The next few days felt like walking through a haunted dream—familiar places wrapped in invisible tension, normal faces hiding twisted truths. I went to class, worked on my showcase project, and tried to act normal. Pretend normal. But beneath every breath, behind every laugh, there was a crack in the mask.
Every time I glanced over my shoulder, I half-expected Ethan to be there—lurking just beyond reach, standing too close, watching too long.
But that was the worst part.
He wasn’t always there.
He came and went like a shadow—appearing when I felt most vulnerable, vanishing when I tried to trace him. Almost like he knew the rhythm of my fear. Like he could hear my heartbeat and only stepped forward when it raced.
He was haunting me without ever touching me.
⸻
Ace had built what he ca
