Alina’s Pov

I woke up to a sound I couldn’t pinpoint.

It wasn't too loud, not even sharp enough to be sure it was real, but it sliced through my sleep like a whisper of danger crawling into my bed.

At first, I thought it was the pipes again. My apartment was old, the kind that creaked at night like it had memories it couldn’t forget. But then I heard it again—a soft shuffle, like a foot dragging against the floor.

I froze. My breath caught at the center of my chest, like a thick fog, ...