," I said, stepping closer to the cage. "You’re gonna love this."

I played the video.

The second Malcolm saw the screen—

His expression broke instantly.

Pure panic.

"H-how...?"

I started pacing slowly in front of the cage.

"It was surprisingly easy," I admitted. "Honestly I should’ve done this sooner."

The video showed a pregnant woman stepping out of a grocery store.

Beside her—

An older woman.

And a man helping load bags into the car.

Malcolm’s family.

"I spent so much time trying not to cross certain lines," I continued calmly. "Trying not to become that kind of person."

I smiled faintly.

"But you kept pushing."

Malcolm slammed against the bars suddenly.

"You monster."

I ignored him.

"Imagine my surprise when we finally found your ex-girlfriend. Well... wife now apparently."

I tilted my head slightly.

"And pregnant too."

"Don’t you fucking touch them!"

His voice cracked violently.

Good.

I stepped closer.

"Looks like luck finally smiled on me." I said looking straight at him " trick or treat bitch "

"Himari," he hissed. "Please."

I almost laughed.

Please.

Interesting word coming from him.

"Don’t hurt them," he said desperately now. "This isn’t you."

"No?"

"This is Raina talking," he continued quickly. "Not Himari."

I stared at him quietly.

Then smiled.

"I am Raina now "

He cursed loudly and gripped the bars harder.

"What do you want from me?!"

Finally.

There it was.

Fear.

Real fear.

I crouched slightly so we were eye level.

"I want you gone."

His breathing slowed.

"What?"

"I want you out of Harrington. Gone. Anywhere. I don’t care where you disappear to." My voice remained calm. "But if you ever come near Ethan again..."

I let the silence finish the sentence.

Malcolm stared at me for several long seconds.

"You can’t expect me to just leave."

"Oh I absolutely can."

I stood upright again.

"In fact I’m giving you the easier option here."

I looked him directly in the eyes again.

"Because the other option ends with coffins and grieving relatives."

His face tightened.

"And trust me," I said softly, "this option is much kinder."

I pretended like I was leaving.

Then—

"wait..."

"There we go," I smiled. "Now we’re thinking clearly."

He already looked defeated.

Broken.

"I leave," he said slowly. "And you leave my family alone."

"Yes."

He hesitated for exactly five seconds.

Then—

"I’ll do it."

I smiled.

"Excellent choice."

Then my expression hardened slightly.

"But first..."

I stepped closer .

"You’re going to tell me everything you know about X-REVEALS."

About an hour later, I walked out of the warehouse feeling strangely lighter.

Malcolm would disappear.

Ethan would stay safe.

I got a some-what valuable information on X-reveals

And somehow...

Some dark part of me enjoyed what happened in there.

The fear in Malcolm’s eyes.

The control.

The power.

It scared me a little how good it felt.

Was he right?

Was I really becoming a monster?

I stared out the car window quietly as Malik drove.

Maybe.

But monsters survived.

And survival mattered more than innocence ever did.

By evening I finished my Halloween stream and headed over to Ethan’s apartment for the party.

I would smile.

Pretend.

And act like everything was still normal.