David woke up early that morning, the sky still immersed in the soft light of dawn. He had slept little, his mind too restless to find the peace necessary for real rest. The encounter the night before, what seemed to be a communication from Jules, was still etched in his mind. He still couldn't understand what had just happened. Was it really his son? Was it a sign, or simply a manifestation of his own troubled mind, burdened by guilt and the pain of the past?
He made his way to the kitchen, not rushing. He needed clarity, but he knew he wouldn't get any immediate answers. The mornings always felt heavier after nights like these. And yet, something inside him whispered that he was no longer alone.
As he prepared a coffee, he heard the front door open softly. Caroline entered, her eyes still marked by sleep, but a genuine smile played on her lips. She approached him without a word and slipped into his arms, as if sharing the weight of the past days.
— "You're worried." Caroline's voice was soft, but her eyes, full of understanding, had seen beyond his usual mask.
David looked into her eyes, hesitant. He wished he could tell her everything that had happened, share with her this strange feeling of not being alone in the house. But he couldn't. Not yet.
— "Jules…" he murmured after a long silence, as though simply speaking his name aloud made him more real. "Jules seems to still be here. He... he's interfering in my life, in my relationships."
Caroline looked at him without surprise. She had always sensed that something invisible surrounded them, that a persistent presence lingered in their home. She knew. But hearing David finally express it aloud, even with fear in his words, brought both relief and sadness.
— "I think I feel it too," she replied calmly. "But it's so hard to know if it's our own fears or if something really exists."
David nodded, thoughtful. Yes, he was afraid. Afraid of losing control, afraid of facing things he couldn't explain, but also afraid of how these events could affect his relationships with Caroline and Julie. He turned away from the coffee he had just made, suddenly feeling heavier.
— "Julie…" he said, his voice full of doubt. "She's starting to ask questions. Every time we meet, something goes wrong. It's like... something's preventing her from feeling at ease, and I'm just there, helpless."
Caroline took his hand, urging him to look at her.
— "You know I'm here for you. But what you're experiencing isn't easy. And I think we need to face it together."
David looked at her, gratitude mixed with anxiety. He knew he wasn't alone in sensing this strange presence, but he also feared what it might mean for their future, for both of them. His gaze drifted for a moment to the outside, to the soft morning light, but his mind remained fixated on one question that gnawed at him.
Why was Jules doing this? Why interfere in his meetings with Julie? And why couldn't he move forward, without this heavy shadow?
The front door suddenly opened. David jumped, but Caroline didn't react. It wasn't an unusual sound. It wasn't a simple draft. It was Julie, standing in the doorway, her eyes bright, a little out of breath. She clearly looked disturbed.
— "David…" she said, a perceptible shiver in her voice. "I think something's really wrong. Something strange is happening between us. And I can't pretend everything's fine anymore."
David stood up quickly, concerned, and approached her.
— "Julie, what's going on?" he asked, trying to hide the rising anxiety in his voice.
She collapsed onto the couch, her trembling hands, her gaze avoiding them. Caroline, silent, watched the scene with growing concern.
— "I... I felt something last night. Something... cold. Before leaving, I saw... a figure. A boy, I think. But he wasn't really there. He was... in the shadow."
David felt his heart stop for a moment. A figure. A boy. He remembered what he had felt in the house these past few days, that persistent sensation that Jules was there, watching everything, observing every movement. It was a thought he had rejected until now, like irrational paranoia, but now, with Julie speaking of the same thing, he understood it wasn't just in his head.
— "You... you saw him?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Julie nodded, her eyes bright with confusion and fear.
— "Yes, he was there. In the shadow. He didn't say anything. But I saw him. He was looking at me. And I couldn't move. It was like I was paralyzed."
David sat next to her, his mind racing. This could no longer be a simple coincidence. Jules, or whatever remained of him, was doing everything he could to keep this distance between them, between him and Julie, between him and the future he was trying to build. He wouldn't accept this intrusion. He wouldn't accept seeing her take the place Caroline had in his heart.
— "I think Jules wants... to drive us apart," David finally said, his voice almost inaudible. "I don't know why, but I believe he's preventing us from moving forward."
Julie, still trembling, looked him in the eyes, fear still etched on her face.
— "What if I'm just an intruder in all of this? What if I'm not supposed to be here?" she murmured, letting anxiety overwhelm her.
Caroline, who had stayed in the background until then, gently approached. She placed a reassuring hand on Julie's shoulder.
— "You're not an intruder, Julie. No one is responsible for what's happening. We just have to understand what's behind this presence."
David turned to her, grateful for her unconditional support. But part of him knew that they were only at the beginning of a journey full of obstacles, a path where they would have to confront difficult and painful truths. Jules, even though he was gone, seemed determined to maintain control over his father's life, over the lives of everyone around him.
The border between the world of the living and the dead was becoming increasingly blurred, and David knew that, in order to move forward, he would have to face not only his own fears but also the shadows of Jules, which were not ready to dissipate.