The Haunting Dream of the Past

The silence of the night wrapped around the luxurious penthouse like a velvet curtain. Outside, the city lights flickered like distant stars, and the soft hum of the air conditioning was the only sound breaking the stillness. Despite the comfort of the plush bedding and the warmth of the man sleeping beside her, Rei couldn't sleep. Again.

She lay on her side, staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding from the remnants of the dream that had just wrenched her from sleep.

It wasn't just a dream. It was that dream again.

The hallway. The blood. The screaming.

And always that man's face.

His voice was echoing in her ears still: "You promised, Rei… You promised you'd come back for me…"

She sat up, brushing a strand of damp hair from her forehead. Her body trembled, her nightgown clinging to her back from the sweat. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tried to calm her breath, but the image wouldn't fade.

This wasn't just a memory. It was a ghost, clawing its way back into her perfect, new life.

"Rei?" a low voice broke the silence.

Leon's voice.

He turned to look at her, his chiseled face shadowed by concern. The sheets slid down his chest, revealing the hard lines of his body, but his expression was soft, tender almost vulnerable.

"You had that dream again," he murmured.

She nodded, unable to speak.

He reached for her hand and gently pulled her back into bed. "Come here."

She hesitated, but the safety of his arms was undeniable. The world outside might haunt her, but within his embrace, for a moment, she could pretend she was okay.

He rubbed her back gently. "What did you see this time?"

She buried her face into his shoulder. "The hallway again. The smell of blood. The crying. I heard someone calling my name."

Leon didn't respond immediately. His jaw tightened.

"You think it's from your past life," he said after a moment.

"I don't think." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I know."

Leon sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Then maybe it's time we dig into it. Maybe the only way to silence those dreams is to face them."

She stiffened. "But what if I don't want to remember? What if I was… someone terrible?"

Leon pulled back slightly and held her face between his hands.

"I don't care who you were. I only care who you are now. The woman in front of me. The woman I'm going to marry."

Rei looked at him, her heart squeezing painfully.

But what if she was never meant to be his?

What if the man in the dream… was someone she once loved?

The next morning, Rei stood by the balcony, staring at the city. A gentle breeze rustled her silk robe. Her reflection in the glass seemed foreign. Her long dark hair, her refined features, the diamonds on her fingers it all felt like someone else's life.

Behind her, Leon was already on his laptop, going through business reports.

"Leon," she said suddenly, "Do you believe in soulmates?"

He looked up, brow furrowed. "I believe in love. And I believe I love you."

"That's not what I asked."

He stood up, walked toward her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you asking me if I think there's someone else out there meant for you?"

She bit her lip.

"I don't know what I'm asking." Her voice cracked. "I just feel like… I left something unfinished. Someone unfinished."

He turned her gently to face him. "And yet you're here. With me."

His words were firm, but Rei could hear the pain in them. The uncertainty. As if he, too, feared that one day she might leave not because she wanted to, but because her past would reclaim her.

That night, she had the dream again but it was different.

This time, she saw his face.

Clear. Young. Bloodied.

The man from her dreams wasn't just a memory he was real.

"Rei… Why did you let me die?"

She woke up screaming.

Leon was already there, holding her. "I've got you. I've got you."

Tears streamed down her face.

"I saw him. I left him behind. He was hurt, and I… I didn't go back. I ran."

Leon stared at her, silent.

"I think… I think he was my lover in my past life," she said slowly, her voice trembling. "I think I betrayed him."

Leon's face didn't change, but she could feel the chill in his fingers.

Rei sobbed into her hands. "What if I don't deserve this life? This happiness? You?"

Leon stood and walked to the window, his back to her. The silence stretched.

"You're not her anymore," he said finally. "Whoever you were… she died. And you Rei you're mine."

Days passed, but the dreams didn't stop. If anything, they grew worse. Louder. Clearer.

She started writing them down. Names. Places. Symbols. It was like piecing together a puzzle with no edges.

Leon grew colder.

Or maybe, she was just drifting farther.

One morning, she found a box at her doorstep. No name. No return address.

Inside was a necklace.

One she remembered from her dreams.

Her hands shook as she held it up. On the back was an engraving: "Forever, even after death."

Her knees buckled.

Leon walked into the room moments later and saw her on the floor.

"What is it?" he asked, alarmed.

She handed him the necklace, tears flowing freely now.

"He's not just in my dreams anymore. He's here. Someone sent this."

Leon's jaw clenched. "Then we'll find out who."

But she could see it he was afraid too.

Because the past… wasn't just haunting them anymore.

It was coming for her.