Chapter 25: Thinking of Her Again

As soon as they stepped inside, Mia let out a scream when a creepy character suddenly jumped out at her. "Chloe, Chloe, help me!" she shrieked, grabbing Chloe’s hand and dragging her forward in a panic. Chloe barely had time to react. Meanwhile, behind them, Julian heard someone call out Chloe’s name. He paused, frowning as he tried to make sense of it. He scanned the area ahead but saw nothing. Confused, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Layla, however, was too focused on her own fear to notice Julian’s distraction. She clung tightly to his arm, clearly terrified. "Darling, I’m so scared! You’ll protect me, right?" she whimpered, looking up at him. Her voice snapped Julian out of his thoughts. He nodded absently, but it was clear his mind was elsewhere. The haunted house was dark, with occasional flashes of red and green light, creating an eerie atmosphere. Layla clung to Julian as if her life depended on it, terrified of moving ahead alone. When a ghostly