Chapter 5: No One Was Supposed to Know
996 Words
I couldn't breathe.
My hands trembled as I stared at the photo on my phone.
It had been taken from across the street.
The angle showed the entrance to Sophia's apartment building.
It also showed me standing by the window only a few minutes ago.
Someone was watching me.
Someone knew exactly where I was.
"Emilia?"
Sophia looked up from the kitchen.
"What happened?"
Without saying a word, I handed her my phone.
She read the message.
The color slowly drained from her face.
"When did this arrive?"
"Just now."
She zoomed in on the picture.
"This wasn't taken yesterday."
"No."
"It was taken today."
I nodded.
"We need to call the police."
I wanted to agree.
I really did.
But something stopped me.
"What do we tell them?"
"That someone is threatening you."
"They'll ask who."
"I don't know."
"They'll ask why."
"I don't know that either."
Sophia let out a frustrated sigh.
"This isn't a joke anymore."
"I know."
"They're following you."
"I know."
"They know where you are."
"I know."
The words sounded calm.
I wasn't.
Inside, fear was slowly taking over.
Another message appeared.
Don't involve the police.
Sophia grabbed the phone from my hand.
"That's enough."
She switched it off immediately.
"They're trying to scare you."
"They already have."
She walked to the window and carefully moved the curtain aside.
A black sedan was parked across the street.
Its windows were too dark to see inside.
"Do you know that car?"
I walked over.
"No."
It sat there without moving.
No one got out.
No one drove away.
It simply waited.
My stomach tightened.
A loud knock echoed through the apartment.
Both of us froze.
Sophia whispered, "Stay behind me."
Another knock.
This time louder.
She looked through the peephole.
Then she let out a slow breath.
"It's Lucas."
She opened the door.
Lucas Bennett stepped inside carrying a paper bag and a worried expression.
The moment he saw me, his face softened.
"I came as soon as I heard."
I forced a weak smile.
"You didn't have to."
"Yes, I did."
He placed the bag on the table.
"I brought breakfast."
Neither Sophia nor I moved toward it.
Lucas looked between us.
"What happened?"
Sophia showed him the messages.
His expression hardened.
"Who else knows you're here?"
"No one," I answered.
"I only came here after leaving the hotel."
Lucas frowned.
"So whoever sent this has been following you since last night."
The thought made my skin crawl.
He walked to the window.
"The black sedan?"
"You noticed it too?" Sophia asked.
"It was outside when I arrived."
My heart skipped.
"How long?"
"About ten minutes."
Lucas pulled out his phone.
"I'm calling someone."
"Who?"
"A private security company."
I shook my head.
"I can't afford that."
He looked at me as if I had said something ridiculous.
"This isn't about money."
"It is for me."
"I'll handle the cost."
"I can't let you do that."
"You can."
His voice was gentle but firm.
"You've spent five years solving everyone else's problems."
"Let someone help you for once."
I looked away.
Asking for help had never been easy.
Depending on someone felt even harder after what happened with Damien.
Lucas seemed to understand.
He didn't push.
Instead, he changed the subject.
"I watched the news this morning."
I closed my eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You don't have to."
"But I do want to ask you something."
I looked at him.
"In five years, have you ever lied to Damien?"
"No."
"Have you ever cheated on him?"
"No."
"Have you ever taken confidential information from Kingston International?"
"Never."
He nodded once.
"Then I believe you."
The simple words almost made me cry.
Not because he believed me.
Because he didn't hesitate.
Not even for a second.
Unlike Damien.
My phone lit up again.
Even though it was switched off.
Sophia frowned.
"That's strange."
She picked it up.
"It restarted."
A new voicemail notification appeared.
Unknown number.
Lucas looked at me.
"Don't play it."
I swallowed.
"What if it's important?"
"What if it's another threat?"
He had a point.
Still, curiosity won.
I pressed play.
At first, there was only silence.
Then I heard breathing.
Slow.
Calm.
Finally, a distorted voice spoke.
"You should have accepted your place."
The message ended.
The apartment became quiet.
Sophia immediately saved the recording.
Lucas's jaw tightened.
"This isn't someone trying to scare you for fun."
"They hate me."
"No."
He looked straight at me.
"They're afraid of something."
I frowned.
"Afraid of what?"
"I don't know."
"But people don't go this far unless they have something to lose."
His words stayed with me.
Something to lose.
I thought about the gala.
The fake videos.
The fake emails.
The perfect timing.
None of it happened by accident.
Someone had planned every detail.
Someone wanted me out of Damien's life.
But why?
The apartment buzzer suddenly rang.
All three of us looked toward the door.
Sophia answered through the intercom.
"Yes?"
A delivery driver's voice came through.
"Package for Ms. Emilia Hart."
"I didn't order anything," I said.
Neither did Lucas.
Sophia hesitated before unlocking the lobby door.
A minute later, there was another knock.
Lucas opened the apartment door carefully.
A small brown envelope sat on the floor.
No delivery driver.
No footsteps.
No one in the hallway.
He picked it up.
"There isn't even a sender's name."
He handed it to me.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Damien and me outside our favorite café six months ago.
Someone had drawn a thick red line between us with a marker.
On the back, three words were written in neat black ink.
He chose them.
As I stared at the words, my phone rang again.
This time, it wasn't an unknown number.
It was Damien.
And for the first time since the engagement gala, I wasn't sure if answering his call would save me...
Or put me in even greater danger.
- Writer
