The pieces fit together like a puzzle I wish I'd never started assembling. Kyle has a pattern. A history. And I'm just his latest target.
That evening, after tucking the twins into bed, I lie awake staring at the ceiling. My phone sits on the nightstand, silent. No texts from Jack, Blake, or Noah. They're giving me space, but the silence feels oppressive.
Sunday morning arrives with gray skies that match my mood. I drop the twins at Noah's apartment, where Maya, Ethan, and Sophie are visiting for the day. The kids immediately disappear into the living room, their laughter echoing down the hallway.
Noah appears in the doorway wearing jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his lean forearms. His green eyes are warm behind his glasses as they meet mine.
"You okay?" he asks quietly.
"I will be." I rise on my toes and kiss him softly, drawing strength from the contact. "Thank you for watching them."
"Anytime." His hand finds the small of my back, pulling me closer. "Call if you need anything."
The drive to Millbrook takes forty minutes. The Daily Grind is a small coffee shop tucked between a bookstore and a yoga studio. Jennifer Matthews sits at a corner table, hands wrapped arounda mug. She's prettier than her LinkedIn photo suggested, with auburn hair and sharp features.
"Mia?" She stands, extending her hand. "Thank you for meeting me."
We settle into our seats. The weight of what we're about to discuss hangs between us.
"How bad is it?" Jennifer asks.
"My classroom was vandalized. Threatening notes. Photos taken through windows. He's filed a harassment complaint against me and the men in my life, claiming we're conspiring against him."
Jennifer's expression darkens. "That's his pattern. Make himself the victim while systematically destroying his target."
"Tell me everything."
She takes a deep breath. "Kyle was in my junior English class. Bright kid, excellent writer, but there was something off about him from the start. The way he'd stare during lectures, like he was memorizing every detail of my face."
I nod, recognizing the behavior immediately.
"It started small. Coffee on my desk. Notes saying he appreciated my teaching. Then it escalated. He gave me expensive gifts. A leather-bound journal with my initials. A first edition of my favorite book that must have cost hundreds of dollars."
She shakes her head with a frown. "The gifts are about establishing a connection, creating obligation. When I told him his attention was inappropriate, his whole demeanor changed. He got this cold, calculating look."
A chill runs through me. I've seen that look.
"The journal entries were the worst. He'd submit creative writing assignments that were clearly fantasies about me. Detailed scenarios of us together. They got darker. More possessive."
"What did the school do?"
"Initially? Nothing. They said I was overreacting, that teenage boys develop crushes and I should be flattered. It wasn't until my classroom was vandalized that they started taking it seriously."
My stomach drops. "Mine was too, but we don't have any proof that he's behind it? How did he vandalize your classroom?"
"The same things you probably saw. Whore. Slut. Accusations about my morals. But the worst part was the photos. He'd been taking pictures of me through my classroom windows, through my car windows, even through my home windows. He had hundreds of them."
The coffee in my stomach turns to acid. "How did they prove it was him?"
"His journal. The school finally searched his locker after the vandalism and found detailed plans. He'd written out exactly how he was going to isolate me from my husband, how he'd make me dependent on him, how he'd eliminate anyone who got in his way." Jennifer meets my eyes. "Kyle isn't just obsessed, Mia. He's dangerous. Methodical. Patient. He won't stop until he either possesses you or destroys you completely."
The words settle over me like a death sentence. "What happened to him?"
"Expelled. His parents threw money at the problem and got the records sealed. He transferred to another school where the samepattern started again with a senior girl. She was smart enough to transfer away before it escalated too far."
"And now he's at Riverside Academy. With me."
Jennifer reaches across the table, her hand covering mine. "You need to document everything. Every interaction, every gift, every look. Build a case that's so airtight his parents' money can't make it disappear."
