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    Chapter 0603


    Nina


    Now that my mother had left the room, it was just me and the witch, ra. She gazed at me with those deep emerald eyes, her expression serious.


    I just stared at her, my eyes wide. She had just told me that I was seemingly curse-free and that my baby was healthy, but now it seemed as though she was about to drop a new bomb.


    "What is it?" I found myself asking, my voice hardly more than a whisper.


    ra sighed. "Nina, there is something you need to know," she said. "I wanted to tell you privately because I don''t want to scare your mother."


    I quirked an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    "A dark entity," she said. "Something is attached to you. And it doesn''t want to let go."


    As soon as she spoke, I felt my heart beginning to race. I knew exactly what-or perhaps who-she was referring to. "The shadow entity," I whispered, covering my mouth with my hand.


    ra shot me a concerned look before she continued. "Rest assured that it is not a demon," she said gently. "But rather the spirit of someone who passed; someone whose spirit was darkened at the time of their death."


    My concern turned to confusion. Not a demon, but rather the spirit of someone who had passed...


    "But it makes no sense," I said. "I thought I was having hallucinations. I thought I was going mad."


    ra''s gaze remained steady as she shook her head. "It could be someone from your past, someone who held deep resentment or hatred towards you," she exined, as though sensing my baffled expression. "Perhaps even someone connected to your family. Have you experienced any deaths in the family recently?"


    My heart skipped a beat as more than one name came to mind. There was Tiffany, but she held no resentment for me... Then there was Selena, but I had thought she was on better terms with me by the time of her passing.


    And then there was Richard, Enzo''s father. But that made no sense. We barely knew each other.


    But then it hit me.


    "The Luna," I whispered, almost as if saying the name out loud would summon her. If anyone harbored severe resentment for me, then it would have been her.


    ra nodded thoughtfully. "I have no way of knowing who exactly it could be," she said. "But it''s possible that, if this person harbored strong resentment or pure hatred toward you during their life, it could bleed into death."


    I shuddered at the thought. The Luna had been pure evil, and the idea of her spirit haunting me was terrifying." What can I do?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Do I need to be worried?"


    ra leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "First, tell me about this ''shadow entity'' you referred to," she said.


    I took a deep breath and recounted the unsettling visions I had experienced. The feeling of being watched, the shadowy figure lurking in the corners of my mind, the hallucinations, and the overwhelming sense of dread that apanied all of it.


    I told her about my biological mother, too, and the hallucinations she had supposedly endured.


    All the while, as I spoke, the witch listened intently. Her expression grew more solemn with each word, and it only added to my worries.


    "Nina," she finally said once I was finished, "I cannot attest to your mother''s experience, but these visions are most certainly visitations of an evil spirit. It''s trying to make its presence known, and it could pose a serious threat to both you and your baby."This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    My heart sank at the severity of the situation. All this time, I had thought I was going mad, and yet it was instead, quite possibly, some entity that had attached itself to me? "What do I do?" I asked, feeling a growing sense of helplessness in all of this.


    ra thought for a moment, furrowing her brow, before she suddenly turned to face the trunk she had brought." One moment," she said, pushing up her sleeves.


    She dug through it for several moments until she produced several vials of different-colored liquids and a collection of three small, intricately designed talismans.


    "For now, I will give you these medicines to ward off the spirit''s influence," she said as she held them out to me. They will protect you and your child until the baby is born."


    I took the vials, clutching them tightly in my hand.


    "And these talismans," the witch exined, "will also protect you. You must keep one on the threshold of your home, and another on the threshold of the ce you sleep; this bedroom, I''m assuming."


    "And the third one?" I asked.


    ra nodded as she handed all three to me. "Wear it on your person at all times," she said. "Never take it off, if you can."


    Nodding, I took the talismans and clutched them in my other hand. It was a smallfort to have something tangible to hold onto, and the smooth stones felt soothing in my hand.


    "And what will I do after the baby is born?" I asked, my voice quivering ever so slightly.


    The witch''s green-eyed gaze grew somber. "After the baby is born, we will need to perform a ritual to free you from the grip of this evil spirit," she whispered. "But I must stress that it is too dangerous to attempt while you are still pregnant. The ritual could put both you and the baby at risk. Understood?"


    I nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and apprehension. It seemed like there was a n in ce, but the waiting would be the most agonizing part.


    "Understood," I murmured, looking down at the collection of vials and talismans in my hand.


    ra offered me a reassuring smile. "Everything will be okay, Nina," she said gently, her gaze softening. For a moment, her ethereal presence seemed to fade ever so slightly, reced by the image of a woman who was not all that otherworldly at all, but rather warm andforting.


    "How can you be sure?" I found myself asking.


    Her smile grew. "I cannot say," she replied. "But you possess great power, Nina."


    Without another word, the witch turned and snapped her trunk shut with a bang, causing me to jump ever so slightly. I was at a loss for words, and simply watched her as she gathered her things and ushered out of the room without so much as a goodbye.


    For a few moments, I just sat there, my gaze flickering between the door and the items in my hands. Was it really possible that these potions and colorful stones would protect me from whatever hallucinations had been guing me?


    Right now, it all felt like poppycock. And yet, at the same time, something about the witch''s gaze had given me a glimmer of hope. She had done so much for my brother, after all. Who was to say that her magic and her potions couldn''t help me and my unborn baby, too?


    Then, suddenly, the door cracked open again. I lifted my gaze to see Enzo standing in the doorway, a worried look on his face. He had dark circles under his eyes, and there was an exhaustion in his gaze that made me soften.


    And dropping the potions and talismans onto the bed, I held my arms open for him, beckoning for him toe to


    me.


    Without a word, he crossed the room in three long strides and threw himself into my arms, holding me tight.