Chapter 4 – Everything has changed

Anastasia stirred, slowly waking from the haze, her body aching as if it had been shattered and glued back together. Every muscle felt sore, yet there was an odd sense of power humming beneath the pain, like she'd been reborn. She blinked, her vision blurry at first, the world around her coming into focus in fragments. Something was different. No, everything was different. This wasn't like waking up in the hospital after the accident years ago—this was like stepping into a whole new reality, one where she didn't quite belong.

She lay still, her senses adjusting, the weight of the world pressing down on her. The room was unfamiliar, dimly lit, and cold. Her heart raced. Annoyance of not knowing where she was threatened to rise, but she held it at bay, breathing in slow, deliberate breaths.

That's when she noticed him.

Someone was sitting at the edge of the bed, watching her. A shadowy figure, just sitting there, waiting.

Anastasia's heart stopped for a beat as her eyes locked onto his.

Dylan Fischer; her ex-boyfriend.

"Hey," he said softly, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You're awake."

She didn't move, her mind spinning. Dylan? Here? Relief flickered across his features, but there was something darker lingering behind those familiar eyes, a strange mix of anticipation and... something else. Something that sent a chill down her spine.

"Dylan...?" Her voice came out raspy, like she hadn't used it in days.

"Yeah. It's me," he replied, his eyes never leaving her. "I thought... I thought you were gone for good."

Gone for good? She pushed herself up a little, wincing at the effort. Her body screamed in protest, but she forced herself to sit up. "How... how long have I been out?"

He hesitated, his smile fading slightly as if he was gauging how much to tell her. "Three weeks."

Her breath hitched. Three weeks? Her mind raced, thinking of everyone—Bastian, Wyatt, her brothers. They must've been out of their minds with worry. "Three weeks?" she repeated, disbelief in her voice. "I was... unconscious for that long?"

Dylan nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing, studying her reaction. "Yeah. They stopped searching, Ana. Everyone thinks you're dead. They gave up." He smirked slightly, as if that detail worked perfectly in his favor. "Which, well... makes things easier for me."

Her brow furrowed, something dark twisting in her gut. "What do you mean by that?"

He shrugged casually, but his eyes glinted with something more sinister. "Let's just say... your little disappearance fits nicely into my plans."

Anastasia's heart raced. "Dylan... what are you talking about?" She pushed herself further up, her mind catching up to the severity of the situation.

He leaned back slightly, crossing his arms. "I've been watching you for a long time, Anastasia. Even before the island." He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You didn't think I was going to let you just disappear, did you? I followed you. I watched you leave the pier. And when I couldn't figure out which damn island you went to, I hunted you down for several weeks. Then I found you."

Her stomach twisted. "You found me on the island?"

"Oh, yeah." His smile returned, but it was darker now, more menacing. "I watched you the whole time. You and your angel boy, Warren, or should I say, Bastian, your dead boyfriend." He spat Bastian's name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I saw everything."

Anastasia's chest tightened. Bastian. Her heart lurched at the thought of him—was he okay? Did he know she was alive?

Dylan's voice pulled her back. "And when you left the island... I followed you. I saw what happened on the boat."

She frowned, trying to piece it together. "The boat...?" Her memory was still fuzzy, but flashes of that night flickered in her mind—Bastian, the cold water, hitting her head on something—

"You hit your head on the railing," Dylan said, his voice oddly sympathetic. "Fell into the water, unconscious. I thought you were gone for sure."

"You... you saw that?"

He nodded, his eyes darkening. "I thought you were dead, Ana. And honestly... you were." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But then you came back. Something brought you back."

Anastasia felt a chill crawl up her spine. "What are you talking about?"

Dylan's grin widened. "You've changed, Anastasia. I can feel it. You're not the same girl who fell into that water."

She swallowed hard, fear creeping up her throat. He wasn't wrong. She did feel different, stronger, like something inside her had woken up. But why did he sound so... thrilled about it?

"How you know all this? What do you want, Dylan?" she demanded, her voice stronger now, though her body still ached.

He tilted his head, his eyes glinting with that strange hunger. "I want what was always meant to be mine."

Anastasia's blood ran cold. "You're insane."

He laughed, the sound low and mocking. "No, I'm patient. I've waited a long time for this, Anastasia. And now, you've made it easier for me." He leaned in, his breath brushing against her skin. "You gave yourself to your old boyfriend releasing you of any 'proprietary'. And now... you're mine for the taking."

Her body recoiled in disgust, her eyes narrowing. "You're out of your mind if you think I'll ever let that happen."

His smile didn't falter. "You'll come around. You can't leave until you accept me, willingly."

Anastasia glared at him, her heart hammering in her chest. "Who are you really, Dylan?"

He paused, his smile slipping into something darker, more dangerous. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." His eyes gleamed with a wicked promise, and the room seemed to grow colder.

Before she could respond, the door behind him creaked open, casting shadows across the floor. Dylan stood up slowly, his gaze still locked on her as he backed away toward the door.

"We'll talk soon, Ana," he said, his voice low and ominous. "Very soon."

With that, he slipped through the door, leaving her alone in the cold, empty room, her heart racing, her mind spinning with dread.

Who was Dylan? And what the hell did he want with her? And how is he acting so normal about discovering Bastian coming back and being an angel?