Just a coincidence. A bad one. That's all.
Still, my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
I leaned down to pick up the phone. The message stared back at me, making my skin crawl all over again. This was just proof I wasn't past it all yet. My nerves were still frayed. I was still wired for danger, still too raw to read a stupid message without spiralling.
My phone buzzed again. I flinched so hard I nearly threw it on a reflex.
The new message slid onto the screen just beneath the first one:So you did block me. That's alright. No hard feelings, Ro.
My stomach dropped. A prank text wouldn't use my nickname.
This wasn't spam. ItwasMarcus.
I should've deleted the messages right then and there and blocked the new number. Cut him off entirely. I knew that wasthe only way to break free of him. But I couldn't move. I just stared at the screen, and it didn't take long for a third message to come through.
Thought for sure I finished the job. Guess your little friend found you in time?
I practically threw the phone back onto the table.
My chest seized. The room suddenly felt smaller as the walls closed in from all sides. I couldn't catch my breath. No matter how hard I tried to pull in air, it wasn’t enough. My vision tunnelled. Every background noise in the flat got lost under the roaring in my ears.
I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to slow the frantic pounding of my heart, but it didn't help. Nothing helped.
I'd let myself believe it was over. That I was safe. That maybe I was finally clawing my way back to something normal. But he was still here. Still poking at me. Still finding new ways to get under my skin. I wasn't free. I was never going to be free.
I suddenly got the urge to get up and pace – but I didn't dare. The room was spinning. My fingers tingled. My knees felt like they'd give out if I tried to stand. My vision blurred and warped like a bad acid trip. I gripped the edge of the sofa to keep myself steady, but it wasn't enough.
Then a single clear thought cut through the noise:Call Eli.
I lurched forward, nearly knocking the phone off the table again as I grabbed for it. My hands shook so hard I almost dropped it just trying to unlock the screen. Somehow, I found his name in my contacts and managed to tap on it.
The ring barely lasted a second before he picked up. "Hey, I was just – "
"He's back." The words tore out of me. Hoarse. Broken. Not even fully formed.
There was a pause. "What?"
"Marcus," I forced out. Trying to talk was making theroom spin harder. "I – I don't know – he's – "
His tone snapped straight into urgency. "Okay – Hey. Ro. Stay put. I'm coming right now. I'll be there in two minutes."
The line went dead. I stared at the screen before turning the phone off and dropping it onto the sofa. Two minutes. I just had to hold it together for two minutes.
But then a new thought punched through my ribs and drove the air out of me.
I couldn't remember if I locked the deadbolt.
I usually did. Always did, lately. But this morning...? Or whenever I last came in... My brain scrambled for the memory and came up with nothing but static.
I twisted in my seat, trying to see the front door from where I sat. But between the haze in my vision and the angle, I couldn't tell. The chain was on. Maybe. But I couldn't clearly see the deadbolt. And now all I could see in my mind was Marcus waiting on the other side.
My panic rose again. What if he was actually out there?
The thought made my pulse hammer against my chest. I forced myself to move and pushed off the cushion, my hands digging into the arm of the sofa for leverage.
The room immediately tilted.
I got one foot under me. Then the other. I was standing, but only barely. My knees shook under my weight. I gripped the back of the sofa with both hands and tried to breathe through the dizziness, but I couldn't even straighten up without the edges of the room going dark.
