Chapter 1

Ever since I moved into this apartment, a man has been haunting my dreams.

He whispers that he's my husband.

But that's impossible because I've only just started my freshman year of college.

Every morning, I wake up with a dull ache in my back and a strange soreness in my limbs.

My neighbor, a handsome psychiatrist, gave me some medication to help me sleep better.

Instead of helping, the dreams became terrifyingly real.

It wasn't until I felt his hot breath against my ear that the nightmare truly began.

"You can't hide from me, Zinnia," he growled.

1.

"Greedy little kitten."

His fingers slid deep inside me, sending a violent shiver through my spine.

I tried to pull away, but the heavy iron chains around my wrists held me fast to the headboard.

"Do you want more?"

He teased me without mercy, driving me to the brink of madness.

I arched my back, my vision exploding into white light as I hit the peak.

"Wake up... Zinnia, wake up."

A voice was calling me from a distance.

I blinked my eyes open, my vision blurry as I looked up at the man standing over me.

"Dr. Sterling?" I stammered, my face flushing with heat.

The memories of the dream flashed through my mind, making me shift uncomfortably in the chair.

I'm a new student at the University of Seattle, but since the dorms were under renovation, the school assigned me to this apartment complex.

Ever since I moved in, I've been suffering from insomnia and these vivid, twisted dreams.

Foster Sterling, my neighbor and a renowned psychiatrist, offered to treat me in his home clinic.

I couldn't believe I had just had a wet dream right in the middle of a session.

"Everything looks normal. Keep taking the pills," Foster said calmly.

I nodded and tried to stand up, but my legs felt like jelly.

I sank back into the chair, which was plush and vibrating slightly, almost like a massage chair.

"Careful now."

Foster stepped closer and placed a cool hand on my forehead.

I stared at his face, momentarily dazed by how strikingly handsome he was.

"No fever. Why is your face so red?"

Before I could answer, he leaned in closer.

"Did that little nap drain all your energy?" he teased, a playful glint in his eyes.

I looked down at my watch, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"I... I have to go. I have class," I blurted out.

I scrambled out of the room, hearing a soft, low chuckle behind me.

I ran all the way to campus, barely making it to my lecture on time.

After class, some of my classmates were planning a mixer for the weekend.

They insisted everyone bring a date, and since I was new, I felt pressured to agree.

I didn't have any friends, so I decided to look for a paid date online just to get through the night.

That night, the exhaustion hit me hard as soon as I took my medicine.

"This stuff really works," I muttered to myself as I drifted off.

Then, I heard it again―that deep, rumbling laugh of a man.

My body began to burn with a strange fever, and my throat felt parched.

Suddenly, a hand gripped my jaw, forcing my head back.

"Zinnia, open up," the voice commanded.

I felt a surge of primal fear, yet my body instinctively surrendered to him.

His grip tightened, and his other hand began to roam over my most sensitive areas.

I couldn't help it; I opened my mouth to gasp for air, but something thick and suffocating blocked me.

Tears pricked my eyes as I struggled to breathe.

"Such a fragile little thing," he whispered mockingly.