Arhan walked back to the villa after speaking with Sandra. He walked casually while pulling a cigarette from his pocket.
But his steps suddenly halted when a man he didn't recognize grabbed his arm. The man wore a black jacket and a mask covering his face to hide his identity.
"What the hell is this?" Arhan struggled, clearly annoyed.
"Stay away from Sandra."
"This isn't your business! Who the hell are you? Don't act like a hero!" Arhan tried to break free, but the stranger's grip only tightened.
Worse, the man's strength was inhuman. Even though Arhan worked out and trained in boxing, his power meant nothing here.
"I don't care about your grudge against Lukas. Do whatever you want to him. But never touch Sandra." The man's eyes flashed with a terrifying red glow. "This is your first and last warning. If you persist... be prepared to die."
"You're threatening me?" Arhan laughed mockingly and kept struggling.
But the laughter turned into screams when the grip on his arm suddenly burned like fire. He screamed in pain as the skin on his arm blistered and scorched like it had been set ablaze.
"ARGHHHH!" he cried, staring at the burn. When he looked up, the man had vanished like a shadow, leaving no trace behind.
Now sitting in a hospital room, Arhan examined his bandaged arm. The doctor had treated the burn, but the confusion remained. Who was that man? What was his connection to Sandra?
He was sure the guy had no weapons. He didn't want to believe any of this. Wanted to call it a hallucination. But the burn on his arm proved otherwise. It was real.
"What the hell just happened? Is Sandra's strange behavior connected to that terrifying man? This is so confusing," Arhan muttered.
"What's going on, bro? Why are you suddenly in the hospital? You ruined my plans with Lukas tonight!" Kayla scolded him as she entered.
"There's something wrong with Sandra."
"What do you mean?"
"I think we need a professional to handle this."
"What do you mean?"
"There's something... not human protecting her. Someone—or something—threatened me when I tried to get involved with Sandra."
Kayla laughed in disbelief. She was about to mock him until Arhan removed the bandage to show the burn on his arm. Kayla instantly fell silent.
"What… what happened?" she asked, her voice now worried.
"I don't know. It's hard to explain."
"Look, if we want to take Lukas down, we have to get rid of Sandra first. Those two come as a package, and I can't control Lukas as long as she's around!"
"We'll need a paranormal expert," Arhan said while rewrapping the wound.
"You really saw a ghost? Or something protecting her? I mean… her whole transformation isn't normal!"
"That's why we need someone who understands this stuff."
*****
"Wait!" Lukas called out to Sandra and Thomas just as they were about to enter a coffee shop at a rest stop near the beach. Luckily, Lukas had a gut feeling that led him right to them.
Since Kayla had suddenly changed her mind and stayed behind, Lukas had come alone. He rushed over and pulled Sandra away toward his car.
"Sorry to trouble you, Thomas. Thanks," he waved to his friend, who only nodded in confusion.
What could Thomas do, anyway? Let the married couple sort out their mess. He'd done enough by trying to help.
"I'm not going back with you, Lukas!" Sandra protested.
"Just cooperate."
"Shouldn't you be with your precious girlfriend?" she snapped. "Didn't you say I could get close to Thomas? So what are you doing here now?"
"You're still my responsibility! You're my wife, understand? If something happens to you, I'll be blamed!" Lukas tried to explain his anxiety. Whether that was truly the reason, he wasn't sure.
Sandra jabbed his chest and crossed her arms. "You jealous?"
"Jealous?" Lukas laughed mockingly. "So full of yourself."
"If not, why are you here?"
"I told you—I don't want to get blamed if anything happens to you!"
"That's bullshit!"
"So you want me to be jealous? But I'm really not?"
"Then let me stay with Thomas!" Sandra snapped.
"Stop being so stubborn!" Lukas dragged her toward the car.
She tried to resist but only stumbled into his arms. Taking advantage, Lukas lifted her easily and placed her inside the car, as he'd intended.
"You really like being carried, don't you? Are you trying to get my attention?"
"You're the one forcing me, not the other way around!" she fumed as he buckled her seatbelt.
"Ssshhh, be quiet." Lukas pressed a finger to her lips.
"Just admit you're jealous. Why is that so hard?"
"Weren't you the one who was jealous and freaking out tonight?" Lukas teased.
"Are you proud of hurting someone?"
"So you admit it? You've liked me all along?" Lukas grinned arrogantly.
"We're married. Forced or not, it still hurts to see my husband taking me on a trip just to meet another woman."
Lukas suddenly went quiet. Her sad expression hit him harder than he expected.
"Why so serious now?"
"Hurting someone as a joke is fun, right? But this isn't the first time," Sandra wiped her tears and looked away.
Lukas stayed silent and got into the driver's seat. Every time he tried to look at her, she turned away.
Why did he feel this guilty and uncomfortable being ignored by her?
"I'm sorry. It's just... this whole situation is hard for me. You know that, right?"
"You're not the only one suffering in this marriage. I've been silent all this time. But even the quiet ones get tired of being someone else's plaything," she said, still looking out the window.
"I'm sorry." Lukas stopped the car on the shoulder of the highway and gently turned her face toward him. "Sometimes I just don't know what to do."
"Forget tonight. Let's go back to how things were. From now on, let's stay out of each other's business. You can be with Kayla. Let me be with whoever makes me feel safe. And when the time is right… we'll get divorced."
"San…"
"That's fair, right?" she whispered, eyes brimming with tears.
"That's what you want?"
"Yes."
"Fine! I tried to apologize. But if you're going to be this childish, then go ahead. I'm done dealing with you!"
"Okay!" her tears fell harder. She refused to look at him again.
Then her stomach growled, loud in the silence. They both froze.
"Hungry?" Lukas asked. She didn't respond.
Still, he started driving again, looking for a place to eat. Soon he spotted a small restaurant and inn on the side of the road and turned into it.
"Lukas, why are we stopping here?"
"You're hungry, right?"
"But it looks creepy!"
"What, you think a demon's going to eat your soul? Oh my god! Don't be such a scaredy-cat. Just shut up. I'm not letting you starve to death!"