The first sign that something was wrong was small.
So small Lena almost ignored it.
It was a Tuesday.Rain tapped softly against the half-open window. The apartment smelled like toast and cheap coffee and something warm that felt like home.
Asher was standing in the kitchen, barefoot, humming to a song he didn't even realize he knew.
Lena watched him for a moment, smiling.
And then—
The shadows under the cabinets twitched.
Not moved.
Twitched.
Just a flicker. Like something had blinked.
Asher froze.
"Did you feel that?" he asked quietly.
Lena frowned. "Feel what?"
He didn't answer right away. His jaw tightened, eyes darkening as he stared at the corner of the room.
"It was like…" He hesitated. "Like someone knocked on a door that isn't supposed to exist anymore."
That made her stomach drop.
They tried to laugh it off.
They always did.
They ate breakfast. They talked about groceries. Lena complained about the landlord raising the rent again. Asher made a joke about selling his soul to cover it, and she threw a piece of toast at him.
But something stayed wrong.
The shadows didn't settle.
Later that day, Lena went out to pick up laundry. When she came back, the hallway smelled faintly of sulfur.
Just a trace.
Barely there.
She told herself it was nothing.
Asher didn't.
That night, he woke up gasping.
Not screaming. Not thrashing.
Just sitting straight up in bed, breath ragged, eyes wide like he'd been staring into something that stared back.
"What did you see?" Lena whispered.
"They know," he said.
"Who?"
"My contract."
Her heart lurched. "I thought you broke it."
"I did." His hands were shaking. "But contracts don't like being broken. They don't die. They… wait."
The lights flickered.
Once.Twice.
Then everything went still.
Lena reached for him. "You're here. You're safe. Remember?"
Asher nodded—but he didn't look convinced.
Because deep inside him, something ancient had stirred.
And it had whispered one word.
Found.
Outside, rain washed over the city.
Inside, the miracle they had built together had just begun to crack.