Mira Evans had never been one to entertain fantasy. She thrived in a world of logic and precision, where algorithms and data unravelled the chaos of the unknown. As a senior analyst for the Department of Cybersecurity, her work was her playground—a labyrinth of codes and systems she navigated with ease. It was a life she’d built from scratch, alongside the man she adored.

She loved her husband, Daniel. His easy smile, the way he always had her coffee ready before she rushed off to work, and the steady warmth of his presence reminded her daily of the simple, profound joy they shared. They weren’t perfect, but they didn’t need to be. What they had was real.

So why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

The man in her dreams.

Her fingers hovered over her keyboard, her focus fractured. It wasn’t like her to lose track of her work, but Kaelion’s piercing eyes, the deep timbre of his voice, lingered in her mind like a haunting melody. She hated how vividly she remembered him—every contour of his face, the warmth of his touch, the way his presence seemed to pull her into a world that defied reason.

“Evans, you alright?”

Mira blinked, glancing up to see her coworker, Rhea, peering over her cubicle wall. “Yeah, just... lost in thought,” Mira replied, forcing a smile.

Rhea smirked. “Don’t stay lost too long. The network breach report’s due in two hours.”

“Got it.”

But as Rhea walked away, Mira’s hands fell still on her keyboard. The breach analysis should have been child’s play, but her thoughts kept drifting to the dreams. They were getting worse—or better, depending on how one looked at it. Each night, Kaelion’s presence grew more tangible, his words more compelling.

That morning, she hadn’t told Daniel about the latest dream. How could she explain the way Kaelion had held her as though the universe itself depended on it, or the way his voice seemed to resonate in her very bones?

It was absurd. Illogical. And deeply unsettling.

That evening, Mira curled up on the couch with Daniel, the warm glow of their living room lamp casting soft shadows across their space. He was reading, his arm draped casually over her shoulder, while she half-heartedly flipped through a magazine. She should have felt at peace, but her unease clung to her like a second skin.

“You’ve been quiet lately,” Daniel said, not looking up from his book.

“Just work,” she lied, leaning into him.

Daniel glanced at her then, his brown eyes searching hers. “You sure?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Just tired.”

He didn’t push, and she was grateful for it. But as the night deepened and she lay beside him in bed, the guilt gnawed at her. She loved him. She loved their life. So why did Kaelion’s face flood her mind as soon as sleep claimed her?

The world in her dream was different this time. She stood on the edge of an endless ocean, the waves crashing against a blackened shore. Kaelion was waiting, his figure silhouetted against the silver moonlight. He looked every bit the dark prince of some forbidden fairy tale, his smirk both wicked and alluring.

“You resist me,” he said, his voice carrying over the roar of the waves. “Why?”

Mira crossed her arms, her gaze sharp. “Because this is a dream. None of this is real.”

Kaelion stepped closer, his amber eyes burning like twin suns. “And yet you return to me, night after night. Do you not wonder why?”

“I don’t return to you,” she snapped. “You invade my dreams. There’s a difference.”

He chuckled, the sound low and dangerous. “Call it what you will, Mira, but you cannot deny what we share.” He reached out, his fingers brushing hers. It was such a simple touch, yet it sent a jolt of heat through her veins.

She pulled back, her breath hitching. “I love my husband.”

Kaelion’s smirk faltered, replaced by a flicker of something darker. “Your husband cannot see you as I do,” he said, his voice low and intense. “He cannot feel the fire in your soul, the brilliance in your mind. You belong to me, Mira, whether you wish to admit it or not.”

She turned away, shaking her head. “This is insane. I don’t even know you.”

“But you will,” Kaelion said, his voice like a promise. “Soon, you will know everything.”

Mira woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. Beside her, Daniel stirred, his hand reaching for hers even in sleep. She held it tightly, anchoring herself to the reality she so desperately needed to believe in.

But deep down, she feared that Kaelion was right.