Chapter 1

My wife had an insatiable appetite. She used to want to sleep with me every single night.

Lately, though, she had grown increasingly cold and distant.

She always claimed she was exhausted, brushing off any move I made.

Just when I began to suspect she was cheating, she suddenly turned off the lights and climbed onto my lap.

Her moans were sweeter than ever, her moves bolder.

Desire surged through me, and my hand slid naturally toward her inner thigh.

That was when I froze.

Something was wrong.

There was a mole on her inner thigh that had never been there before.

That night, I woke with a start, vaguely hearing faint noises coming from the living room.

It sounded like soft moans and ragged breathing.

The dark room sent a chill down my spine. Instinctively, I reached out and nudged my wife.

"Babe, I think someone's outside our door..."

I shook her a few times, but she didn't react at all, sleeping like a rock.

Maybe she was just drained from the day?

In the end, I decided not to wake her. I slipped out of bed, grabbing a heavy vase from the nightstand for self-defense.

Had someone broken in?

Tiptoeing through the dark, I opened the bedroom door. The living room was pitch-black. After a second thought, I crept into the kitchen and picked up a chef's knife.

Armed, I felt a surge of courage. I felt my way along the wall to the switch and flipped on all the lights.

The living room flooded with bright light. I checked every corner, but nothing seemed out of place. I checked the other rooms too—no signs of an intruder, and none of our valuables were missing.

I stood in the center of the room, bewildered. Had I just imagined it?

The next morning, I walked out to the kitchen, and my wife was already sitting at the table, smiling radiantly at me.

"Morning, sweetheart! You're up? Come have some breakfast."

Her name was Serena. Tall, gorgeous, with curves in all the right places, she was an absolute head-turner. We had eloped after just a month of dating.

Even so, we had built a great life together. She stayed by my side when I had nothing, all the way until I became the managing director of my own firm.

I was the envy of every guy in our social circle.

Once my company took off, she quit her job to become a stay-at-home wife.

Our only regret was that after six years of marriage, we still didn't have a child.

At first, we thought something was wrong with one of us, but the clinic tests showed we were both completely healthy. We figured it just wasn't our time yet.

After washing up, I sat down and took a bite of a warm sandwich.

Thinking about last night, I couldn't help but ask her about it.

Serena rolled her eyes playfully. "Babe, were you having a nightmare?"

I wanted to press further, but she had already stood up. "Alright, you need to head to the office. Eat up. I'm going back to bed—I've been feeling so wiped out lately."

She stretched as she walked past me toward the bedroom. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I caught a strange, faint scent lingering on her skin.

Brushing it off, I finished my food and left for work.

The following night, after falling asleep, I was jolted awake again.

The heavy breathing outside was even louder this time.

I got up to check, but again, nothing was missing.

A shiver ran down my scalp. If it wasn't a burglar, was our place haunted?

I was a staunch atheist, but at that moment, a ghost was honestly the only explanation my tired brain could come up with.

Over the next two weeks, though, everything seemed to return to normal. That eerie sound never came back.

I assumed the mystery was over, but it was only the beginning.

One night, I had an incredible dream. In it, Serena and I were completely lost in each other, but right at the climax, I snapped awake.

The lingering heat left my body burning with frustration.

I pulled myself closer to Serena, whispering softly in her ear.

"Babe, are you awake?"

Just like before, no matter how many times I called her name, she didn't budge. She felt as still as a corpse.