The paranoia started small.
At first it was just the way Aria checked over her shoulder when she left the office building, or how she crossed the street instead of walking past a man lingering too long at the corner. Then it grew. Every stranger on the subway felt like they were watching her. Every glance in the mirror of the elevator made her heart race. She started taking different routes to work, changing her lunch order at the café, and keeping her phone on silent so the vibration of an unknown number wouldn’t make her jump. Dominic noticed the change but didn’t comment; he simply stayed closer, his hand resting at the small of her back whenever they walked together.
Sophia noticed too.
“You’ve been jumpy all week,” she said one Thursday as they claimed a corner table at their usual
