Chapter Three:Mine
798 Words
Tessa’s knees gave out.
She collapsed onto the cold library floor, her breathing uneven as panic tightened around her chest.
The message…
The unknown number…
And the exact words written beside the latest victim’s body…
It couldn’t be a coincidence.
“No…”
She buried her face in her trembling hands.
“This isn’t real.”
For several minutes, she sat there in silence, forcing herself to breathe.
Finally, she wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes and slowly stood.
“No.”
She clenched her fists.
“If I let fear control me… whoever is doing this will only become stronger.”
Someone was trying to break her.
She refused to let that happen.
Straightening her shoulders, Tessa walked out of the library.
She had barely reached the hallway when she suddenly froze.
“My book…”
She had left it in the campus café.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, she hurried back.
The book was gone.
She searched every table before asking one of the café employees.
“Excuse me… did anyone turn in a book?”
The employee shook his head.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t see one.”
Tessa sighed heavily.
“Perfect…”
“First this nightmare… and now I lose the only copy of my notes.”
With no other choice, she returned to class.
The lectures passed in a blur.
She couldn’t focus on a single word.
The messages…
The murders…
The feeling that someone was watching her…
Everything refused to leave her mind.
⸻
By evening, she finally arrived home.
Standing in front of her apartment, she reached into her pocket for her keys.
Then she froze.
The front door…
was slightly open.
Her heartbeat stopped.
“…Did someone break in?”
Slowly, she pushed the door open.
The apartment was silent.
Nothing looked disturbed.
The furniture was untouched.
Nothing appeared to be missing.
Yet something felt…
wrong.
A faint scent lingered in the air.
A deep, masculine fragrance.
It was strangely familiar.
She frowned.
“I’ve smelled this before…”
But where?
Unable to remember, she carefully searched every room.
Closets.
Bathroom.
Kitchen.
Under the bed.
No one.
Still…
The feeling that someone had been there refused to disappear.
Then her eyes landed on her study desk.
A neatly wrapped pink gift box.
Tessa stopped breathing.
Someone had definitely entered her apartment.
With cautious steps, she approached the package.
After staring at it for several moments, she slowly opened it.
Inside…
was her missing book.
Beside it lay her favorite chocolate bar.
Her eyes widened.
“…How?”
Whoever had taken the book…
knew exactly what she loved.
Her gaze shifted to a small folded note tucked beneath the chocolate.
She unfolded it.
Only four words were written.
You belong to me.
A chill ran down her spine.
She looked around the empty apartment again.
No answer.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
Trying to calm herself, she whispered,
“This has to be someone’s sick joke…”
She picked up the chocolate but hesitated.
Her fingers slowly tightened around it.
“…No.”
“I don’t even know who left this.”
Without another thought, she placed it back on the table.
Instead, she walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
She filled a pot with water for pasta.
Halfway through, exhaustion suddenly washed over her.
She rubbed her temples.
“I barely slept last night…”
The stress…
The fear…
Everything finally caught up with her.
Leaving the pot on the stove, she turned off the heat.
“I’ll just lie down for a few minutes…”
The moment her head touched the pillow…
Darkness claimed her.
⸻
Silence filled the apartment.
The only light came from the crimson glow of the bedside lamp.
Moonlight slipped through the half-open window.
Then…
A shadow appeared.
A figure dressed entirely in black stepped silently into the room.
A Ghost Mask concealed his face.
Not a single sound escaped his boots.
He stood beside Tessa’s bed.
Watching.
For a long moment…
he simply admired her peaceful face.
Carefully, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear without waking her.
A quiet chuckle escaped behind the mask.
“So stubborn…”
His gloved fingers rested briefly against the edge of the blanket before he gently pulled it higher to keep her warm.
He leaned closer.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“You don’t know me yet…”
“But one day…”
“You’ll understand.”
He remained there for several minutes.
Watching.
Protecting.
Obsessing.
Finally, he reached into his pocket and placed a single red rose on her study table.
His signature.
Before disappearing through the window, he looked back one last time.
“I’ll see you again soon…”
And then…
The Devil vanished into the night.
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