All Chapters of UNWED AND EXPECTING : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

** Into the Depths**The sky above had darkened completely, and the stars seemed to blink out, one by one, as Sophia stood at the edge of the forest. The air was thick with an unnatural silence, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the wind. She could feel the pull of the shadows from where her father had disappeared moments ago, drawing her deeper into the unknown.Ethan was at her side, his hand gripping hers, grounding her in the midst of the chaos swirling in her mind. His steady presence was a comfort, but it wasn’t enough to quell the storm of emotions raging inside her.“He called my name,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I know it was him.”Ethan’s jaw tightened, his eyes filled with concern. “It could’ve been a trick. The shadows have ways of getting inside your head.”Sophia shook her head, pulling away from him slightly. “No, Ethan, it wasn’t a trick. I felt him. He’s still in there. I have to go after him.”The forest loomed before them, the trees twisted and

** The Illusion of Safety**Sophia’s heart was still racing, her breath coming in short gasps. The image of her father disappearing into the mist haunted her every step. The forest had toyed with her once again, using her deepest fears and hopes as its cruel playthings. Ethan, standing beside her, didn’t say anything. His silence was both comforting and unnerving as if he too felt the weight of the forest’s lingering influence.As they moved farther away from the shadowy trees, the light filtering through the thinning canopy brightened. The oppressive, suffocating atmosphere of the forest seemed to ease with each step, but something inside Sophia refused to relax. The memory of the pit, the twisted version of her father, and the brief flicker of hope that she might have escaped the darkness had left a scar on her mind.They walked in silence for what felt like hours, neither of them willing to break the tension. The air had grown lighter, and the once-dense foliage had given way to sp

**The Deception Unfolds**The cool night air hit Sophia and Ethan like a slap, the oppressive weight of the shadows left behind in the cottage. But they didn’t feel safe, not by a long shot. The dark forest loomed ahead, eerily quiet, the trees standing like silent sentinels. It was almost as if they were waiting for something—watching.Sophia wiped her brow, trying to steady her breath. Her mind raced with the memory of the shadowy figure that had worn her father’s face. Was any part of him truly still alive, or was it just another twisted game the shadows played?“I don’t know what’s real anymore,” Sophia whispered, her voice trembling. She looked at Ethan, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion. “Was that really him? Could we have saved him?”Ethan shook his head, frustration clear in his voice. “It wasn’t him, Sophia. That thing inside the cottage—it’s the shadows. They’re messing with your mind, feeding off your hope.”She rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the ling

**The Beginning of Us**Sophia stared at the crackling fire in the mansion’s study, her mind miles away from the present chaos. As the flames flickered, she couldn’t help but reflect on how she and Ethan first met. It was a moment that seemed like fate—a moment that now felt like a lifetime ago.It was a rainy evening in New York, the kind of storm that turned the city into a maze of glistening streets and glowing lights. Sophia, fresh out of college and desperate to prove herself in the corporate world, had been rushing to an important meeting. Her umbrella had flipped inside out, and her carefully styled hair was now clinging to her face in wet strands.Frustrated, she dashed into a nearby coffee shop for shelter, shaking the rain off her coat as she entered. The warmth inside was immediate, the smell of freshly brewed coffee calming her nerves. She sighed and stepped up to the counter.“Rough day?” a deep voice behind her said.Sophia turned, her heart skipping a beat. Standing the

**The Truth Buried Deep**The eerie laughter of the woman—this ghostly mirror image of Sophia—reverberated through the twisted halls of Run Way House. The cold air pressed down on her chest, and for a moment, Sophia was sure she couldn't breathe. Ethan’s grip on her arm tightened, but his own face betrayed the fear crawling through him.Sophia had always believed she could outrun her past, that by not speaking of it, she could pretend it never happened. But now, with this dark, twisted figure from her own memories standing before her, the truth was staring her in the face, and there was no hiding from it any longer. The house wasn’t just haunted—it was pulling from their deepest regrets, their most tightly kept secrets. If they wanted to survive, they had to confront it all, no matter how painful.Sophia’s voice trembled. “Who are you?”The woman’s smile deepened, but there was no warmth in it. “You know who I am, Sophia. You just don’t want to admit it.”“I don’t know you,” Sophia in