“I could stay and watch TV for a while,” I offer. “If you wanted some company.”
Hope lights her eyes for a moment.
But a second later, it dims.
Her hand goes cold and stiff in mine.
Right before my eyes, she seems to shrink. Almost like she’s curling into herself.
This isn’t a rejection of my idea. I’m certain of it.
“Haze?” Worry roughens my voice. “What’s wrong?”
She doesn’t answer. Her gaze goes distant. A shudder shakes her body.
“Hazel?” I wrap both my hands around hers. “What is it?”
Is she having a flashback? The start of a panic attack? A delayed reaction to the attack at her house?
Then Hazel exhales heavily. Her eyes refocus on mine.“Alec.”
“What? Do you need a doctor? Are you in pain? Tell me how I can help.”
She shakes her head. “No. I don’t need a doctor. I just… I thought of something. I don’t know how it could be related, but…”
I sit up straighter. “What is it?”
Her fingers tighten around mine. “Something happened before I moved to Bliss. It’s… it’s why I moved here, really.”
An ominous prickle creeps up my neck. “What happened?”
Hazel’s gaze meets mine. Her eyes are dark and haunted. “I haven’t told anyone in town. The only person who knows is my friend, Jess.” She pauses. “Well. That’s not really true. The police in Bostonknow. And anyone who read the articles in the news.”
“The police?”
“Although,” she continues, almost as if she didn’t hear me. “My name wasn’t mentioned,” she continues. “Just his. And Marissa’s.”
A weight settles in my gut. “Who?”
She pulls her hands away from mine, twisting them together. Her gaze dips to her lap. After a few silent seconds, she says, “Jason Kinney. My ex.”
“Your ex?”
“At first, I thought he was nice. But after we’d been dating for several months, he started acting… Well. He got really possessive. Clingy. He didn’t want me doing anything without him. I didn’t like it, so I broke up with him.”
With a small sigh, Hazel continues, “He didn’t take it well. For the next couple of months, he kept badgering me to take him back. Calling. Texting. Sending gifts. Sitting outside my apartment door, waiting for me to come home.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” Her gaze lifts to mine again. “I was getting scared. So I went to the police, but they said there wasn’t anything they could do.”
My jaw clenches. “Nothing?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. Jason never made any threats. So I couldn’t prove I was in danger.”
I’m almost afraid to ask. “So, what happened?”
“I’d already blocked his number, but it didn’t stop the gifts. The letters. The visits to my apartment. One of my coworkers was looking for a roommate, so I decided to move in with her. I thought it would finally get the idea across to Jason that I wasn’t interested.” She stops. Shakes her head again. “I was so stupid.”
