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.”

her body tensed involuntarily. Driven by her. curiosity,

“So, I turned on the light and checked under the bed but found nothing. However, I noticed…”

you find?

a sly 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

sat upright, her gaze fixed on him. “So, is the bracelet left by the

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

onto her blanket tightly.

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 bracelet, and she promptly shut the door, instructing

asked, “What does

clue. I simply left the bracelet on the landlord’s windowsill. Later, I learned that a murder occurred in my rented room.

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

the mystery, right? I can’t explain it either.”

of the woman, returning from beyond the grave. That’s why you’ve been hearing those noises under the bed, and after you. picked up the bracelet, the eerie sounds resumed.” She had let her

he remained silent, allowing her to indulge in her vivid imagination.

occurrences. At that moment, she couldn’t bear to

there, I suppose.” Elias could

around. Even though a man was lying on the couch staring at her, she was still gripped by fear.

a spooky atmosphere to get an opportunity to snuggle up

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