NIGHTMARE RESIDUE CHAPTER 60 - NIGHTMARE RESIDUE MAYA'S POV The world spun like a drama I didn't sign up for , jagged edges slicing at my brain like they had a vendetta . I gasped , heart doing somersaults , and my muscles screaming in unison , yet all I could do was lie there on the cold floor of my room , drenched in sweat like I'd run a marathon I never agreed to . My hands shook violently , clutching my chest like , " Okay , heart , calm the hell down , you're embarrassing me . " It was ... just a dream . A nightmare , more like . None of it was real ... none of it happened . Marvin wasn't sprawled there , bleeding like some tragic soap opera victim under Larry's psycho grin . My chest heaved , pulse doing backflips as my breathing ragged ... but hey , I was still freaking alive . And yet ... his screams ? Ugh , they stuck to me like the world's worst clingy ex , refusing to leave I curled up , knees hugged tight to my chest , rocking like a lunatic . My palms were slick , not with blood , thank God ... but with the ghost of terror that refused to leave . Every horrifying second replayed in my brain : the scent , the scream , the splash of red that had painted itself all over my thoughts . Yeah , I knew what you were thinking ... why the hell was I even on the floor ? Honestly ? That was the tiniest problem I had right now . My phone buzzed on the nightstand . I flinched , expecting Brandy's voice , expecting some cruel twist to force me back into that hell . Instead , it was a message from Marvin's surgeon : " Hey ... the thoracotomy was successful ... Mr Perkins is recovering exquisitely . " The words were soft , like a whisper brushing against my nerves . And suddenly ... my brain couldn't decide if it wanted to thank the universe or hate myself . I was relieved the surgery was successful . And guilt ... oh , the deliciously bitter guilt ... because I'd screamed , panicked , and felt every ounce of helplessness like some tragic hero in a nightmare I had created . It was like I had failed him even in a dream . I smashed my forehead into the mattress , letting the tears finally come . Silent but savage , hot and furious , burning down my cheeks . My throat ached from screaming , my hands jittered like they had a mind of their own , but bit by bit ... just a little , I felt the panic started to loosen its death grip . I whispered to the empty room , almost hoping the shadows would answer : " It's not real ... it's not real ... " But the words felt empty , because deep down , in that gnawing pit of my stomach , I knew the terror ... Larry , Brandy , and blood wasn't fully gone . Dreams like that didn't just happen . They were warnings . Premonitions . Or maybe my brain's twisted way of screaming what I already knew : no matter how hard I tried to shield Marvin , some monsters ... some chaos ... were just beyond my control . I wiped my face , and sent a quick reply to Dr Vesper . " Thank you Dr Vesper . I'd come by later . " My fingers hovered over the screen a moment longer than necessary . I wanted to believe that was enough , that I could push the nightmare away and step back into the daylight without it dragging me down . But the cold residue of fear clung to me . I just sat there , replaying the mess that was my life . A poor girl signs a contract with a billionaire ... sounds like the beginning dro one of those cliché W ***** d fairytales , right ? Wrong . Mine ended with him walking away . And not just walking away ... no , he chose his late best friend's wife . His . Best . Friend's . Widow . The audacity . The disrespect . The heartbreak . And that wasn't even the worst part... He still had the audacity , the sheer nerve , to scheme my brother's death . And now here I was , trapped in this nightmare of him actually doing it . My phone chimed , dragging me out of my spiral . I snatched it from the nightstand ... Dr Vesper again ? I squinted at the screen , and instantly ... I rolled my eyes . Damian . Of course . 1/2 NIGHTMARE RESIDUE +25 BONUS " Miss Perkins , I'm still waiting for your reply . " I stared at the message like it might suddenly give me the right words , like it would just ... tell me what to say . But what could I even say ? I'm not interested ... and watch my brother's sweat , his hope , crumble like dry leaves ? Or should I be the one to crumble myself , piece by piece , under the weight of everything ? I wasn't in any state of mind to handle this . I never had been . The sharp edges of responsibility always cut me before I could even start . The only thing I felt capable of doing was the simplest , most painfully human thing : bring him flowers every single day , set them gently by his hospital bed , and pray , prayer like a lifeline , that he'd recover enough to take his place , to carry on , to heal . I shoved the awful thought to the back of my mind and stood on my feet . My feet hit the cold floor and I shivered , but there was no time to dwell . I marched straight to the bathroom , determined to shake the heaviness off . The shower hissed to life , and I stepped under the hot spray , letting it hit my skin like a million little punches , washing away the sticky remnants of panic and sweat . Each drop felt like it was trying to pull the nightmare out of my skin , but I knew it would linger somewhere in my bones . I scrubbed slowly , methodically , every stroke deliberate , trying to convince myself that cleansing my body might also cleanse my mind . My fingers laced through my hair , massaging the scalp , untangling not just the knots in my strands , but the twisted thoughts in my head too . When I was done , I toweled off , my fingers shaking slightly as I brushed my hair until it gleamed . Clothes followed : something simple but neat , the kind that didn't demand attention but still made me feel like I could face the world , or at least the morning . No one else had woken yet . It was almost 6:00 am now ... The quiet house was a small mercy . I moved to the kitchen and set about breakfast , making it almost ritualistically . I cracked eggs into a pan , whipped them into fluffy clouds , popped toast into the toaster , and sliced a bright , juicy melon . The plate looked perfect , almost I ******* m - worthy , but when I sat down , it might as well have been cardboard ... the food felt meaningless . My stomach twisted , not with hunger , but with everything else . I poked at the eggs , drank my juice in sips that were more habit than desire staring outside the window while my mind spined through worry , guilt , and the shadow of that nightmare . And then my phone buzzed . I must really be something today ... my phone won't stop buzzing , like the universe decided I needed a little extra drama . I nearly jumped out of my skin when Rico's name lit up my notification bar . My heart literally did a backflip , and my fingers shook as I scrambled to unlock my phone . Quiet as a shadow , I slid into his DMs . We hadn't spoken since ... that day in the hospital . What could he possibly have sent ? Every word he typed now felt like a bullet , ready to pierce straight through me- but damn it , I couldn't stop myself from reading . " Meet me by the café close to the mansion . I think I got a clue . " 2/2