Chapter 1
When Aunt Luna let the AC repairman in, I was five, fast asleep in my bedroom.
By the time I woke up, the police were already bagging evidence. Aunt Luna was wrapped in a blanket, bruised and broken, staring blankly at the wall.
She never smiled again. Instead, she collected scars on her arms.
Her ex-husband Ethan dropped everything to hold her, promising it wasn't her fault. But the PTSD won. Two years later, she swallowed a lethal dose of pills. Ethan followed her in death the very same night.
Every year, my mom would take me to their graves, crying as she whispered: If only I hadn't let your aunt call that repairman.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the summer I was five!
Aunt Luna walked out of the kitchen with her phone, fanning herself.
"Stella, I called a guy to fix the AC. Be a good girl and go take your nap."
The next second, the front doorbell rang.
"Hello! HandyPro AC repair."
My blood ran ice-cold!
I recognized that voice—Jake Dalton.
The rapist who destroyed both our families in my past life!
I lunged forward. I threw my tiny body at Aunt Luna’s legs and locked my arms around her knees.
"Auntie, don't let him in!" I sobbed, digging my heels into the hardwood floor.
Luna stopped. She looked down, completely caught off guard. She crouched and stroked my cheek. "Stella? Sweetie, what's wrong?"
I couldn't tell her the truth. I couldn't say I had read the police files of my own family’s tragedy.
I needed an excuse she couldn't ignore.
Then, an idea hit me.
"Grandma," I choked out, gasping for air. "Grandma came to me in my dream. Just now."
Luna’s hand froze mid-air. Grandma had passed away three years ago.
"She told me a bad man was going to come inside," I cried louder, gripping her dress tight. "She said there were cops everywhere. She said you were hurting and completely covered in bruises... and Uncle Ethan was gone! We kept screaming, but neither of you would answer!"
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang again.
Luna automatically glanced toward the front door.
I let out a high, piercing shriek. "Don't open it! Auntie, please don't open the door!"
My reaction was extreme. It terrified her. Luna quickly wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly against her chest.
"Okay, okay, I won't," she whispered.
She carried me to the door. We didn't touch the deadbolt. We didn't touch the handle.
Luna leaned close to the thick security door. "Sir? I'm sorry, but my niece is sick. We aren't going to fix it today. You can go back."
Silence.
For a few agonizing seconds, there was no sound from the porch.
Then, the man let out a low chuckle.
"Ma'am," his gruff voice seeped through the heavy door. "It's scorching out here. You sure you want to skip the repair? Can the little girl really handle this heat?"
Luna’s arm stiffened.
When she booked the repair on HandyPro, she only typed the address and the AC issue. She never mentioned having a child in the house.
"Auntie... how did he know I was here?"
Luna’s face instantly drained of color.
She pushed me gently behind her back. She reached up and double-checked the deadbolt, making sure it was firmly locked.
When she spoke again, her voice was cold and rigid. "We're not fixing it today. I’ll pay the call-out fee through the app to cover your time. Please leave."
More silence from the porch.
Then, heavy boots stomped on the concrete. Thud. Thud. The footsteps faded down the front steps.
Luna let out a long, shaky breath. Her shoulders dropped, and she leaned down to kiss my forehead. "It's okay, Stella. The bad man is gone."
But I refused to let go of her dress.
I knew Jake Dalton. He wasn't just going to walk away.
I hugged her waist. "Auntie. Please. Do not open that door for anybody today."
Luna looked into my eyes and wiped my tear-stained face.
"I promise," she said softly but firmly. "I won't open it for anyone."
A few seconds later.
Clunk.
A heavy metallic sound echoed from the side of the house.
Instantly, the ceiling fan slowly whirred to a dead stop. The low hum of the refrigerator died in the kitchen. The living room lights flickered once, then went completely black.
The entire house fell dead silent, and the heavy, suffocating summer heat began to close in.
