Dear Obsession

Chapter 3 – Familiar Stranger.

Iris’s POV.

I found out about Ryan from a text I almost ignored.

Maya had forwarded a screenshot from a friend: “Ryan's in the hospital. Someone jumped him last night in the hallway of Iris's building. He's pretty banged up.”

I stared at the message until the words stopped making sense. I grabbed my coat, texted Ethan to move our drink to tomorrow.

The hospital smelled like antiseptic. I hated it already. The nurse at the desk gave me a room number after I lied and said I was his sister. I didn't care. I just needed to see him.

Ryan looked smaller in the bed, and older. One side of his face was swollen, purple spreading under his eye. His lip was split. An IV drip ran into the back of his hand. When he saw me, his expression didn't soften the way I expected. It hardened.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

I stopped in the doorway. "I heard what happened. Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" His voice was harsh. "Some psycho jumped me in the hallway. Nearly broke my ribs. And now you're standing there like you care."

I stepped closer. "Of course I care. You're—"

"Don't." He turned his head away. "Just don't. You kicked me out. Remember? So don't come in here acting like the concerned girlfriend."

The words landed harder than they should have. I sat in the chair beside the bed anyway. "I was scared, Ryan. I thought someone was outside."

"Because you were being paranoid. Again." He let out a sharp breath. "And look what happened. Someone actually was out there. Congrats. You were right. Happy?"

I stared at him. "That's not fair."

"None of this is fair." He shifted, wincing. "I don't even know what the guy wanted. He just kept talking about you. Like he knew you. Like he had some claim."

My stomach dropped. "What did he say?"

Ryan's jaw tightened. "Nothing I'm repeating. He's a freak. That's all you need to know."

I reached for his hand. He pulled it away.

"Don't touch me," he muttered. "I don't need you hovering. The nurses already do enough of that."

Something in my chest went cold. This was the version of him I'd been living with for months, the one who turned every moment into a fight, who made me feel like the problem every time I tried to stay. I stood up.

"I came because I was worried," I said quietly. "But you're right. I shouldn't have."

He didn't answer. He just stared at the ceiling like I was already gone.

I left the room before I said something I'd regret.

The hallway felt too bright. I was halfway to the elevators when a man stepped into my path. Broad shoulders, expensive watch.

"Iris Brooke?"

I stopped. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet." His gaze drifted over me in a way that made my skin crawl. "Heard your boyfriend's in there. Shame what happened. Word is he had it coming."

I took a step back. "Excuse me?"

He moved closer. "You should be more careful who you let into your place. Girls like you attract the wrong kind of attention. Maybe I can help with that."

His hand came up like he was going to touch my arm. I jerked away.

"Back off."

He laughed under his breath. "Feisty. I like that."

I was about to shove past him when another voice cut in, low and deep.

"She said back off."

I turned. The man standing a few feet away wasn't hospital staff. Dark coat. He looked familiar in a way I couldn't place, like I'd seen him somewhere.

The first man glanced at him. "This doesn't concern you."

"It does now." He stepped between us without raising his voice. "Walk away."

Something in his tone made the other guy pause. He looked between us, muttered something under his breath, and left toward the stairwell.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Thank you."

He turned to me. Up close, his face was harder than I expected. Calm. Almost too calm.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just shaken. Who was that?"

"Someone who shouldn't have been here." His gaze flicked toward Ryan's room, then back to me. "You visiting someone?"

"My ex. He got attacked last night."

A flicker of something passed through his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that."

I stared at him. "Do I know you?"

"Derek," he said. "I work security for a few buildings downtown. Saw the situation and stepped in."

It felt a little strange, but I didn't push.

"Well, thanks again," I said. "I should go."

He nodded once. "Be careful on your way out."

I walked to the elevator with the strange sense that his eyes stayed on me the whole time. I didn't look back, but my skin prickled all the way down.

Maya was waiting outside the hospital with two coffees when I texted her. She took one look at my face and handed me the cup without asking questions until we were in the car.

"Talk," she said.

I told her everything. Ryan's attitude. The way he blamed me. The man in the hallway. The stranger who stepped in.

Maya's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "So some random guy harasses you in a hospital? That's not normal, Iris."

"I know."

"And Ryan still won't tell you what the attacker said?"

"He said the guy kept talking about me. Like he knew me."

Maya glanced over. "That's terrifying."

"Yeah." I stared out the window. "I keep thinking about last night. The shape at the window. The sound outside. What if it's the same person?"

"Then you need to go to the police."

"With what? Ryan won't talk. I didn't see a face. I just feel like someone's watching me."

Maya was quiet for a long moment. "I'm staying at your place tonight. No arguments."

I didn't argue. I didn't want to be alone anyway.