Killed by My Wife, Reborn as Her Nightmare

DOORS OF MEMORY

CHAPTER 9

Adrian suddenly found himself standing in a dark space, a void where nothing existed.

“Hey, are you okay?” Rafael’s voice came from right behind him.

Adrian spun around, eyes searching the pitch-black environment. The air reeked of emptiness, laced with a faint, unidentifiable metallic tang. “Where are we?”

“We are in your father’s memory,” Rafael replied calmly. “Which has now become a part of mine.”

“Wait… you're saying we’re inside your head? Your actual memory?” Adrian asked, his voice rising in bewilderment.

He was still reeling from the fact that he was a vampire, but this? Infiltrating someone’s mind felt like something out of a fever dream. “Is that even possible?” He asked himself

“It is, Adrian. And we’re already here,” his uncle replied with a soft chuckle.

“Did you just read my mind?”

“No, I can’t do that,” Rafael said, tilting his head. “But I can smell the confusion on you. It’s thick in the air.”

Only a few days ago, if someone had told Adrian the supernatural was real, he would have called them mad. But standing inside a stranger’s recollection, he felt like the only crazy one left.

Rafael clapped his hands. The sound echoed through the void, and suddenly, massive wooden doors materialized, surrounding them.

Adrian stumbled back, his heart hammering against his ribs.

“The fuck!” he breathed.

Rafael flashed a small smile, in that moment, he looked less like a man and more like a mischievous child. “These are the Doors of Memory. Each one holds a different piece of the past.”

“How do we know which one we’re looking for?”

“We don’t,”

Rafael admitted. He began walking toward the door directly opposite them. He gripped the heavy brass doorknob and glanced back at Adrian. “No matter what we see, remember: memories cannot hurt you.”

He threw the door open. A blinding white light swallowed them whole.

When Adrian’s vision cleared, he was standing in a room. It was obscenely luxurious, golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their light reflecting off a floor-to-ceiling window and a sprawling queen-sized bed.

It was the kind of extravagance Adrian had only seen in movies.

Suddenly, a woman stepped out of a bathroom that was easily larger than Elena’s entire bedroom.

“Who is she?” Adrian whispered.

Rafael’s smile turned bittersweet. “That is your mother.”

Adrian’s breath hitched. She had hair like black silk that flowed down her back in waves. Even in a simple white robe, she possessed a grace and beauty that felt otherworldly.

She paused, gasping as she looked in a mirror. Adrian went alert, stepping closer to see what had startled her. His heart sank when he saw it: the Valerio family crest.

But it wasn't the dark mark he expected.

“The crest on her body… it’s like mine,” Adrian said, looking back at Rafael. “It’s white.”

“That’s right,” Rafael whispered. “That was where it all started.”

Before Adrian could process it, a man entered the room. He had dark brown hair, a sharp, soldier-like jawline, and piercing light blue eyes.

Adrian didn't need to be told who he was, the resemblance was like looking into a mirror. His mother gave him his hair; his father gave him his eyes.

“Hey, honey, are you alright?” his father asked, his voice thick with concern. “Is something wrong with the baby? Should I call the doctor?”

The baby. Adrian realized with a jolt that they were talking about him. He found himself smiling before he could stop it.

For years, he’d lived in an orphanage believing his parents were just names on a document, people who didn't want him. But the way his father looked at his mother... it wasn't the look of a man who didn't care.

A heavy wave of guilt washed over him for ever doubting them.

His mother didn’t answer at first. Instead, she loosened her robe slightly to reveal her chest. When his father saw the white crest, the color drained from his face.

“Casa, you know this isn’t right,” his mother whispered, her voice trembling. “The Valerio crest has always been black. Mine was black. Now that it's turned white... it’s an anomaly.”

“No one has to know, honey. I’ll find out what this means, I promise.”

“And what about our baby?” she asked, her voice rising in panic. “What if it affects him? The Sanguine System Council... they’ll sense this shift. We need to do something now.”

“What is the Sanguine System Council?” Adrian asked his uncle.

“They oversee the supernatural world,” Rafael explained. “They assign tasks and reward us with gems that can be traded for power or wealth. They control the systems that govern our abilities. The higher your level within their system, the more powerful you become.”

“So they created the system?”

“No,” Rafael corrected. “The Creator did. They are simply the self-appointed keepers of it.”

Adrian nodded, turning back to the scene as it moved forward.

“Then let’s go see a Seer,” his father suggested. “They’re the only ones who can explain what’s happening to you.”

“Are you crazy? The Council tracks Seers. They’ll know the moment we use powers outside their jurisdiction!”

His father placed a hand tenderly on her shoulder. “Don’t let that bother you. I know someone who can help us discreetly. We leave first thing tomorrow morning.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

“And what if it’s because of the baby?” his mother asked, her eyes filling with tears. “What if he’s… cursed?”

Adrian felt a tear of his own roll down his cheek. She wasn't afraid of him; she was terrified for him.

“Then we’ll protect him together,” his father vowed, pulling her close. “Even if it’s the last thing we do.”