Two funerals in one week feels like some sick cosmic joke. They blur together in my memory, black clothes, hushed voices, empty platitudes about lives cut short. The only moment that stands out with crystal clarity is Lilly at the podium, her voice steady as marble as she delivered Rose's eulogy. Not a single tear. Not one. Just perfect composure while I sat in the front row, completely falling apart.

The alarm clock's shrill beeping cuts through my thoughts. I feel Lilly stir in my arms, her body warm against mine. My face is buried in her hair, breathing in her familiar scent. This has become my sanctuary, Lilly's bedroom in her parents' house, where I have basically moved in since everything happened. It's the only place I can actually sleep anymore.

"So loud," Lilly mumbles, reaching blindly for the nightstand.

I tighten my arm around her waist, not ready to let go. "You sure you want to go back to class today?"

She silences the alarm with a decisive tap before rolling over to face me. Her green eyes search mine, clear and focused despite having just woken up. No puffy eyes, no tear-stained cheeks. Just Lilly, perfectly composed as always.

"I don't want to go at all," she whispers, tracing her finger along my jawline. "But I have to provide for us someday, Seth." There's a determination in her eyes I've come to recognize. "I need to finish my degree so I can take care of you properly."

Her words wrap around me like a security blanket. In the chaos that's become my life, Lilly's ambition and steadiness are the only constants I have left.

"I wish your mom hadn't made you drop out this semester," she continues, her thumb brushing across my lower lip. "If she didn’t, we could go together.”

I shrug, trying to ignore the heaviness in my chest. "There's just been so much confusion this year. One thing after another." The words feel inadequate, too simple to capture the complete collapse of everything I thought I knew.

Lilly cups my face between her hands and pulls me toward her. Her lips meet mine with an intensity that steals my breath away. The kiss deepens, her tongue sliding against mine as her fingers thread through my hair. For a moment, I forget everything, the funerals, the questions, the nightmares, and lose myself in her.

When she finally pulls away, her eyes have that possessive gleam that both thrills and unsettles me. "I'll be back right after class," she promises. "We can pick up Chris together from school."

I nod, watching as she slides out of bed and heads for the shower. The water starts running, and I find myself staring at the ceiling again, trying to piece together some sense of normality from the fragments of my life.

I lie there for a while, my thoughts drifting to the police investigation, or whatever passed for one. The detective had delivered her verdict. "Sometimes people snap. Your nanny clearly had a psychotic break." Just like that, case closed.

When we pressed about Evelyn's mutilated hands, the missing fingers, the cuts, all the other weird stuff, the detective just shuffled her papers and said something about "self-harm during her disappearance."

I remember Lilly's face during that meeting, calm, accepting their explanation without question, while I sat there feeling like I was losing my mind. How could they dismiss something so obviously wrong?

Since then, I've been jumping at shadows, convinced there's someone else out there, someone who took Evelyn, held her, mutilated her, and then... what? Let her go specifically to attack Rose? None of it makes sense.

I hear the shower shut off and reach for my phone, checking Lilly's location out of habit. The little blue dot shows she's exactly where she should be, in this house, probably wrapping a towel around herself right now. I've made her share her location with me constantly since everything happened. She agreed immediately, seeming almost pleased by my paranoia, only requesting I do the same.

I didn't hesitate. I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially with some unknown threat potentially still out there. At least this way, I always know where she is.

The bathroom door opens, and Lilly emerges wrapped in a towel, her wet hair slicked back from her face.

"Checking on me?" she asks with a small smile, noticing the phone in my hand.

"Always," I admit, not embarrassed by my vigilance anymore. "Just making sure you haven't teleported somewhere dangerous while showering."

She drops her towel deliberately, a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she stalks toward the bed. Before I can react, she pounces, landing on top of me with enough force to knock the air from my lungs. Her wet hair drips cool droplets onto my chest as she hovers over me, her naked body pressing against mine through the thin sheet.

"Someone's eager this morning," I manage to say, my hands automatically finding her hips.

Lilly doesn't respond with words. Instead, she captures my bottom lip between her teeth, biting just hard enough to make me gasp before soothing the sting with a deep kiss. When she pulls back, there's something wild and possessive in her eyes that makes my heart race.

"You're obsessed with me, aren't you?" she whispers against my mouth, her voice husky with desire.

The question catches me off guard, but the answer comes instantly. "Yeah, I am."

Her smile widens, satisfaction glowing in her eyes. "Good," she purrs, trailing her fingers down my chest. "That's exactly how it should be."

She kisses me again, deeper this time.

"I love how you need me," she murmurs between kisses. "How you can't function without me."

Something about her words sends a strange chill down my spine, but her hands are already moving lower, making it impossible to focus on anything but the sensation of her touch. I arch into her, desperate for the oblivion only she can provide.

"I need to get ready," she sighs eventually, pulling away despite my attempts to hold her close. "As much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day."

I watch as she moves around the room, selecting her clothes with careful consideration.

"Will you be okay while I'm gone?" she asks, slipping into her underwear. "You could come with me to campus, hang out in the library."

I shake my head slowly, running a hand through my messy hair. "No, I think I should probably try to get used to some level of independence. I can't just follow you around campus like a lost puppy."

She nods. "That's mature of you. But text me or call me if anything comes up, okay? Anything at all."

"Alright," I agree, watching as she expertly twists her hair into that perfect ponytail she always wears.

She crosses back to the bed, leaning down to tilt my chin up with her finger until our eyes meet. There's an intensity in her gaze that makes my breath catch.

"Even if it's a panic attack, just call me, okay? I'll answer, I promise." Her voice is gentle but leaves no room for argument.

"I really shouldn't be bothering you for something like…"

"It's no bother, Seth," she cuts me off firmly, her thumb brushing across my bottom lip. "Nothing about you could ever be a bother to me. I want to be there for you, always."

"Okay."

She kisses me once more, hard and possessive, before grabbing her backpack. At the bedroom door, she pauses, looking back at me with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Remember to eat something.”