She didn’t.
And that?
That was the truest part of the message.
She saidplease.But only after there was no one else left to call. I zoomed in on the message bubble. The punctuation. The phrasing.
If you want it, come get it.
No apology.
Just an offer. A test. And she knew exactly what I’d do with a test like that. She always had.
I watched the timestamps. Watched the language shift—from threat to instruction tointimacy.
You don’t have to hurt her. Just keep her close.
He won’t know until it’s too late.
Deliver it when he’s weakest. When he cares.
I set the phone down. Didn’t smash it. Didn’t speak. Just leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes for one breath.
I wasn’t surprised. Not really. Not after the way she ran. Not after the silence. But I wasfinishedpretending there was a version of her I hadn’t already lost.
I stood. Picked up the ring from the alcove. Held it in my palm like a weight. Then walked it to the study desk. Set it beside the phone. And turned out the light.
Let her sleep. Let her dream she was still something worth saving. I had everything I needed now. And war never needed a reason.Just a target.
The phone was still on the desk. Still open. I should’ve shut it off. Instead, I scrolled. Deeper. Not looking for more. Just confirming what I already knew.
And then?—
I found it.
The escort thread. Pulled from the message archive she thought I hadn’t accessed. A thread from a blocked number. Weeks old.
I’ll pay double if she doesn’t speak.
I remembered that one. I remembered the night I almost asked. She’d come out of the shower, towel-wrapped, hair wet, eyes wrong.
She smiled at me. But it didn’t reach her mouth. I saw something on her thigh. A mark. Could’ve been a bruise. Could’ve been something else. She flinched when I touched it.
I didn’t press. Didn’t push. Didn’t ask. Because she crawled into my lap after. Kissed me like she needed to be forgiven for something I hadn’t uncovered yet.
And now I knew.
She hadn’t wanted to lie. She just wanted to see if she could get away with it. And she had. Until now.
I hadn’t asked her about it then. Because she was already shaking in my hands. Because I thought that was punishment enough. But now? There was a second message. Sent two nights ago.
Same number.
Still interested?
And beneath it?—
Payment cleared.
