In that icy chamber, memories from her childhood hit Aubree like a tidal wave—a time when she'd been trapped underground, consumed by fear. Panic surged through her, and she pounded desperately on the door.
"Is anyone there?!"
"Please, someone let me out!"
But the thick walls of the walk-in freezer were soundproof, swallowing her cries for help.
Meanwhile, Matthew was on a frantic quest to find Aubree, but she was nowhere to be found. Her phone lay abandoned on the couch, a silent clue to her mysterious disappearance.
Matthew’s instincts kicked into overdrive. He didn’t waste a second wondering if she’d just left her phone behind to chat with someone else. If Aubree wasn’t right in front of him, it was a crisis, plain and simple.
He immediately reached out to the event organizers, insisting they check the security footage. Nothing was too much when it came to keeping Aubree safe.
His quick thinking paid off. The surveillance video showed Aubree inside the freezer, her condition deteriorating, looking like she was about to pass out from the cold.
Matthew dashed to the freezer like a man possessed, flinging the door open and rushing to her side. The cold was biting, the temperature well below freezing. Aubree, dressed in just a dress and gripped by panic, was suffering from the frigid air.
He gathered her into his arms, her mind teetering between past nightmares and present reality. The one who pulled her from the shadows.
Without hesitating, Matthew ran outside, Aubree cradled against him.
The commotion had drawn attention. Many at the event, including Andrew, realized that Matthew was searching for Aubree. As Matthew emerged, holding Aubree close, Andrew was there to meet them.
“What happened to Aubree?” he asked, concern etched on his face.
Matthew, overwhelmed with worry, had no time for explanations. But as he tried to push past, Aubree, in her daze, looked up at Matthew, mistaking the moment for a memory.
“Brother,” she murmured.
His face turned ashen, a mix of anger and sorrow threatening to bring him to tears.
Yet, it was then that Aubree spoke again.
“Brother, let me go.”
“I’m not afraid of the dark anymore. I don’t need you to carry me. I can make it on my own. I don’t want you to be my light anymore.”
These words, rooted in the moment Andrew carried her out of her darkness, had shaped her affection for him for over a decade. But now, as she believed time had turned back, she felt regret.
She wished she hadn’t clung to him, hadn’t craved the safety and gentleness he offered.
So she pleaded for release, ready to face the journey ahead on her own.

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