Elias’ Crimes and Punishments of Romance

“What are you talking about? There’s nothing beside me,” Amanda replied, her fear mingled. with a suspicion that Elias might be playing a prank on her.

“Honey, I swear something is moving next to you. Just turn around and see for yourself.”

She reluctantly complied, but there was nothing there. It was becoming evident that the man. was attempting to spook her. “Elias! Seriously? How old are you? How childish can you be? You scared me!”

Elias couldn’t help but chuckle at Amanda’s irritation. “Since you’re so scared, why don’t you. your dear husband keep you company while you sleep? I promise not to do anything. I’ll just obediently stay by your side.”

“No, thanks! No matter what happens tonight, you can’t sleep on the bed. If you dare to, I’ll get mad and won’t talk to you for a month.”

“Alright, alright, you go to sleep. I won’t bother you anymore.” Although he wanted to sleep. on the bed, he didn’t want to provoke his wife or risk her leaving home.

Amanda lay back down and chose to ignore Elias, but she still couldn’t fall asleep.

Noticing her restlessness, he suggested, “If you can’t sleep, how about I tell a story, just like we did to help Aiden fall asleep?”

She didn’t respond but let him proceed.

So, Elias adjusted into a more relaxed position, facing Amanda from the couch, and began, “Let me share a real-life experience from when I was studying abroad. My father insisted I keep my background a secret, so I rented an apartment. Most of the tenants were working professionals and students. Nothing unusual happened during my first week there, but I sensed movement under my bed one night while I was asleep.”

utterly engrossed in the story, and her body tensed

took the bait, he continued, “So, I turned on the light and checked under the bed but found

you find?

grin, he said, “I found a woman’s bracelet. At first, I thought it belonged to the previous tenant and decided to return it to her, thinking it might be some kind

her gaze fixed on him. “So, is

me continue. After I picked up the bracelet and placed it on the table, the movement. under the bed stopped for the night. However, I started hearing strange noises coming from the table. Each time I checked, there was nothing

it something supernatural?” Amanda unconsciously held onto her blanket tightly. She had a

following day, after my classes, I visited the landlord and informed her about the bracelet. Her response was quite peculiar. Her face went pale when she saw the

asked, “What does

simply left the bracelet on the landlord’s windowsill. Later, I learned that a murder occurred in my rented room. It was a tragic incident involving a couple whose heated argument had turned fatal. The woman’s body had been hidden

the murdered woman? How is that even possible? The police would have investigated the scene thoroughly and wouldn’t leave such a crucial piece of evidence. behind. And even if they somehow overlooked it, how could the landlord have missed it during her cleaning?” She was completely immersed

“It’s quite the mystery, right? I can’t explain

under the bed, and after you. picked up the bracelet, the eerie sounds resumed.” She had let her imagination

to indulge in her

of sweat forming on her forehead. She had a deep fear of such supernatural occurrences. At that moment, she couldn’t bear to stay on the bed any longer and even sensed some movement

Elias could even discern

She huddled on the bed, shivering, and didn’t dare to turn around. Even though a man was lying on the couch staring

since his intention was to create a spooky atmosphere to get an opportunity

unable to sleep, a constant feeling of something lurking under the bed haunting her. This unease was precisely why she avoided horror movies. altogether. After a while of tossing and turning, she suddenly broke the silence. “Elias.”